Sri Lanka’s Abacus Tea Ltd introduces newly innovated staple-pin free tea bags as value addition
Abacus Tea Ltd of Sri Lanka has reportedly presented a groundbreaking innovation in the form of low-cost teabag machines ‘staple-pin free’ as part of value-added tea.
This breakthrough is an invention by tea bag industry veteran Abacus Tea Ltd, which will now give a new lease of life to over 1,000 tea bag machines operating around the world.
“I began working on this invention six years ago, and the three main reasons I started working on this idea were because the world was turning heavily towards staple free tea bags, the staple free machines in the market were being sold at high prices, and I was of the belief that my children would be saddled with these machines if we couldn’t find a solution,” the inventor and Abacus Tea Ltd Chairman Rohan de Lanerolle has told the local media.
He has said that staple pins are a potential health hazard, and are avoided in most advanced countries.
Accordingly, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) banned the use of staple pins in tea bags effective 1 January 2018, but on the representation of the tea industry, gave it an extension of 18 months to migrate to staple-less tea bags, the Daily FT has reported.
“I began experimenting with the ideas I had in my head, and then went into the process of designing it with the help of some engineering students on designing software, which I eventually learnt and started designing and making the prototype. Through this process, when the invention was actually not working, and over a period of time found that I had invested millions, at the same time it felt like a waste. However, each incorrect step I took made me one step closer to getting it right,” the inventor has noted.
According to reports, the Constanta machines, which are in Sri Lankan factories, range from 1940s to 1990s in origin, and these work at an average of 20 hours a day per six day week. De Lanerolle has said that he believed the new unit will only give a new lease of life to these machines, which have been in operation for years, to work for many more years.
Outlining the benefits of the unit, he has explained that the machine was hazard-free, needed less maintenance due to oil bath, used a cheaper needle, did not have to be reshaped to the agents, and that production will not be lost for over six days due to installation and commissioning.
OSL take:
The announcement by a Sri Lankan tea company on the latest innovation of staple-pin free tea bags is indeed a great value addition to Ceylon Tea. Sri Lanka’s tea industry is on a gradual growth path and value additions such as the one mentioned above would definitely help boost local tea exports. Sri Lanka also enjoys trade agreements and trade concessions with many countries. Foreign businesses/investors exploring opportunities to do business in Sri Lanka could look at investing in upgrading and adding value to Sri Lankan tea.
| Article Code : | VBS/AT/10042019/Z_2 |