Students of the Nutrition and Health programme, Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, NSBM Green University, recently had the valuable opportunity to gain first-hand industry exposure through an educational visit to Imperial Tea Exports (Pvt) Ltd, one of Sri Lanka’s leading tea exporters, renowned for delivering premium Ceylon tea to international markets through innovation, quality, and sustainable practices.

The visit offered students an insightful look into the end-to-end journey of Ceylon tea, from auction to export, providing a practical understanding of the processes and systems that underpin Sri Lanka’s globally recognised tea industry.

During the visit, students explored several key areas of tea production, processing, and export operations. These included the Ceylon Tea Auction and bidding process, tea blending, procurement of raw materials, ERP systems for production and inventory management, warehousing and storage practices, tea tasting and sensory evaluation, and packaging design. Students also gained insights into the development of customised tea blends tailored to the specific requirements of international export markets, as well as the Quality Control (QC) and Quality Assurance (QA) systems implemented to maintain world-class product standards.

The exposure provided an excellent opportunity for students to connect their academic knowledge with real-world applications, particularly in areas such as food quality management, supply chain operations, sensory evaluation, production management, and the global food and beverage export industry. Such industry engagements play an important role in enhancing students’ practical competencies and broadening their understanding of professional practices beyond the classroom.

The visit also highlighted the importance of innovation, quality assurance, efficient supply chain management, and market responsiveness in maintaining Sri Lanka’s reputation in the competitive global tea industry.