Richiland

Richiland is a tea estate situated in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka, at an elevation of 507 metres above sea level. The estate produces black tea and is recorded as supplying Finlays, a significant global tea trading and blending operation. The operating company is not publicly documented in current industry records.

Terroir & Climate

At 507 metres, Richiland occupies what is typically classified as low-grown terrain in Sri Lankan tea geography. Estates at this elevation in the Southern Province generally experience warmer, more humid conditions than their high-grown counterparts in the central hills, with more consistent temperatures throughout the year. This lower-altitude environment tends to favour faster leaf growth and year-round plucking cycles, with less pronounced seasonal variation than is found at higher elevations.

The Southern Province's proximity to the coast typically brings higher ambient humidity and more stable warmth, conditions that generally promote vigorous vegetative growth. Teas from estates at this elevation band often develop with greater yield per hectare and shorter withering times than high-grown leaf, reflecting the warmer daytime temperatures and reduced diurnal temperature variation that low-grown zones tend to experience.

Tea Produced

Richiland produces black tea. Low-grown Sri Lankan black teas from this elevation and region typically yield a robust, full-bodied cup with good colour and strength. Estates in the Southern Province at similar altitudes often produce leaf that contributes body and depth to blends, with less of the bright, brisk astringency associated with high-grown Ceylon teas. The cup profile at this elevation generally favours strength and maltiness over the more delicate, aromatic qualities found in teas grown above 1,200 metres.

Supply Chain & Market Position

Richiland is recorded as supplying Finlays, a vertically integrated tea business with blending, packing and distribution operations across multiple continents. Finlays sources leaf from a wide network of estates to supply retail own-label programmes, foodservice customers and branded tea companies. The presence of Finlays as a recorded buyer indicates that Richiland's output enters mainstream commercial channels, where low-grown Sri Lankan black teas are typically valued for their blending utility, contributing body and consistency to mass-market products.

• Recorded supplier to  Finlays

Location & Neighbouring Estates

Richiland lies at 6.3557, 80.5533 in Southern Province, Sri Lanka. Its 507 m elevation is the 2nd highest of 134 estates we map in Southern Province. The nearest estates in the TeaTrade directory, measured point-to-point from these coordinates, are:

• Andaradeniya Estate, Willie Group — 1.1 km away
• Kingsbru Teas (Pvt) Ltd, Kingsbru — 1.3 km away
• Lumbini Tea Factory — 1.6 km away · District -Matara
• Panilkanda — 1.6 km away
• New Deniyaya Tea Estate — 2.1 km away · A17

Estates at a Similar Altitude to Richiland

Elevation shapes how slowly leaf matures, so we match Richiland (507 m) with estates within 150 m of its height that are not its neighbours. Each is shown with its own 2025 climate. Richiland recorded 3,484 mm in 2025, 65% more than the 2,106 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
Embilmeegama	Central Province, Sri Lanka	510 m	2,534 mm	28.8 °C
Rasagalla	Ratnapura, Sri Lanka	502 m	2,664 mm	27.5 °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
Tianhua Luoping Tea Industry Co., Ltd.	China, China	478 m	1,689 mm	22.3 °C

Richiland Compared with Southern Province

In Southern Province, Richiland is wetter than 92% of the others by 2025 rainfall; higher than 99% of the others by elevation; cooler than 99% of the others by daytime temperature. The table sets Richiland 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	Richiland	Region median	Region range
Elevation	507 m	46 m	6 to 806 m
Annual rainfall (2025)	3,484 mm	3,022 mm	2,210 to 3,589 mm
Mean daily high	26.9 °C	29.8 °C	25.9 to 30.5 °C
Mean overnight low	20.7 °C	22.6 °C	18.2 to 24.1 °C

Observed Climate at Richiland (2025)

ERA5 reanalysis data modelled for Richiland’s coordinates recorded 3,484 mm of precipitation across calendar year 2025. The wettest month was November (596 mm) and the driest was February (82 mm). Daytime highs averaged 26.9 °C and overnight lows 20.7 °C over the year; March was the warmest month and January the coolest.

Metric	2025 value
Annual precipitation	3,484 mm
Wettest month	November (596 mm)
Driest month	February (82 mm)
Mean daily high	26.9 °C
Mean overnight low	20.7 °C

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Richiland located?

Richiland is in Southern Province, Sri Lanka, at coordinates 6.3557, 80.5533, at an elevation of about 507 metres.

What type of tea does Richiland produce?

Richiland is recorded as producing black tea.

Which buyers does Richiland supply?

Public supplier disclosures record Richiland as supplying Finlays.

How much rain does Richiland receive?

ERA5 reanalysis data for the estate's coordinates recorded 3,484 mm of precipitation in 2025, peaking in November (596 mm).

How does Richiland compare with estates at a similar elevation?

Richiland recorded 3,484 mm in 2025, 65% more rain than the 2,106 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].