Flora Tissues celebrates 40 years of excellence in 2023

A few key employees are pictured here with the Managing Director (centre)

Pee Bee Management Services Managing Director Kishore Surtani (centre) with some key distributors

• Recognises employees and island-wide distributors in a unique felicitation and celebration event

Pee Bee Management Services, the undisputed market leader in soft disposable tissue paper products made in Sri Lanka and marketed under the popular household brand Flora Tissues, held an event recently to celebrate the 40th anniversary.

It also unveiled ambitious plans to launch new products, with the support of its renewed commitment by employees and distributors, amidst the rapidly evolving landscape and challenges in market conditions.

The 40th-anniversary celebrations, held on 9 September 2023 at the Golden Rose, featured a felicitation ceremony to recognise Distributors and Employees, irrespective of the number of years served with the company. Many of them have been associated with Flora Tissues since 1983, ranging from one to three decades of service. They were honoured with a token of appreciation from the Managing Director.

All participants shared and cherished the memories of the history of the company and the origin of the brand, and firmly committed themselves to look forward to the golden jubilee of Flora Tissues.

Special invitees at the ceremony also included Debojit Sengupta and Amrinder Batra, representatives from the Indian-based Orient Paper Mills, and Sri Lanka Standards Institution Director (Documentation and Information Services) T.S. Senaratne.

In the early part of 1982, the focal attention was drawn to the fact that a change was needed, in providing a personal hygienic solution, in particular, to uplift the personal hygiene habits of the Sri Lankans. The vision embedded in the minds of the directors became a reality by inaugurating a factory to produce soft tissue products in the early part of 1983. 

Thus, the much-needed personal hygienic products in the soft tissues category were readily available as the production started in mid-1983, for use by the local consumer and for many hotels in Sri Lanka that were catering to tourists. 

The brand Flora was born, in 1983, to provide high-quality, soft, hygienic and affordable soft tissue products such as Paper Serviettes, Facial Tissues, Paper Towels and Toilet tissues for the Sri Lankan market.

The humble beginnings began with rented factory premises in Ratmalana with just one machine and seven employees. Since 1991, the company has been relocated to Homagama to their factory premises at the Katuwana industrial estate in Homagama, with a full-fledged production, storage and distribution facility equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure and logistics and currently employs over 320 employees, who live in the vicinity of the Factory.

Flora Tissues has continued to be the market leader in the soft disposable tissue paper industry for the last 40 years, with over 60% market share in Sri Lanka, with an extensive distributor network covering all parts of the island. The Flora tissue brand includes a range of products for consumers as well as institutions such as hotels, restaurants, and hospitals, among others. 

The company has also won numerous accolades over the years, such as the Super Brand status, Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Award, BIZZ Award by the US-based World Confederation of Businesses, Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability Award – Top SME in Asia, and among Asia’s Greatest Brands and Leaders by Asia One Magazine and URS Media Consulting P.L.

Today, Flora Tissues continues to expand its product portfolio to the local market and also exports to markets such as the Maldives and Seychelles. The journey so far and the countdown to the next successful decade is mapped out and is an achievable goal to be accomplished by the relentless dedication and determination exhibited by all Employees, Distributors and Partners, and not forgetting to appreciate and be grateful for all the support from all Sri Lankan consumers who share the love, trust and loyalty for brand Flora.