From humble beginnings in 1994, the Imperial Teas Group has made its mark on the global tea industry.
We have state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities at our modern factory complex spread across 7 acres in Kelaniya.
We have the capabilities to cater to diverse tastes and requirements internationally. With an annual turnover of US$84 million, Imperial Teas continues no rank among the Top Ten Tea Exporters from Sri Lanka since 1998. We have over 40 local and international awards for export and performance.

We have diversified our business by establishing subsidiaries in spices and print packaging. Our spice business includes the black pepper, dehydrated green pepper, white pepper, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. We export these spices for both direct consumers and for extraction. Premier Packaging is the printing arm of the company that supplies tea bags, envelopes and labels for Sri Lankan tea exporters.

Mr. Karunaratne is the founder, Chairman and Managing Director of the Imperial Teas Group commenced business in 1994. His 40+ years of experience in the tea trade began in 1977 when he served as a Tea Taster at a leading tea export company in Sri Lanka. Extensive travel has given him an in depth knowledge of overseas markets and trading concepts and methodologies.

He is the immediate Past Chairman of the Colombo Tea Traders Association and it is during his tenure as Chairman of CTTA that Mr. Karunaratne headed and facilitated the transition from an outcry auction system to an e-Auction due to the severe implications caused on the tea industry from the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2023 the Colombo Tea Traders' Association awarded Mr. Karunaratne an Honorary Membership for the contribution made to the tea industry in Sri Lanka

Mr. Karunaratne is also a Past President of the Tea Exporters’ Association and was appointed as the President of the National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka on the 14th of March 2023. He was a Board Member of the Sri Lanka Tea Board and a member of the promotion and marketing committee of the SLTB, former President of the Sri Lanka-Russia Business Council (SLRBC). Mr. Karunaratne also serves as the Chairman of the Advisory Committee for Tea, Value Added Tea, Beverages and related industries Sector of the Ministry of Industries.

Mr. Dickie Juriansz is the Chairman of Imperial Tea Exports (Pvt) Ltd. He is an Honorary Member of the Colombo Tea Traders Association (CTTA), having served, at different times, on the CTTA General Committee as a Buyers' Representative and as a Sellers' Representative. He has held the Chairmanship of the CTTA for four years on three separate occasions. He is a former Board Member of the Sri Lanka Tea Board and the Sri Lanka Tea Research Board and a past President of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors. He is the Chairman of the ICLP Arbitration Centre run by The Institute for the Development of Commercial Law and Practice and a Governor of the Sri Lanka Business Development Centre.

Mr. Juriansz serves and has served as a Director of many Companies as well as holding the position of Chairman of several of them. He is a former Chairman of the Affiliated Associations Group of the Employers Federation of Ceylon.

Starting her career as a management trainee at a leading export company, Mrs. Karunaratne gained wide experience in Financial Accounting, Management Accounting, Auditing, Taxation, Budgetary Control and Financial Management. She joined the company as a Director in 1994. In recognition of her contribution towards empowering women in the export sector, she was named Runner Up at the Women Entrepreneurs Awards 2002 organized by the Women's Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

Having started his professional life as a trainee tea taster at a leading diversified Trading and Manufacturing group of companies, Mr. Weerakoon gained in-depth knowledge of all aspects of marketing and shipping. He has travelled overseas extensively and acquired considerable knowledge and expertise in the fields of international marketing and shipping.

With a background in engineering, Mr.Gurusinghe rose to the position of Technical Manager at a public sector organisation and subsequently worked overseas at a leading company in the same field. Mr.Gurusinghe joined the Imperial Teas Group as Director of Production in 1994. He holds a Diploma in Civil Engineering from the University of Moratuwa and a Diploma in Business Management from the National Institute of Business Management of Sri Lanka.

Mr. Jalinda Karunaratne is a past pupil of Ananda College. During his time in school he was appointed as a Senior Prefect and also served as the President of the Ananda College Music Circle in 2008. In addition to possessing musical talents, he also holds a Bachelor of Business and Commerce Degree majoring in Marketing and Management from Monash University, Australia. He has over 10 years of tea tasting experience, whilst also having successfully completed an Executive Tea Training Programme at The Mel’s Tea Academy. Mr. Jalinda Karunaratne currently serves on the company's main board simultaneously also serving on the boards of Premier Packaging (Pvt) Ltd and Imperial Spices (Pvt) Ltd. He is directly engaged in Tea and Marketing for the company. He is also a member of National chamber of commerce.

Mr. Jeewaka Karunaratne graduated from Monash University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Business with a major in Accounting and minor in Statistics and Risk Management and has recently completed an executive MSc in Finance. Mr. Jeewaka Karunaratne commenced his career at Tea Broker Company as a Management Trainee. He then developed his skills further in terms of tea tasting and joined the family business in January 2009. Upon gaining extensive knowledge in all areas of the business he was appointed to lead various projects within the company. Jeewaka’s current role in the company is involved with Strategic Planning. Some projects initiated by him are; introduction of an ERP solution for order processing, launching the company’s flagship brand IMPRA in Australia and New Zealand, conducting of internal audits for systems and processes, Iced tea manufacturing and the Implementation of an HR manual.

IMPRA Teas is honoured to receive the following awards in recognition of its product and service excellence.

- Established in 1994 from humble beginnings, The Imperial Teas Group has made its mark on the global tea scene.

- With manufacturing facilities at their modern factory complex of over 7 acres situated in Kelaniya the Imperial Teas Group has a worldwide presence.

- The capability to cater to varying tastes and requirements across the international scene has significantly improved the Groups expanding global presence

- With an annual turnover of USD 84 Mn, Imperial ranks amongst the TOP 10 Tea Exporters from Sri Lanka since 1998 and is a winner of over 40 local and international awards for Export Performance.

- The company’s vision ensures it will continue to offer the very best through effective use of its empowered and dynamically driven teams and thereby sustain the promise of commitment to its customers and through continuous value addition to the teas exported across the globe, bring pride and prestige to Sri Lanka.

- The Group has diversified its business further and has established subsidiaries in Spices and Print Packaging.

Black pepper, dehydrated green pepper, white pepper, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg are a few of the spices exported by Imperial Spices for direct consumer use and extraction purposes. Premier Packaging (Pt) Ltd. is the printing arm of the company that supplies tea bag tags and envelopes as well as labels to local tea exporters.