Tuesday, 10 September 2013 00:00
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On her State visit to Sri Lanka recently, Maha Chakri Sirindhom, the Princess of Thailand paid a special visit to the Hayleys Pedro Estate in Nuwara Eliya, accompanied by Minister of Power and Energy Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Ambassador of Thailand Poldej Worachat and Ambassador for Sri Lanka in Thailand Shantha Kottegoda.
The entourage was welcomed on arrival at Pedro Tea Processing Centre by MP Namal Rajapakse along with Dipped Products PLC MD Dr. Mahesha Ranasoma and Kelani Valley Plantations PLC and Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC MD Roshan Rajadurai.
The Princess keenly took notes of the processes of manufacture of tea at the Pedro Tea Processing Centre and also was engaged in a tea tasting session. The Princess together with MP Namal Rajapakse in commemoration of their visit to Pedro Estate planted two tea saplings. In the course of the visit Her Royal Highness and the Minister in Attendance, Pavithra Wanniarachchi had hands-on experience by plucking tea leaves in the field.
At the time of departure, Dr. Ranasoma presented the Princess with a box of specially made tea manufactured out of the leaf plucked by the Princess herself.
History records that Pedro Estate had royalty dating back to 1954, when the existing factory was declared open by the Duke of Edinburgh when Queen Elizabeth visited Sri Lanka.
When Queen Eliza-beth celebrated her 60th year as Monarch of Britain in 2012, Ceylon Tea manufactured at Pedro was served at the opulent banquet at Westminster Hall. This tea was plucked from a tea plot planted by Prince Philip at Pedro Estate in April 1954.
Pedro Estate owned by Kelani Valley Plantations PLC a member of the Hayleys Group of Companies, comprising 620 hectares of lush tea fields manufactures world renowned teas and are sold under garden marks of “Lover’s Leap” and “Mahagastote”.
