For many years, Sri Lanka suffered an acute dearth of quality tea in the local market. Albeit the country that produced the world's best tea, Sri Lanka would export the best of it's produce, leaving the remnants, often inferior quality tea, for local consumption. This prompted Watawala Plantations PLC to launch the brand 'Zesta' in the year 1998.

"Zesta" contained a unique blend with a distinct aroma which raised the quality benchmark of Sri Lankan tea brands that catered to the local market. By 2004 WPL was ranked the No.2 tea marketing company in Sri Lanka (AC Nielson research data). Today Zesta is distributed in 15,000 outlets, including all leading super markets across the island through a strong distribution network comprising 30 distributors.

"Zesta" is also committed to cultivating the appreciation of tea. The Tea-Cup, a garden cafe located in the heart of the tea country is an idyllic stopover for a fine cup of Ceylon's best. Overlooking the misty mountains, the" Zesta Tea Cup" is a popular destination among both foreign and local visitors.