Premium Bogawantalawa Tea debuts at Tamimi Markets in Saudi Arabia
Daily FT: Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ameer Ajwad, launched Sri Lanka’s renowned Bogawantalawa Tea, one of the country’s finest premium Ceylon Tea brands, at Tamimi Markets, the leading hypermarket chain in Saudi Arabia, on 9 July 2026 in Riyadh.
Ceylon Tea Gardens of Bogawantalawa Tea Ceylon supplies Bogawantalawa Tea exclusively to the Tamimi hypermarket chain in the Kingdom.
Addressing the gathering, Ambassador Ameer Ajwad pointed out that Saudi Arabia is one of the most important export destinations for Ceylon Tea and that the launch of Bogawantalawa Tea marked yet another significant milestone in expanding the presence of premium Ceylon Tea in the Saudi market. While expressing appreciation to Tamimi Markets for providing an excellent platform to introduce premium Sri Lankan tea to Saudi consumers, the Ambassador proposed the establishment of a dedicated “Sri Lanka Corner” for premium Sri Lankan products in Tamimi Markets. He also highlighted the steady growth of Sri Lankan exports to Saudi Arabia in recent years and emphasised the importance of further expanding Sri Lanka’s export basket in the Kingdom.
Bogawantalawa Tea Ceylon Co-Chairman Lalith Kumar Ambani, introduced the Ceylon Tea Gardens brand, stating that Bogawantalawa Tea is internationally renowned for its exceptional quality, distinctive flavour, freshness, and heritage spanning over a century. He noted that the introduction of Bogawantalawa Tea under the Ceylon Tea Gardens brand enriches Tamimi Markets’ premium tea portfolio by providing consumers across Saudi Arabia with access to the authentic taste of premium Ceylon Tea.
Bogawantalawa Tea Ceylon Director/CEO Almas Marikkar, highlighted the company’s diverse product range and its commitment to corporate social responsibility through the welfare and development of estate communities, while Bogawantalawa Tea Ceylon Marketing Manager – Middle East and Asia Anne Ranasinghe presented the story behind Bogawantalawa Tea.
During the launch, Regional Senior Manager, Ayham Nasser, Business Development Director, Bruce Bostwick, and Category Manager of Tamimi Markets, Husnee Thasim, participated and reaffirmed Tamimi Markets’ commitment to offering its customers the finest international brands.
OSL take:
The launch of premium Bogawantalawa Tea at Tamimi Markets in Saudi Arabia highlights the growing business/investment opportunities for international businesses to engage with Sri Lanka’s tea industry and wider export economy. Saudi Arabia remains an important destination for Ceylon Tea, and the expansion of premium Sri Lankan brands into the Kingdom demonstrates the potential to move beyond bulk tea exports towards higher-value, branded and consumer-focused products. For foreign investors, this creates opportunities across the tea value chain, including tea processing, packaging, branding, technology, logistics, distribution and export marketing. Partnerships with established Sri Lankan producers could also provide international companies with access to the country’s recognised Ceylon Tea identity and established production base. The opportunity extends beyond tea. Sri Lanka is seeking to diversify its export basket and increase the value generated from products sold in international markets. This creates space for foreign investment in food and beverage processing, agriculture, spices, coconut products, apparel, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and other export-oriented industries. The proposed establishment of a dedicated “Sri Lanka Corner” in Saudi retail outlets is particularly significant, as it points towards a broader strategy of developing permanent market access for Sri Lankan brands rather than relying solely on commodity exports. For international investors, Sri Lanka therefore offers an opportunity to combine local production capabilities and established export industries with foreign capital, technology, branding and global distribution networks. Such partnerships could help Sri Lankan companies move further up the value chain while giving foreign businesses access to products with established international demand. As Sri Lanka works to expand exports and attract productive FDI, the tea sector provides a useful example of how value addition, international partnerships and stronger overseas market penetration can create new opportunities for both Sri Lankan businesses/foreign investors.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/20260904Z_4 |