In short: Kudapana is a black tea estate in Sri Lanka's Southern Province, situated at 169 metres above sea level and recorded as supplying Finlays.
Kudapana is a tea estate located in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, positioned at an elevation of 169 metres above sea level. The estate produces black tea and is recorded as supplying Finlays, one of the major players in the global tea trade. The operating company is not currently identified in trade records.
Terroir & Climate
At 169 metres, Kudapana sits well within the low-grown category of Sri Lankan tea estates, a designation that typically applies to plantations below 600 metres. Estates at this elevation in Sri Lanka's Southern Province generally experience warm, humid conditions year-round, with temperatures that encourage vigorous vegetative growth and shorter intervals between plucking rounds. The latitude—just over six degrees north of the equator—means minimal seasonal variation in daylight hours, and the low altitude tends to produce faster-growing leaf.
Low-grown Sri Lankan teas are typically cultivated in regions where rainfall is abundant and the growing cycle is continuous rather than punctuated by dormancy. The Southern Province's proximity to the coast often brings additional moisture and warmth, conditions that generally favour high yields and a particular style of leaf chemistry. Estates at this elevation tend to produce teas with bolder, more robust characteristics than their high-grown counterparts, though much depends on manufacturing method and the specific clonal or seedling material in the field.
Tea Produced
Kudapana produces black tea, the dominant category in Sri Lanka's low-grown districts. Teas from estates at this elevation in the Southern Province are generally characterised by strength, body, and a darker liquor than the more delicate high-grown Ceylon teas. The cup profile typical of low-grown Sri Lankan black teas tends toward malty, full-bodied notes with good colour and astringency, qualities that make them well-suited to blending and to markets where robust breakfast-style teas are in demand. Specific flavour attributes will vary with processing decisions and leaf grade, but the terroir at 169 metres generally supports teas prized more for their structure and consistency than for floral or aromatic complexity.
Supply Chain & Market Position
Kudapana is recorded as supplying Finlays, a vertically integrated tea business with extensive sourcing, blending, and distribution operations worldwide. Finlays' presence as a buyer signals that Kudapana's output meets the quality and volume standards required by a major supply-chain intermediary serving retail brands and foodservice clients across multiple continents. This relationship places the estate within the commercial mainstream of Sri Lankan low-grown tea, a segment that prioritises reliability, colour, and strength for blending programmes rather than single-origin retail offerings.
- Recorded supplier to Finlays
Location & Neighbouring Estates
Kudapana lies at 6.1877, 80.5719 in Southern Province, Sri Lanka. Its 169 m elevation is the 28th highest of 134 estates we map in Southern Province. The nearest estates in the TeaTrade directory, measured point-to-point from these coordinates, are:
- Rotumba — 4.9 km away
- Makandura — 5.4 km away
- Ivyhills — 6.3 km away
- Mulatiyana Tea \u00a0Factory — 7.2 km away · B98
- Ransegoda — 7.7 km away
Estates at a Similar Altitude to Kudapana
Elevation shapes how slowly leaf matures, so we match Kudapana (169 m) with estates within 150 m of its height that are not its neighbours. Each is shown with its own 2025 climate. Kudapana recorded 2,342 mm in 2025, 17% less than the 2,834 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dirok Tea Estate | Assam, India | 168 m | 2,919 mm | 28.6 °C |
| Kahawatte Plantations, Rilhena | Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka | 168 m | 3,902 mm | 29.6 °C |
| Labookellie Estate | Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka | 170 m | 2,570 mm | 31.3 °C |
| Margherita Tea Estate | Assam, India | 172 m | 2,919 mm | 28.2 °C |
| Hre\u00f1uk Sa | Misiones, Argentina | 173 m | 1,860 mm | 26.5 °C |
Kudapana Compared with Southern Province
In Southern Province, Kudapana is drier than 93% of the others by 2025 rainfall; higher than 80% of the others by elevation; cooler than 68% of the others by daytime temperature. The table sets Kudapana 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 | Kudapana | Region median | Region range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 169 m | 46 m | 6 to 806 m |
| Annual rainfall (2025) | 2,342 mm | 3,022 mm | 2,210 to 3,589 mm |
| Mean daily high | 29.6 °C | 29.8 °C | 25.9 to 30.5 °C |
| Mean overnight low | 22.4 °C | 22.6 °C | 18.2 to 24.1 °C |
Observed Climate at Kudapana (2025)
ERA5 reanalysis data modelled for Kudapana’s coordinates recorded 2,342 mm of precipitation across calendar year 2025. The wettest month was November (439 mm) and the driest was February (47 mm). Daytime highs averaged 29.6 °C and overnight lows 22.4 °C over the year; May was the warmest month and January the coolest.
| Metric | 2025 value |
|---|---|
| Annual precipitation | 2,342 mm |
| Wettest month | November (439 mm) |
| Driest month | February (47 mm) |
| Mean daily high | 29.6 °C |
| Mean overnight low | 22.4 °C |
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Kudapana located?
Kudapana is in Southern Province, Sri Lanka, at coordinates 6.1877, 80.5719, at an elevation of about 169 metres.
What type of tea does Kudapana produce?
Kudapana is recorded as producing black tea.
Which buyers does Kudapana supply?
Public supplier disclosures record Kudapana as supplying Finlays.
How much rain does Kudapana receive?
ERA5 reanalysis data for the estate's coordinates recorded 2,342 mm of precipitation in 2025, peaking in November (439 mm).
How does Kudapana compare with estates at a similar elevation?
Kudapana recorded 2,342 mm in 2025, 17% less rain than the 2,834 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].