Tea factories
Factories, located in close proximity to tea gardens, plantations and estates where tea is
grown, form an integral part of the landscape in the hill country. Information was collected
onsite from twenty-five tea factory operators using a semi-structured interview technique
(Table 4). They were reported as being established between 1870 and 1950 reflecting the
length and depth of tea industry heritage in the region. Only four of the factories surveyed
operated regular factory visits and eighteen were open to visits with prior notice. Just three
factories were not willing to receive visitors. The factories open on a regular basis reported
an average number of visitors per day at 50 to 150 per day during the periods of September
to February and April to June. The visitor origins were reported as local, U.K., Germany,
Middle East, India and France. This roughly concurs with the guest origins reported by tea
character accommodations managers. The factories who receive visitors by appointment
reported a smaller number of visitors at an average of 20 to 40 per month