Sanjeevi JAYASURIYA
In a bid to make available a quality Sri Lankan cup of tea, Heladiv Tea Club was launched at the Precinct, the former Dutch Hospital premises in Fort.
"We are looking at providing a true Sri Lankan cup of tea in a tranquil atmosphere for locals as well as foreigners. This will be the stepping stone for a chain of such tea clubs where the club concept will be popularised, HVA Group Managing Director Rohan Fernando said at the launch on Monday.
The Heladiv Tea Club will be interacted as a franchise cafe network in selected locations catering to the high-end clientele in the value chain.
The outlet will not only offer tea, but other beverages as well to promote the tea drinking habit among tourists by way of quality Sri Lankan tea, he said.
The Heladiv Tea Clubs will be set up in Australia, Canada and India next year with plans to add more countries to the chain shortly.
"Heladiv Tea Clubs are already in China with 20 outlets opened so far.
It is a lucrative market and measures are underway to further increase the number of tea clubs by covering more in China," Fernando said.
"With the boom in the tourism industry the country could benefit from promoting local tea among foreigners and the prime strategy of Heladiv Tea Clubs will be to carve a name as a place for a good cup of tea both locally and internationally," he said.