Many facets of Mlesna - new jewellery business

Mlesna is a reputed enterprise that needs no promotion in Sri Lanka; it is synonymous with the best blends of tea but there is another facet to Anselm Perera’s business empire that is lesser known to the public – the jewellery business- the Fortress Fine Jewellery Creations located at the Tea Fortress. This new establishment is now a landmark on the Colombo - Kandy road, a little before Peradeniya, only 30 minutes away from Kandy town. Located by the side of the road in the village of Kiribathkumbura, the Tea Fortress is an apt connotation for this impressive building that cannot be missed by anyone travelling to and from Kandy.

Upul Jayasuriya, Director in charge of this branch of the business, took The Kandy Times on a tour, that any visitor / prospective customer would be taken on. We first visited the gem museum which had corundums (uncut stones) of precious and semi-precious gems found in Sri Lanka, artistically displayed.

A model of a gem mine depicts clearly the process of gem mining.

Next, a ten minute documentary film was shown on gem mining, cutting and polishing which was interesting and informatory. We then moved to the workshop where there are two craftsmen continuously working; they have available to them every piece of modern equipment that is necessary for their craft.

This is where they turn out all the jewellery displayed in the creatively planned gallery.

Renowned designer Sujith Naotunne’s exclusive pieces of jewellery are found here for sale. In one section of the gallery there is jewellery made in 18 carat yellow gold and white gold.

The other section has jewellery made in silver. Precious and semi-precious gems are used to make the jewellery. Jayasuriya explained that a customer can choose a design from the displays, from their catalogues which have the latest, trendy designs or design their own piece of jewellery; they can choose from the array of loose gem stones on display.

Any piece of jewellery unless it is very intricate can be custom-made within 24 hours. “That is the advantage the Fortress has to offer, a customer enroute to Kandy can order a piece of jewellery and collect it on their way back to Colombo. In addition the best quality of stones and metal is guaranteed”. This whole experience had the professionalism similar to one encountered on a tour of a diamond factory in Amsterdam.

The Fortress restaurant

On the upper level is the Fortress Restaurant. Chef, Seneviratne Banda who has many years of experience in the UK, Middle East and local hotels, such as the Pegasus Reef, Galadari, Elephant Corridor and Saman Villas has a state of the art kitchen, He said, “I have all the equipment I need to produce a gourmet meal”.

“It is an ideal place for special functions. The area on a level above the restaurant which opens out on to a lawn has much potential for exclusive cocktail parties, or special events.

With our excellent Chef any function at the Fortress can be nothing but a success,” commented A. Jeganathan, Director in charge of the restaurant.

He further stated, “I am pleased and proud of the fact that some of the fresh vegetable requirements of the kitchen are met by us.” The Fortress cultivates its own vegetables in the premises.

“Tea Shake” at the Tea Fortress

Chrysanthi Jayasuriya, Directress of the Mlesna Tea Centre, confirmed that the Tea Centre at the Fortress was the biggest one of the 17 Mlesna Tea Centres. They displayed the biggest stocks and all the varieties of Mlesna tea products and gift items.

The Kandy Times was treated to a new drink that has been introduced at the Fortress – the “Tea Shake” a deliciously refreshing long drink of flavoured tea served over crushed ice with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. This is a “must’ for any thirsty traveller passing by.

The Tea Fortress is obviously a pet- project of its Managing Director Anselm Perera who has been involved actively from the stage of designing the building, which is awesome from outside as well as inside. “The creation of the Tea Fortress is a dream come true,” he noted. When the Kandy Times met with Perera he was eager to show us his gallery of exquisite jewellery which he was evidently proud of.

Perera spoke of a new product that has emerged in the market over the last month – tea bags made of corn starch fibre, the material is called Soilon and is completely biodegradable.

The pyramid shaped tea bag holds leaf tea unlike fannings found in the usual tea bags. He explained that the normal rectangular, paper tea bag tears if whole tea leaves are packed in it but with this new product one can enjoy the flavour of a well brewed cup of tea as you would, when you brew loose tea in a pot without the mess of cleaning up a teapot. He explained, “There are environmental and ecological enthusiasts especially in European countries who do not want any nylon in their tea cups and who are willing to pay more for the biodegradable bags.”

One thousand plants of tea bushes have been planted on a slope above the building, reminiscent of a mini tea plantation and Perera spoke of the tea museum he plans to have in the premises. “This is an aspect that will be of special interest to foreign visitors,” he said. He has in his collection several pieces of vintage items for exhibition and wants to increase his collection before he opens the museum which would be “Naturally the Best” as the Mlesna slogan emphasizes.

Perera said his focus was on creating an ambience such as one finds in the Fortress, and this can be only understood on entering the Tea Fortress. The natural rock around which the fortress was built, the water flowing down from the roof level trickling down the rock to the lobby, is all part of this special ambience. Despite people and activity around, there is a sense of serenity in the place, captured by the granite architecture.

The Tea Fortress is not a mere stop to shop or a quick cuppa. It is an experience - select a cup of tea from a range of unimaginable varieties and flavours, pick a gift or a souvenir for yourself from a wide array of quaint but useful items, purchase or order a piece of exclusive jewellery, have a snack or meal prepared to perfection, it is an experience that is personalized and one that should not be missed.

The Tea Fortress has been designed with exceptional business acumen and foresight.