Sri Lanka tea promoted at US food fair

(From left) Dharmasri Kumaratunga, Director - Payments and Settlements, Central Bank; Nanda Fernando, Managing Director, Sampath Bank; and Tharaka Ranwala, Head of Operations and Group Chief Marketing Officer, Sampath Bank

July 16, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s ‘Ceylon Tea’ has been showcased at a specialty food fair in the in the US city of New York, the island’s embassy said. Representatives of the US tea trade, officials from the US Tea Council and media had attended a networking dinner on July 01. On July 02, a breakfast seminar on Ceylon Tea had been held at the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce.

Sri Lankan tea exporters including Akbar Brothers (Pvt) Ltd, Basilur Tea Export (Pvt) Ltd, HVA Foods PLC, Ceylon Tea Land, Imperial Teas, Millennium Teas and Tealia had been represented the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York.

The fair started in 1955 is North America’s largest specialty food and beverage exhibition since 1955 displaying 180,000 products from 2400 exhibitors from 80 countries and regions, the embassy said.

“The booth of the Sri Lanka Tea Board which showcased the unique characteristics of Sri Lankan Tea Industry attracted many visitors,” the embassy said.

Plantation Industries deputy minister Earl Gunaskara, Sri Lanka™s Ambassador to the US Jaliya Wickramasuriya and director general of Sri Lanka Tea Board Damitha Narangoda had been a