Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, has a rich history with coffee that dates back to the early colonial period in 1658. While the country is now more famous for its tea, coffee was once its dominant export crop before a devastating blight (1869-1890)changed its agricultural landscape forever.

16th–17th Century

Arab traders, who were among the first to trade coffee globally and introduced to Sri Lanka. Large-scale cultivation began under Dutch colonial rule (1658–1796) and experimented with coffee in the Down south (Galle and Matara) regions but found limited success due to unsuitable growing conditions.

19th Century (Tytler’s Revolution)

Robert Boyd Tytler, “The Father of Ceylon planters”,
Source: Tropical Agriculturalist, 2012.

In 1837, employed Robert Boyd Tytler to develop coffee estates. Tytler, with experience of planting in Jamaica, having introduced “the West-India system of cultivation”. Tytler brought with him a Pierre-Joseph Laborie’s The Coffee Planter of Saint Domingo.
Based on the author’s experience of the slave-labour methods of coffee cultivation used in Haiti, this book laid the foundations of Sri Lanka’s estate system, becoming the coffee planters’ Bible. Laborie’s techniques revolutionised the coffee plantations, regularising planting, manuring, pruning, and harvesting.

1820s–1860s (The Coffee Boom)

By the 1830s, Ceylon became one of the world’s largest coffee producers.

Key Factors for Success are, Ideal climate in the hill country (cool temperatures, fertile soil)., High demand in Europe, especially Britain, Infrastructure development (roads, railways) to transport coffee.

Economic Impact found Coffee accounted for over 50% of Ceylon’s export revenue by the 1860s. Plantation owners (mostly British) became extremely wealthy, while local laborers faced exploitation.

1869–1890s (Great Coffee Blight)

In 1869, a deadly fungal disease called "Coffee Leaf Rust" (Hemileia vastatrix), (also known as "Devastating Emily") began destroying plantations, wiping out nearly all coffee crops by the 1880s. Plantation owners faced financial ruin, Many abandoned coffee and switched to tea cultivation, which was more resistant to disease up to now.

1870s and early 20th Century

Shift to Tea & Decline of Coffee.Experimenting with tea in the 1870s, and the early 20th century, Ceylon was famous for tea, not coffee.
Legacy of Coffee: Some small-scale coffee farming continued in regions like Hill-terrain (Ratnapura, Kandy, and Matale. Today, Sri Lanka produces a small amount of high-quality Arabica and Robusta coffee, but it remains a niche product compared to tea.

Modern Sri Lankan Coffee

Revival Efforts: In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in Sri Lankan coffee, particularly specialty Arabica varieties. Small estates and organic farmers are experimenting with sustainable coffee production
Ceylon Coffee Today: Brands like "Sri Lankan Highland Coffee" and "Ceylon Coffee" are gaining recognition. The industry remains small but is slowly growing as global demand for unique coffee origins increases.

Sri Lanka’s coffee history is a story of boom and bust—once a global powerhouse, then nearly wiped out by disease, only to see a slow revival in modern times. While tea dominates, Ceylon coffee still holds a special place in the country’s agricultural heritage.