After having launched new Ceylon Tea logos to promote its Geographical Indicators (GI) status and ozone friendliness Sri Lanka’s Tea Board is thinking of hiring an international agency to monitor the Ceylon tea brand with its Lion logo.to combat misuse and counterfeiting concerns, 

“In the past, the Sri Lanka Tea Board has played a defensive role and had been reacting to abuses (of the brand),” said Hasitha De Alwis, the Tea Board’s director of promotion, quoted in the local media. “The new tea promotional and marketing committee had decided to be proactive to [protect Ceylon tea’s brand and GI recognition]. We intend to assign an international agency to do global surveillance of the Lion logo violations and origin counterfeiting.” 

The move comes in response to long-standing complaints by the Tea Board and Sri Lankan exporters that the Ceylon tea name is being used on unauthorized products and other origins are being marketed as pure Ceylon tea. 

De Alwis said that the planned international registration of Ceylon tea GI logos hlpe protect the image of Ceylon tea.

The new GI logos identify Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula, Uva, Udapussella, Kandy, Ruhuna and Sabaragamuwa in the central hills and southern region, all specific agro-climatic  tea production regions.

“The registration of agro-climatic regional names and logos in world markets while giving Ceylon tea and growing regions a high level of protection will add value and help earn a premium price,” De Alwis said, noting that Sri Lanka is the first country to qualify for the ozone friendly certification after it gave up using ozone-depleting methyl bromide in its tea production.