Wilehena

Wilehena is a tea estate in Sri Lanka's Southern Province, positioned at an altitude of just 31 metres above sea level. The estate produces black tea and is recorded as a supplier to Finlays, a major international tea and horticulture company. The Southern Province lies in the island's low-grown zone, geographically distinct from the central highland estates for which Ceylon tea is perhaps best known.

Terroir & Climate

At 31 metres above sea level, Wilehena occupies one of the lowest elevations at which tea is commercially cultivated in Sri Lanka. Estates at this altitude typically experience warmer temperatures year-round and more consistent growing conditions than their high-grown counterparts, with less pronounced diurnal temperature variation. The Southern Province's proximity to the coast generally brings higher humidity and a different rainfall pattern compared to the central hills, often favouring rapid, vigorous growth.

Low-grown Sri Lankan estates tend to produce leaf with bolder character and faster oxidation during manufacture. The warmer, more stable climate at near-sea-level elevations typically shortens the plucking cycle, allowing for higher yields. Such conditions generally favour the production of teas destined for blending and the commodity market, where strength, colour, and consistency are prioritised over the more nuanced aromatics that higher elevations can yield.

Tea Produced

Wilehena produces black tea, the dominant style across Sri Lanka's low-grown zones. Estates at this elevation in the Southern Province typically yield teas with strong, full-bodied liquor, good colour, and forthright character. The cup profile tends to be robust rather than delicate, often showing malty or earthy notes rather than the bright, brisk complexity associated with high-grown Ceylon teas. Such teas are generally well-suited to blending applications, where body and consistency are valued, and perform reliably with milk.

Supply Chain & Market Position

Wilehena is recorded as supplying Finlays, a vertically integrated company with significant operations in tea sourcing, blending, and packing. Finlays supplies both retail brands and foodservice clients across multiple continents, indicating that Wilehena's production is likely destined for the commodity and blending segments of the market. This supply relationship positions the estate within the high-volume, quality-consistent supply chains that underpin much of the global branded tea trade, rather than the specialist or single-origin market.

• Recorded supplier to  Finlays

Location & Neighbouring Estates

Wilehena lies at 6.0349, 80.3471 in Southern Province, Sri Lanka. Its 31 m elevation is the joint 83rd highest of 134 estates we map in Southern Province. The nearest estates in the TeaTrade directory, measured point-to-point from these coordinates, are:

• Iththagala — under 1 km away
• Muswenna — 3.8 km away
• Paragodakanda — 4.9 km away
• Seranya — 4.9 km away
• Naindawa — 5.5 km away

Estates at a Similar Altitude to Wilehena

Elevation shapes how slowly leaf matures, so we match Wilehena (31 m) with estates within 150 m of its height that are not its neighbours. Each is shown with its own 2025 climate. Wilehena recorded 2,557 mm in 2025, within 5% of the 2,627 mm average across these estates, so altitude explains most of its rainfall.

Estate	Where	Elevation	Rain 2025	Mean high
Suizhou Shennong Tea Co., Ltd.	No.66 Jiqing St, China	31 m	1,354 mm	23.4 °C
Rajnagar Tea Estate Factory	Moulvibazar, Bangladesh	30 m	2,536 mm	30.1 °C
Marumatsu Tea Co., Ltd.	Shizuoka, Japan	30 m	1,920 mm	21.0 °C
Sithaka Tea Factory	Colombo District, Sri Lanka	30 m	3,736 mm	30.2 °C
Ranmeer	Southern Province, Sri Lanka	32 m	3,589 mm	29.8 °C

Wilehena Compared with Southern Province

In Southern Province, Wilehena is drier than 87% of the others by 2025 rainfall; lower than 62% of the others by elevation; cooler than 75% of the others by daytime temperature. The table sets Wilehena 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	Wilehena	Region median	Region range
Elevation	31 m	49 m	6 to 806 m
Annual rainfall (2025)	2,557 mm	3,022 mm	2,210 to 3,589 mm
Mean daily high	29.4 °C	29.8 °C	25.9 to 30.5 °C
Mean overnight low	24.1 °C	22.6 °C	18.2 to 23.8 °C

Observed Climate at Wilehena (2025)

ERA5 reanalysis data modelled for Wilehena’s coordinates recorded 2,557 mm of precipitation across calendar year 2025. The wettest month was November (431 mm) and the driest was February (66 mm). Daytime highs averaged 29.4 °C and overnight lows 24.1 °C over the year; May was the warmest month and January the coolest.

Metric	2025 value
Annual precipitation	2,557 mm
Wettest month	November (431 mm)
Driest month	February (66 mm)
Mean daily high	29.4 °C
Mean overnight low	24.1 °C

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Wilehena located?

Wilehena is in Southern Province, Sri Lanka, at coordinates 6.0349, 80.3471, at an elevation of about 31 metres.

What type of tea does Wilehena produce?

Wilehena is recorded as producing black tea.

Which buyers does Wilehena supply?

Public supplier disclosures record Wilehena as supplying Finlays.

How much rain does Wilehena receive?

ERA5 reanalysis data for the estate's coordinates recorded 2,557 mm of precipitation in 2025, peaking in November (431 mm).

How does Wilehena compare with estates at a similar elevation?

Estates at a similar elevation recorded about 2,627 mm of rain in 2025, close to the 2,557 mm at Wilehena.

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].