“Sip Tea Save Elephants” 

Started by a father-daughter duo Ron Atapattu and Shani, Elephantea is a combination of fabulous tea and a great cause of creating awareness to save elephants. With the tagline “Sip tea, save elephants” and hashtag #jointheherd, Elephantea is making a huge difference. 

Ron, based in the USA was determined to share and pass on his love for Sri Lanka and preserving its beauty and more importantly his passion for the cause of Asian elephants to his daughter. He also enjoys a good cup of tea. During their visit to Sri Lanka he introduced his enthusiasm to his daughter. Shani soon fell in love with tea and learnt the difference in a cup made out of quality tea. 

It was during a visit to observe the habitual patterns of elephants in the jungle that Shani found there are only 50,000 Asian elephants left in the world and only a few thousands left in Sri Lanka. Feeling the need to make a change Shani approached her father to start a socially responsible tea company that would contribute to conservation efforts of elephants. 

Elephantea is promised to be handpicked and manufactured in Bogawantalawa and “Ground shakingly good!” With a passion for doing good, part of the profit is contributed for the cause of the elephants and donated to non-profit organizations based in Sri Lanka that are creating awareness and spearheading movements to prevent poaching and harming elephants. 

They also have a wide range of products, varying from Organic Green Tea, Organic Green Tea Lemon, Organic Green Chai, Organic Black Tea, Organic Black Tea Ginger and Organic Chamomile. And they have an interesting way of promoting these products. Organic green tea is described as “Steeped to refresh, trumpeting with notes of natural leafy perfection”, Organic Chai Tea as “Light tones of earthy green in the body with a trunk of colossal spices”, Organic Black Tea as “Stompingly rich, savory and bold flavours infused with tradition” using every possible opportunity to champion the cause of our majestic mammals. 

To put it simply, they said “Elephantea products are exquisite for you and excellent for elephants. Every time you enjoy our premium tea products, you are not only sipping on the best, but also making an impact. 

Joining the ‘herd’, Elephantea partnered recently with the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation society as they launched the elefriendly bus in Wasgamuwa. With reliable transportation along rural roadways that pass through the region's ancient elephant corridor, area residents will be able to travel safely to and from school, work and home. It will help to reduce human-elephant encounters, keeping school children and their families safe and elephants alive. 

SLWCS is a US-based, nonprofit organization and a fully registered voluntary social service non-governmental organization with the Ministry of Social Welfare in Sri Lanka and the Central Environmental Authority of Sri Lanka. 

The Society believes grass-roots change within communities that is participatory and self-imposed (rather than externally-driven) is more likely to be sustainable over time, benefitting people, elephants and natural resource systems. 

Over the past 21 years, SLWCS has worked in collaboration with a number of communities in three Administrative Provinces of Sri Lanka. A few examples of our work include: 

- The SLWCS has established two electric fence societies in the villages of Pussellayaya and Weheragalagama in the Central Province of Wasgamuwa to protect the villages from elephants. 

- In the villages of Himbiliyakade, Randunnewewa and Nuwarayaya in Wasgamuwa, SLWCS has formed community organizations to promote the cultivation of oranges. Elephants do not eat citrus therefore farmers are buffered from economic damages caused by crop raiding elephants. 

- A solar powered electric fence was installed and a fence maintenance team was established in the 2,300-year-old Buddhist Temple, the historic Somawathiya Chaitiya, in the North Central Province. 

- A number of community based organizations for human elephant conflict mitigation, home garden development, and agro-forestry, were established in Lahugala, Pottuvil and Panama areas in the Eastern Province. 

The Society’s work directly benefits more than 165,000 villagers due in part to the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka (MASL), which has adapted many of the conservation concepts within SLWCS’ Saving Elephants by Helping People (SEHP) project. 

By Jithendri Gomes