Akbar Tea is a Sri Lankan

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

brand owned by Akbar Brothers Ltd, along with Alghazaleen Tea. The company produces a range of tea bags, loose teas and gifts including:

black tea Black tea, also translated to red tea in various East Asian languages, is a type of tea that is more oxidized than oolong, yellow, white and green teas. Black tea is generally stronger in flavour than other teas. All five types are made from ...

, green tea, flavoured teas, and

herbal tea Herbal teas, also known as herbal infusions and less commonly called tisanes (UK and US , US also ), are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water. Oftentimes herb tea, or the plain term ...

s. Akbar Brothers is the largest tea exporter from Sri Lanka.

History

Akbar Tea was formed in 1969 when Tyeabally Shaikh Hebtulabhoy's grandsons: Abbas Akbarally and Inayet Akbarally resigned from Hebtulabhoys and Co. establishing Akbar Brothers. The family has been in the food business since 1864, when Shaikh Hebtulabhoy (1834-1897) migrated from India to Sri Lanka, establishing a food import/export company based in

Pettah Pettah may refer to: * Pettah of Ahmednagar, a fortified town outside the Fort of Ahmednagar stormed by British soldiers in 1803 during Second Anglo-Maratha War * Pettah, Colombo, a neighborhood in Colombo, Sri Lanka located east of the City centr ...

. His son, Tyeabally Shaikh Hebtulabhoy (1888-1928), established the tea company, M. S. Hebtulabhoy and Company Limited, which commenced shipping tea overseas in 1907. Within three years Akbar Brothers were exporting to major tea markets in the Middle East and other parts of the world. In 1972 Akbar Brothers Limited was incorporated and their father, Shaikh Akbarally (1911-2003), retired as the chairman of Hebtulabhoys and Co. joining his sons. The firm is still owned and managed by members of the family and is Sri Lanka’s largest tea exporter. The parent company is active in cement, wind, and hydro power sectors. In July 2022, the company expanded its operations to Oman.

Facilities

The company operates two production complexes in Kelaniya and Wattala, utilising modern manufacturing equipment from

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Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, and Japan.

References

{{reflist Tea brands Sri Lankan tea Sri Lankan brands Tea companies of Sri Lanka