Mlesna is a Sri Lankan tea brand specializing in Ceylon tea, tea blends, flavored teas, herbal infusions, and tea gift products. Founded in 1983, the brand distinguishes itself by combining Sri Lankan tea with elaborate packaging, positioning its products as premium gifts and specialty items rather than commodity beverages. 1

The brand operates under Euro-Scan Exports (Pvt) Ltd / Mlesna (Ceylon) Ltd, headquartered in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Its products are exported to numerous international markets, with the company stating that it serves customers in more than 50 countries. 2

Founding

Mlesna was established in 1983 by Anselm B. Perera, a Sri Lankan tea professional and taster. Prior to founding Mlesna, Perera worked in the tea industry, including roles as a tea taster for Brooke Bond, and held senior positions within the sector.

Perera’s vision was to move beyond Sri Lanka’s traditional role as an exporter of bulk tea commodities. He aimed to create finished, value-added products that preserved the quality of Ceylon tea while enhancing presentation and packaging. The original team consisted of fewer than ten people.

The name Mlesna is derived from “Anselm” written in reverse, linking the brand directly to its founder.

Early development

Initially focused on the export market, Mlesna expanded into retail in Sri Lanka in 1985 by opening its first tea outlet at Liberty Plaza in Colombo. This launch helped establish the company’s Tea Centre/Tea Kiosk concept, allowing customers to purchase packaged tea and experience it as a specialty product. 3

The concept subsequently expanded internationally, with Mlesna-related outlets and distribution appearing in markets including Russia, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Greece and India. 4

Mlesna was not built simply around selling tea. Its original philosophy centered on:

quality Ceylon tea + attractive packaging + value-added presentation

The company describes its objective as providing high-quality tea in carefully designed and distinctive packaging. This approach helped Mlesna create a niche in specialty and gift-oriented tea.

This strategy is significant within the context of Sri Lanka’s tea industry. Rather than competing solely as a supplier of bulk Ceylon tea, Mlesna sought to control more of the consumer-facing experience: selection, blending, flavoring, packaging, presentation, and gifting.

Mlesna’s portfolio covers both everyday consumption and premium gifting. Current product categories include:

• Black tea
• Green tea
• Flavored black tea
• Flavored green tea
• Herbal infusions
• Loose-leaf tea
• Tea bags
• Luxury foil-envelope tea bags
• Regional and specialty Ceylon teas
• Tea gift collections
• Christmas collections
• Tea packaged in metal caddies
• Tea packaged in cloth bags
• Tea packaged in wooden boxes
• Other specialty tea gift products

A simple tea bag and an elaborately packaged tea gift box can therefore exist under the same brand.

Mlesna’s identity is closely tied to Ceylon tea, the historical name for tea produced in Sri Lanka. The brand’s portfolio includes teas associated with different origins and styles within the country’s major tea-growing regions, such as Dimbula, Kandy, Matale, Nuwara Eliya, Ruhuna and Uva, alongside various blends and flavored teas. 5

This emphasis on geographic origin reflects the fact that Sri Lankan tea varies considerably depending on altitude, climate, soil, and growing region, meaning “Ceylon tea” does not represent a single uniform flavor profile.

Packaging is a defining characteristic of Mlesna. From its inception, the company treated packaging as an integral part of the product’s value. Mlesna’s tea has been presented in:

• Decorative tins
• Metal caddies
• Wooden boxes
• Cloth bags
• Gift boxes
• Individual luxury foil envelopes
• Decorative specialty packaging

The strategy aims to make the tea suitable not only for drinking but also for presentation and gifting. The company states that its products have received numerous awards for packaging and quality. 6

Mlesna has accumulated a substantial collection of awards for its tea products and packaging. According to the company’s current website, Mlesna has received 82 awards, including nine World Star awards from the World Packaging Organisation for packaging excellence and superior-quality products. The company has also received Superbrand recognition.

The Sri Lanka Export Development Board identifies Euro-Scan Exports as an established Sri Lankan tea exporter and lists Anselm B. Perera as its Chairman/CEO.

Mlesna developed an international customer base relatively early in its history. Its official site describes a clientele spanning more than 50 countries, including markets such as Australia, Greece, Italy, India, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Maldives, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, the United States, Ukraine, and countries in the Middle East.

The company’s international strategy focuses on selling a recognizable Mlesna-branded Ceylon tea experience rather than merely exporting Sri Lankan tea leaves.

Relationship with Japan and Other Markets

Mlesna has developed distinctive overseas expressions of the brand. For example, Mlesna Tea Japan describes itself as having been established in 1985 to introduce Mlesna to Japanese consumers, positioning the brand around the idea of a creative tea culture. 8 This illustrates how the underlying Sri Lankan tea brand adapts to local tea cultures rather than being marketed identically everywhere.

In Sri Lanka, Mlesna is particularly associated with its Tea Centres and Tea Kiosks, which introduced a specialized retail experience around Ceylon tea. The first outlet opened at Liberty Plaza in Colombo in 1985, and the concept expanded to other locations. One distinctive example is the Mlesna Tea Fortress, located along the route toward Kandy, which is designed around the experience of buying and consuming Ceylon tea.

This retail strategy differentiated Mlesna from conventional packaged-tea brands by establishing a physical presence linked to tourism, souvenirs, and Sri Lankan tea culture.

Mlesna’s central brand philosophy rests on three pillars:

1. Ceylon Origin

The company presents Sri Lankan tea as the foundation of its identity. Rather than obscuring its origin behind a generic international brand image, Mlesna makes Ceylon tea a central element of its branding.

2. Quality

Mlesna emphasizes tea selection, tasting, blending, and quality control. The company employs experienced tea tasters and specialists involved in blending, packaging, and quality assurance.

3. Presentation

Unlike purely commodity-oriented exporters, Mlesna treats packaging as an important component of the product itself. Its gift-oriented packaging is central to the company’s original business model.

Mlesna occupies a unique position in the global tea market, combining elements of heritage, specialty selection, and luxury presentation:

Sri Lankan tea heritage
↓
Specialty tea selection and blending
↓
Flavored and regional varieties
↓
Distinctive packaging
↓
Gift-oriented presentation
↓
International distribution

The decision in the 1980s to add substantial value through packaging and presentation was pivotal. Mlesna’s founders sought to change the perception of Sri Lankan tea from a raw agricultural export into a finished consumer product with its own brand identity. 7

The business is associated with Euro-Scan Exports (Pvt) Ltd, while Mlesna (Ceylon) Ltd appears in the company’s current materials and intellectual-property records. The Sri Lanka Export Development Board lists Euro-Scan Exports as founded in 1983, with a product range covering tea, bulk tea, and tea packets.

The company’s listed Colombo address is 89 Barnes Place, Colombo 07, Sri Lanka.

Mlesna’s longstanding slogan is:

“Naturally the Best.”

The phrase reflects the company’s positioning around the natural origin of Ceylon tea while communicating premium quality.

More than four decades after its founding, Mlesna represents a specific chapter in the development of Sri Lanka’s modern tea industry. Its significance lies in demonstrating how a Sri Lankan company could take a traditional agricultural export—Ceylon tea—and build a consumer brand around it through:

• Brand identity
• Product diversification
• Specialty blending
• Attractive packaging
• Tea retailing
• Tourism-oriented outlets
• Gift products
• International distribution

In this sense, Mlesna is viewed as a premium Sri Lankan tea and gifting brand built around the idea of turning Ceylon tea into a branded consumer experience.

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