Sri Lanka is the fourth world tea producer. The small island produces some 300 million kg of tea yearly and exports 90% of its harvest to 140 countries worldwide. However, in the face of rising consumer interest in tea health benefits and the quest for value-added products, the Tea Research Institute has been focusing on derivative products. One is tea wine; others include a biofertilizer and a spicy tea sauce.
The Sri Lankan economy heavily depends on plantation agriculture, particularly plantation crops like tea, cinnamon, rubber, and coconut. However, tea ranks number one in foreign exchange earnings, providing 1 % of the country’s GDP, while 2 million people, 10 % of the population, directly or indirectly depend on the tea industry.
Dr. Mahasen A B Ranatunga is a researcher and the tea breeder for the Tea Research Institute of Sri Lanka. He started his career at the Institute in 2001 as a research assistant soon after graduating BSc in agriculture. He now heads the Plant Breeding Division, the gene bank of the Institute, and manages its technology transfer office.
Tea Research Institute of Sri Lanka - Breeding New Tea Varieties
TRI, located in the St. Coombs tea estate in Talawakelle, Central Province, develops new tea varieties, supervises the cultivation of those varieties in the field, and manages all field operations and manufacturing processes. “We call it leaf to the cup,” he said.
Starting with three scientists in 1925 and three major priorities: biochemistry, product quality, and mycology (fungal diseases of tea), TRI, a publicly funded institution, now hosts 200 staff, 80 of whom are researchers, and now has nine research divisions: Plant Breeding, Agronomy, Entomology and Nematology, Plant Pathology, Soils and Plant Nutrition, Biochemistry, Plant Physiology, Process Technology, Agricultural Economics, and Advisory and Extension.
Tea was introduced from India and China at the beginning of the 18th century, and the Sri Lankan tea industry started in 1867. TRI, established in 1925, is the world’s second older tea research institute, according to Dr. Ranatunga. The Institution began its breeding program in the 1960s and now has 70 recommended tea cultivars for commercial cultivation in the country. Sri Lanka does not grow any imported varieties, he said.
Tea Wine, a Savory Dry Red Wine Low in Sugar
TRI has been experimenting with tea wine since the 1980s with broken orange pekoe black tea from the Dimbula region. Using traditional wine preparation and fermentation techniques, the wine was aged in Halmilla vats. The resulting dry red wine has a very low sugar content, distinctive flavor and aroma, 12% alcohol content and has been enthusiastically received by professional wine tasters, Dr. Ranatunga explained.
A patent was granted in 2005 to the Institute (No. 13621), with five co-inventors. Lacking the required mechanism for commercialization, the inventors struggled unsuccessfully to find investors.
WIPO Mentoring Program Key in Bringing Ceylon Tea Wine to Market
In 2019, TRI joined a WIPO IP mentoring program with three selected technologies. One of them was tea wine. From 2019 to 2022, the Institute benefitted from WIPO-commissioned IP experts who helped TRI develop its IP policy and establish its technology transfer office in 2021. The Sri Lanka National Innovation Agency (NIA), former Coordinating Secretariat for Science Technology and Innovation (COSTI), was the Hub institute for the EIE project in Sri Lanka and also worked as a proxy Technology Transfer Office in the EIE remote mentoring program.
In the first days of 2023, TRI signed a licensing agreement with Sri Lankan company International Distillers Ltd. The company is still adjusting the wine’s stability and palatability before commercialization and researching a sustainable yeast culture that they can use continuously to scale up production.
“We believe Ceylon tea wine will be available in Sri Lankan supermarkets and restaurants in the next couple of months,” Dr. Ranatunga said.
Microbial Bio Fertilizer for Tea
The other technology selected for the WIPO’s mentoring program was Microbial Bio fertilizer for tea. Most plantations in the country depend on synthetic fertilizers, which are not produced in Sri Lanka and must be imported at great costs. After some years of research, the Institute developed a biofertilizer combining microorganisms that reduces from 30 to 40 % the use of synthetic fertilizers, with tea waste as a medium. The biofertilizer can be used for mature and nursery tea plants, and the technology could potentially be applied to other crops.
A patent (18872) was granted in 2016, but the technology has not yet been licensed. The Institute is looking for R&D collaborations to scale up production and start commercialization. One of the R&D efforts will be to replace tea waste as a medium, as it is increasingly used to extract compounds such as tea proteins and has become too scarce and expensive to find in large quantities.
Dr. Ranatunga said the technology also benefitted from WIPO support, adding, “most mentoring sessions were fun even though we were scared at the beginning.”
Green Tea Sauce infused with Sri Lankan Spices
As customers’ interest in tea health benefits rises, so does their appetite for novel products. TRI has been working on an innovative tea sauce. Red spicy tea sauce is found in some Asian countries, including Sri Lanka. TRI’s tea sauce is green, made of freshly collected green tea leaves, and includes selected Sri Lankan spices. The extraction process preserves the tea’s beneficial compounds, such as antioxidants. The Institute has received several requests from potential commercial partners for the tea sauce, including large companies, startup groups, and SMEs. Contrary to tea wine, the tea sauce can be produced and commercialized on a large or small scale.
“WIPO’s support allowed TRI to draft the innovation supporting documents and reports; as a result, TRI is in a better position to bargain ourselves for commercialization,” Dr. Ranatunga explained.
Marketing Value-Added Tea Products Overseas with Future Ceylon Tea GI
“There is an emerging market for different teas and tea products.” He further noted that consumers want to see the benefits of teas and their functional, anti-aging, medicinal, and cosmetic properties. “We have to maintain our orthodox black tea market, but we export black tea with a very thin margin.” “If we could introduce value-added products to the market, we could increase this margin.”
TRI has many value-added tea products in the pipeline, including instant milk, instant black, and carbonated teas. “There is a future for these types of innovations,” he said, as the challenging economic situation of the country warrants widening avenues for higher foreign exchange revenues.
TRI is working with the Sri Lanka Tea Board towards a Ceylon tea geographical indication certification.
