Sri Lanka’s tea industry is rooted in generations of expertise, but Salman Anverally believes its future also lies in unexpected forms of creativity. As Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Enchantea, he has set out to present Ceylon tea not simply as a beverage, but as an experience shaped by design, discovery and the stories of those who produce it. That approach has gained international recognition. The Enchantea Ceylon Golden Tea Coin received the Best Innovative Packaging Award at the Saudi Food Excellence Awards 2026, marking a milestone for the brand and drawing attention to an unusual product with a distinctly Sri Lankan history.
Born in Colombo into the illustrious Anverally family, Salman is a fifth-generation tea entrepreneur whose upbringing was shaped by both the tea and fashion industries. He is the son of Niloufer Esufally Anverally, founder of Cotton Collection and Leather Collection, and an iconic figure in Sri Lanka’s fashion retail industry. Growing up with these two distinct entrepreneurial influences gave Salman an appreciation for both commercial tradition and creative expression.
Educated at Colombo International School and The British School in Colombo, he later pursued undergraduate studies in the United Kingdom. After living and working in London, he returned to Sri Lanka to join the family business, bringing fresh perspectives on international markets and evolving consumer preferences. It was the contrast between tea and fashion that particularly intrigued him. While the tea trade traditionally focused on grades, volumes and pricing, fashion thrived on individuality, imagination and presentation. Inspired by the creative world of fashion and his family’s deep-rooted tea heritage, Salman began asking himself a simple yet compelling question, “Why can’t tea be extraordinary?”That question would ultimately help shape the vision behind Enchantea.
The Discovery Behind Enchantea
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A visit to Gulfood, the international food and beverage exhibition in Dubai, gave that idea fresh momentum. Salman encountered a handcrafted blooming flower tea that unfurled in hot water. Even his father, Mohammed (Mo) Anverally with decades of experience in the trade, had not seen anything quite like it.
Intrigued, Salman began exploring lesser-known artisanal teas made into flowers, balls, cigars and coins. He found skilled producers whose work was rarely visible to a wider international audience. Enchantea emerged as a way to bring those creations to consumers who value originality and thoughtful presentation. He sums up the idea with an analogy, “The farmer is the artist. The tea is the artwork. Enchantea is the collector.” Rather than treating tea as a standardised commodity, the brand curates’ products distinguished by their origins and the people behind them.
A Coin with a History
The Golden Tea Coin has its roots at Great Western Estate, owned by Talawakelle Tea Estates, in Sri Lanka’s Dimbula growing region. Situated more than 5,000 feet above sea level, the estate benefits from the cool conditions of the central highlands and has a long association with high-quality Ceylon tea. Around 1880, during the British colonial period, the estate used a brass token known as the “Great Western Coin” in connection with plantation workers’ remuneration. Made in Great Britain and bearing the estate’s name, it represented a quarter-task value, approximately 25% of the task of picking a bag of clean tea.
Great Western Estate later recreated the token in black tea, turning a symbol associated with plantation labour into a product made from the crop itself. Enchantea recognised the potential to share this piece of estate history with a new audience, while acknowledging the generations of workers whose efforts helped build the reputation of Ceylon tea. The coins are made from selected leaves, including some harvested from the estate’s old seedling bushes. Production follows established stages of tea processing: withering, rolling, rotorvane processing, fermentation, drying, sorting and packing. Skilled handling remains important throughout. Each coin weighs approximately five grams and is recommended to be brewed for about five minutes, yielding a richly coloured Ceylon tea.
From Tea Coin to Golden Gift
For Salman, the challenge was to create packaging worthy of the product’s unusual form and history. Conversations at a Dubai exhibition with a potential business partner pointed to opportunities in luxury hospitality and gifting, particularly in Middle Eastern markets. The discussion also highlighted a preference among some consumers for a dark, full-bodied Ceylon tea with relatively low astringency. Developing the presentation took almost a year, involving Salman, his Dubai partner and suppliers. While visiting London department stores, tea boutiques and luxury retail displays, he found an unlikely source of inspiration: gold-foil chocolate coins. He adopted the idea of wrapping the tea coins in gold foil and setting them against a black presentation box. The contrast gives the arrangement the appearance of small golden treasures against a night sky. It is a memorable expression of Enchantea’s tagline, “Wonder, Awakened.”
International Recognition and the Road Ahead
The Saudi Food Excellence Awards 2026 win recognises the packaging concept that distinguishes the Golden Tea Coin in a competitive premium market. It also arrives as Enchantea explores opportunities in luxury hotels, resorts, retail and gifting, with Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East among its important potential markets.
For Salman, the achievement reflects what a new generation can bring to an established industry. His family background gives him a close understanding of tea, while his international experience has encouraged him to rethink how it can be introduced and enjoyed. The Golden Tea Coin’s appeal lies in the meeting of these ideas: an estate token from the nineteenth century, tea produced in the Dimbula highlands and a presentation inspired by contemporary luxury retail. Above all, it invites consumers to look beyond the finished cup and consider the history and human effort that made it possible. With its award-winning design, Enchantea has shown that innovation in Ceylon tea need not mean leaving tradition behind. Sometimes, it begins by finding a new way to tell an old story.
