Colombo International Tea Convention from 24 to 26 July

From left: Colombo Tea Traders Association Vice Chairman Senaka Alawattegama, Colombo Tea Traders Association Vice Chairman Lushantha De Silva, Colombo International Tea Convention organising committee Co-Chairman Anil Cooke, Co-Chairman Ganesh Deivanayagam, Sri Lanka Tea Board Chairman Niraj De Mel, Colombo Tea Traders Association Chairman Sanjaya Herath, Sri Lanka Tea Board Director General M.S. Anuruddha and Promotion Director Pavithri Peiris – Pic by Shehan Gunasekara

• Key event to drive global dialogue on tea as lifestyle and livelihood 

The Colombo International Tea Convention will be held from 24 to 26 July 2024, bringing together the biggest leaders and disruptors of the tea industry to inspire insightful conversation, hard hitting dialogue and fresh perspectives that will shape the future of tea.

The convention, freshly rebranded under the timely theme ‘Tea: A Lifestyle and A Livelihood’, will shine the spotlight on Tea in all its forms, as an integral part of cultures and lifestyles across the world, and provoke meaningful dialogue and action on globally applicable, sustainable solutions to uplift diverse tea communities and tea growing environments across the world.

Tea has immense potential as a growth engine to generate sustainable outcomes for people and the planet. However, the tea industry continues to face challenging times amid the impacts of climate change, political volatility and declining socio-economic conditions across the world. About 70% of tea in the world is produced by smallholders in developing countries, catering to evolving consumer preference for exciting taste experiences that are responsibly and sustainably delivered.

The convention will cover the entire tea value chain from crop to cup with insights from producers from countries like Kenya, Sri Lanka, China and India, market perspectives from industry experts in countries like Japan, UK, GCC and the US, consumer perspectives from the biggest global retailers, analysis from climate experts, innovations of leading brands, and organisations promoting social values.

The Colombo Tea Traders Association (CTTA) and the Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB) launched the first Colombo International Tea Convention in 1992, and this year’s event promises to be an important forum to promote fresh thinking towards ensuring the sustainability of tea and its people. This convention will be unique, with authentic Ceylon Tea experiences, and insight into the interwoven role of tea in Sri Lanka’s social and economic fabric. Delegates and accompanying family or loved ones will have the opportunity to enhance their convention experience though special packages and tours exploring Sri Lanka. 

“The SLTB has been closely associated with the Colombo International Tea Convention since its inception. This event has great potential to promote Ceylon Tea and the Sri Lankan tea industry, across all its dimensions, and be a forum to shine a spotlight on the Lion logo and strengthen the position of Ceylon Tea as a global leader,” Sri Lanka Tea Board Chairman Niraj de Mel said.

“The Colombo Tea Traders’ Association, which is celebrating 130 years of bringing the tea industry together in best practices, has supported the Sri Lanka Tea Board to drive Ceylon Tea as a beverage of choice in the world. Already this year, leaders of the tea industry, from UK, US, Canada, Japan, Russia, UAE and Chile etc. have confirmed participation at this convention and we are excited to co-host this powerful global forum,” Colombo Tea Traders Association Chairman Sanjaya Herath said.

The 34th plenary meeting of the International Standards Organisation Technical Committee on tea will take place concurrently with the Colombo International Tea Convention 2024, featuring representatives from 40 member countries. This marks the first in-person meeting since 2020 due to COVID-19. Sri Lanka stands out as the sole tea-producing country fully aligned with ISO standards.