Dellawa

Dellawa is a tea estate located in Sri Lanka's Southern Province at an altitude of 104 metres above sea level. The estate produces black tea and is recorded as supplying Finlays, one of the major processors and traders in the global tea supply chain. The operator of the estate is not publicly documented in available trade records.

Terroir & Climate

At 104 metres altitude, Dellawa lies firmly within Sri Lanka's low-grown tea belt, where the tropical coastal climate typically brings warm, humid conditions throughout the year. Estates at this elevation generally experience minimal diurnal temperature variation and consistent moisture availability, conditions that tend to encourage vigorous vegetative growth and year-round plucking cycles.

Low-grown Ceylon teas are typically cultivated in environments where monsoon rains and stable warmth support rapid leaf development. The Southern Province's proximity to the Indian Ocean generally exposes estates to maritime influences, which can moderate temperature extremes but also deliver higher rainfall during the south-west monsoon. These conditions tend to favour the production of full-bodied, robust black teas with the quick oxidation and strong colour characteristics for which low-grown Ceylon is known in commodity and blending markets.

Tea Produced

Dellawa produces black tea, the dominant style in Sri Lanka's low-grown regions. Teas from estates at this altitude typically yield bold, malty liquors with good colour and body, though they tend to be less delicate and aromatic than their high-grown counterparts. Low-grown Ceylon blacks are generally valued for strength and consistency, making them well-suited to blending applications and markets that prioritise briskness and depth over nuance. The rapid growth cycles at lower elevations often result in leaf that oxidises quickly, producing the full-flavoured, reddish-brown infusions characteristic of this category.

Supply Chain & Market Position

Dellawa is recorded as supplying Finlays, a vertically integrated tea business with extensive processing, blending, and distribution operations spanning Africa, Asia, and global export markets. Finlays' involvement suggests that Dellawa's output is likely channelled into international blending and branded tea supply chains, where low-grown Ceylon is prized for its consistency and strength. The estate's position as a supplier to a major consolidator reflects the structure of Sri Lanka's commodity tea sector, in which production from lower-elevation estates frequently enters bulk export streams rather than single-origin retail channels.

• Recorded supplier to  Finlays

Location & Neighbouring Estates

Dellawa lies at 6.3233, 80.4319 in Southern Province, Sri Lanka. Its 104 m elevation is the 44th highest of 134 estates we map in Southern Province. The nearest estates in the TeaTrade directory, measured point-to-point from these coordinates, are:

• Liyonta — 4.9 km away
• Andaradeniya Estate, Andaradeniya — 5.4 km away
• Subhagya — 6.0 km away
• Gangasiri — 6.0 km away
• Mahendra — 6.1 km away

Estates at a Similar Altitude to Dellawa

Elevation shapes how slowly leaf matures, so we match Dellawa (104 m) with estates within 150 m of its height that are not its neighbours. Each is shown with its own 2025 climate. Dellawa recorded 3,051 mm in 2025, 110% more than the 1,456 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
Kharikatia Tea Estate	Kukurapohia Ouguria Gaon, India	104 m	2,409 mm	28.7 °C
Nahorhabi Tea Estate	Naharhabi Grant And Lakwa Rly, India	104 m	2,857 mm	28.5 °C
Cili Yunwuwang Tea Co,. Ltd.	Hunan Province, China	103 m	1,314 mm	23.8 °C
Cape Rooibos	Western Cape, South Africa	96 m	387 mm	26.5 °C
Rooibos Limited	Western Cape, South Africa	112 m	313 mm	27.4 °C

Dellawa Compared with Southern Province

In Southern Province, Dellawa is wetter than 53% of the others by 2025 rainfall; higher than 68% of the others by elevation; cooler than 79% of the others by daytime temperature. The table sets Dellawa against the 133 other estates we map in Southern Province, so you can see whether it is typical for its region or an outlier.

Measure	Dellawa	Region median	Region range
Elevation	104 m	46 m	6 to 806 m
Annual rainfall (2025)	3,051 mm	3,022 mm	2,210 to 3,589 mm
Mean daily high	29.3 °C	29.8 °C	25.9 to 30.5 °C
Mean overnight low	22.1 °C	22.6 °C	18.2 to 24.1 °C

Observed Climate at Dellawa (2025)

ERA5 reanalysis data modelled for Dellawa’s coordinates recorded 3,051 mm of precipitation across calendar year 2025. The wettest month was November (476 mm) and the driest was February (61 mm). Daytime highs averaged 29.3 °C and overnight lows 22.1 °C over the year; April was the warmest month and January the coolest.

Metric	2025 value
Annual precipitation	3,051 mm
Wettest month	November (476 mm)
Driest month	February (61 mm)
Mean daily high	29.3 °C
Mean overnight low	22.1 °C

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Dellawa located?

Dellawa is in Southern Province, Sri Lanka, at coordinates 6.3233, 80.4319, at an elevation of about 104 metres.

What type of tea does Dellawa produce?

Dellawa is recorded as producing black tea.

Which buyers does Dellawa supply?

Public supplier disclosures record Dellawa as supplying Finlays.

How much rain does Dellawa receive?

ERA5 reanalysis data for the estate's coordinates recorded 3,051 mm of precipitation in 2025, peaking in November (476 mm).

How does Dellawa compare with estates at a similar elevation?

Dellawa recorded 3,051 mm in 2025, 110% more rain than the 1,456 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].