New Hopewell

New Hopewell is a tea estate situated in Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka, at an elevation of 535 metres. The estate produces black tea and is recorded as supplying Finlays, one of the major players in the global tea trade. The operator of the estate is not currently recorded in industry directories.

Terroir & Climate

At 535 metres above sea level, New Hopewell occupies the low-grown elevation band typical of estates in Sri Lanka's humid south-western and central lowlands. This altitude range generally experiences year-round warmth and high rainfall, conditions that tend to encourage vigorous vegetative growth and relatively short plucking cycles. Estates at similar elevations in Sabaragamuwa Province typically benefit from the province's position south of the central highlands, where both monsoons deliver substantial precipitation.

Low-grown Ceylon teas from this elevation band are generally characterised by their robust, straightforward character rather than the aromatic complexity associated with higher altitudes. The warmer temperatures and faster flush cycles typical of estates below 600 metres tend to produce leaf with greater body and strength, suited to blending applications where consistency and briskness are valued over nuance.

Tea Produced

New Hopewell produces black tea. Low-grown black teas from Sabaragamuwa Province at this elevation typically yield a brisk, full-bodied cup with good colour and astringency. Estates in this zone often supply leaf prized for its strength and reliability in blending, offering a clean, malty character without the floral or bright notes more commonly associated with high-grown Ceylon. The style tends toward robustness and consistency, well suited to everyday blends and applications where body and depth are priorities.

Supply Chain & Market Position

New Hopewell is recorded as supplying Finlays, a vertically integrated tea business with plantation, processing, blending, and distribution operations across East Africa and Asia. Finlays' customer base includes many of the world's leading tea brands and food-service operators, and the company maintains a significant presence in the Sri Lankan tea sector. The relationship suggests that New Hopewell's output is destined for industrial-scale blending and packing, likely feeding into international retail and food-service supply chains rather than being marketed as a single-estate or origin product.

• Recorded supplier to  Finlays

Location & Neighbouring Estates

New Hopewell lies at 6.6229, 80.7261 in Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka. Its 535 m elevation is the 10th highest of 75 estates we map in Sabaragamuwa Province. The nearest estates in the TeaTrade directory, measured point-to-point from these coordinates, are:

• Kadigalahena — 2.2 km away
• Boscombe — 2.7 km away
• Wikiliya — 4.3 km away
• Balangoda Tea Shakthi — 4.3 km away
• Balangoda Plantations, Maratenne — 4.7 km away

Estates at a Similar Altitude to New Hopewell

Elevation shapes how slowly leaf matures, so we match New Hopewell (535 m) with estates within 150 m of its height that are not its neighbours. Each is shown with its own 2025 climate. New Hopewell recorded 2,664 mm in 2025, 28% more than the 2,075 mm average across these estates: at the same height, local weather and exposure matter as much as elevation.

Estate	Where	Elevation	Rain 2025	Mean high
Dehiwatte	Central Province, Sri Lanka	534 m	2,513 mm	27.6 °C
Alagalla	Central Province, Sri Lanka	533 m	2,615 mm	28.0 °C
James Finlay (Guizhou) Tea Co.Ltd.	Guizhou province, China	572 m	1,604 mm	22.2 °C
J Llorente Y Cias A	Misiones, Argentina	482 m	1,810 mm	25.7 °C
Ariel	Route 14 / Km 962 / Dos de Mayo () Misiones, Argentina	479 m	1,831 mm	25.3 °C

New Hopewell Compared with Sabaragamuwa Province

In Sabaragamuwa Province, New Hopewell is drier than 89% of the others by 2025 rainfall; higher than 88% of the others by elevation; cooler than 91% of the others by daytime temperature. The table sets New Hopewell against the 74 other estates we map in Sabaragamuwa Province, so you can see whether it is typical for its region or an outlier.

Measure	New Hopewell	Region median	Region range
Elevation	535 m	164 m	26 to 1,355 m
Annual rainfall (2025)	2,664 mm	3,412 mm	2,018 to 4,839 mm
Mean daily high	27.5 °C	29.5 °C	21.5 to 30.9 °C
Mean overnight low	20.6 °C	21.9 °C	15.7 to 23.0 °C

Observed Climate at New Hopewell (2025)

ERA5 reanalysis data modelled for New Hopewell’s coordinates recorded 2,664 mm of precipitation across calendar year 2025. The wettest month was November (629 mm) and the driest was February (44 mm). Daytime highs averaged 27.5 °C and overnight lows 20.6 °C over the year; July was the warmest month and January the coolest.

Metric	2025 value
Annual precipitation	2,664 mm
Wettest month	November (629 mm)
Driest month	February (44 mm)
Mean daily high	27.5 °C
Mean overnight low	20.6 °C

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is New Hopewell located?

New Hopewell is in Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka, at coordinates 6.6229, 80.7261, at an elevation of about 535 metres.

What type of tea does New Hopewell produce?

New Hopewell is recorded as producing black tea.

Which buyers does New Hopewell supply?

Public supplier disclosures record New Hopewell as supplying Finlays.

How much rain does New Hopewell receive?

ERA5 reanalysis data for the estate's coordinates recorded 2,664 mm of precipitation in 2025, peaking in November (629 mm).

How does New Hopewell compare with estates at a similar elevation?

New Hopewell recorded 2,664 mm in 2025, 28% more rain than the 2,075 mm average of estates at a similar elevation.

Data sources: public supply-chain disclosures (Ethical Tea Partnership member lists, Rainforest Alliance certificate holders and retailer supplier disclosures); climate figures are ERA5 reanalysis modelled for the estate’s coordinates via Open-Meteo (calendar year 2025); coordinates and elevations from geocoded records. Spotted an error? Email [email protected].