Bearwell Estate matcha, in ceremonial and culinary grades, reaches the market six months after its first trial
Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC, a Hayleys Plantations Sector company, has launched a premium range of Ceylon matcha from its Bearwell Estate in Nuwara Eliya, taking Sri Lankan tea into a category where global demand is outrunning supply. Produced in both ceremonial and culinary grades, the range positions the Company as a significant contributor to Sri Lanka’s matcha production, accounting for over 80% of sales.
For Sri Lanka, this is a new kind of tea. Black tea makes up almost the entire national crop, and green tea, the family to which matcha belongs, accounted for less than one per cent of the 264 million kilograms the country produced in 2025. Demand overseas has moved the other way: in 2025 a heat-affected harvest in Japan, the main source of matcha, pushed prices to record levels as cafés and younger buyers drove consumption.
The project went from first trial to commercial sales in six months. With no Sri Lankan operation to learn from, the Bearwell Estate team designed and built most of the production line on the estate itself. The result is a matcha capability built in Sri Lanka rather than imported. The matcha comes from Bearwell's existing tea fields, and is made in the estate's own factory, giving buyers a single-estate origin from bush to pack. The project has also created skilled, higher-value work on the estate, the kind of role that can draw a younger generation into the industry.
Bearwell's high-grown fields can be plucked through most of the year, whereas Japan's premium matcha depends on a single spring harvest. That gives overseas buyers what they increasingly need: steady supply, under the established name of Ceylon tea. The ceremonial grade could be consumed directly, at home and in cafés and hotels. The culinary grade goes into lattes, bakery, confectionery and other food products. Both grades are offered to hospitality groups, food manufacturers, distributors and private-label brands, with supply planned for recurring commercial orders.
Matcha builds on a strong record in conventional tea. Talawakelle Tea Estates holds the highest sales average among Sri Lanka's Regional Plantation Companies and was named LMD's Most Awarded Company in Sri Lanka for 2025. Its operations are certified to Rainforest Alliance, ISO 22000, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 standards, and the Company has received more than 100 awards, including the World Class Winner title at the Global Performance Excellence Award.
Mr. Nishantha Abeysinghe, Director/Chief Executive Officer of Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC, said: "Tea drinkers around the world are turning to premium, wellness-led products, and matcha is where that demand is strongest. Matcha lets us carry Sri Lanka's tea heritage into a new category and earn far more from the tea we already grow. What pleases me most is how it was done. The Bearwell team had no blueprint to follow in Sri Lanka, and they mastered the art in six months. It is the start of taking Ceylon tea beyond the traditional cup and into a new generation of drinks and foods."
Talawakelle Tea Estates is now assessing whether the approach can be extended to other estates across the Group, which would add further volume to Sri Lanka's matcha output.
Image Caption - Expanding its product portfolio through innovation and value addition, Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC unveils Bearwell Matcha, bringing a distinctive matcha experience to tea enthusiasts.
(From left to right) Factory Executive Mr. Prasad Gunaratne, Manager Mr. Iwantha De Silva, Regional General Manager Mr. Sarath Ranaweera, and Assistant Manager Mr. Achira Welagedara
