The strength of local supply chains
Focusing on local approaches, strengthening local communities’ individual agency, keeping economic resources where they belong; Axxent Masters in Tea and Fairpicture share similar goals. Fairpicture photographer Ruvin De Silva shows us the plantations and the factory where the tea and herbs for Axxent Masters in Tea ‘Tea of Life’ is produced and processed and where quality control and packaging also takes place. The images of these final steps particularly interest us, as they offer a different perspective on their supply chain.
Client
Axxent Masters in Tea
Date
January 2022
Photographer
Ruvin De Silva
Location
Colombo, Sri Lanka
For Axxent Masters in Tea, it is clear that maintaining the majority of their supply chain in Sri Lanka strengthens local economic development.
Client: Axxent Masters in Tea
Date: January 2022
Visual creator: Ruvin De Silva
Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Quality control
The tea delivered is subjected to quality control. A stable and safe environment is required so that the appropriate samples can be carried out. Kanchana Wanasinghe (seen in the picture) is responsible for Tea of Life quality control. She knows how important her role is. And her personal motivation on the job? She loves drinking great tea herself.
Packaging
After the processed tea arrives at the factory and is inspected, packaging begins. This process provides jobs for hundreds of people who operate state-of-the-art machinery and use local infrastructure. The materials are sourced from local suppliers, and the intricate packaging is also from the region. The entire packaging process stimulates various sectors of the local economy.
Client: Axxent Masters in Tea
Date: January 2022
Visual creator: Ruvin De Silva
Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka
We have a local approach. Most brands took most of the work to Europe. This makes it more difficult for the local economies to develop further.
Axxent Masters in Tea
Client: Axxent Masters in Tea
Date: January 2022
Visual creator: Ruvin De Silva
Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Finishing touches
In Colombo, Sri Lanka, the final product packaging is printed. This means there are short lines of communication with the production supplier. They use a Heidelberg Speedmaster printing press for maximum performance, from classic commercial printing to complex packaging printing. This is how the beautiful patterns, labels and packaging are created, which are also used for Tea of Life.
