The victorious Unilever Ceytea Factory team with their 1st runner up award in the export sector at the National Business Excellence Awards

Priyankara Geekiyanage, Factory Manager at Unilever Ceytea factory (extreme left) and Thalib Caffoor, National Finance  Director at Unilever Sri Lanka (extreme right) receiving the ‘1st runner up  award in the export  category



Unilever Sri Lanka’s Ceytea factory, formally known as Premium Exports Ceylon Limited (PECL), was adjudged the 1st Runner-up in the Export Sector at the National Business Excellence Awards 2015 held in Colombo recently.

The Unilever Ceytea factory is Unilever’s ‘instant tea’ factory located in Agarapathana. Being the only sourcing unit in Sri Lanka for the world instant tea market, the factory plays a pivotal role in strengthening the Ceylon Tea brand around the world. It is also the largest supplier for Unilever Instant Tea, accounting for close to 50 percent of the global supply and functions as a strategic unit for the Lipton Ice Tea supply chain, supplying over 70 percent of the Ready to Drink volumes sourced by Pepsi Lipton International.

Charging ahead towards realizing its vision of becoming the best sourcing unit for Unilever Instant Tea Market, Ceytea continues to prove its excellence across varied aspects of the business. The factory, which has a rich history of over 53 years, has been recognized at both internal and external forums time and time again for its growth in exports sales revenue, strong financial results and positive environmental impact.

“Premium Exports Ceylon (PECL) is a fully owned subsidiary of Unilever Sri Lanka and is the main sourcing unit for Unilever’s global Lipton Ice Tea business, a billion dollar joint venture with PepsiCo. The team at PECL has received many accolades nationally and internationally including the prestigious Asia Pacific Quality Awards, South Asia Kaizen Awards and appreciations and awards from SLSI. Further, the PECL factory has been adjudged the best factory in Unilever from amongst 263 factories globally. We are indeed honored and delighted to be recognized with the esteemed National Business Excellence award, an endorsement of the PECL team’s commitment to excellence and desire to be the best in its class,” said Thalib Caffoor, National Finance Director, Unilever Sri Lanka.

The National Business Excellence Awards is an annual award competition conducted by the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (NCCSL) with a view to recognizing business enterprises which have demonstrated excellence in business whilst contributing to the economic progress of the country.