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Labookellie Tea Centre (formerly Mackwoods)
On the road to Nuwara Eliya
About Labookellie Tea Centre (formerly Mackwoods)
On the main road from Kandy up to Nuwara Eliya, the Labookellie estate’s tea centre is one of the classic stops in the tea country. Long known as the Mackwoods Labookellie Tea Centre, it is now listed by the Central Province tourism authority as the Damro Labookellie Tea Centre. Visitors can usually take a short walk through the factory, have a cup of tea with a view over the estate and browse the shop.
Mackwoods, since 1841
Mackwoods, the name long linked with Labookellie, was founded in 1841 by a British ship’s captain, William Mackwood, and describes itself as the second-oldest mercantile firm in Sri Lanka, associated with tea since its early years. In the 1950s the business passed to the Ceylonese entrepreneur N. S. O. Mendis, whose family has led the Mackwoods group since.
The Labookellie tea centre
The tea centre stands beside the A5 highway from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya, among the steep slopes of the Labookellie estate. The Central Province tourism authority describes it as the oldest tea centre in Sri Lanka, and it now lists it as the Damro Labookellie Tea Centre, formerly the Mackwoods Labookellie Tea Centre; you will see both names on signs and maps.
Two leaves and a bud, a short walk through the factory, and a cup of tea on a terrace above the slopes where it was picked.
What you can do
Visitors can usually take a short guided walk through the factory, often only ten minutes or so, and then have a cup of tea at the tea centre, with views over the estate. Tours have traditionally been offered free of charge; check on the day. It gets very busy with tour groups in high season.
The shop
The shop sells the estate’s teas and other Ceylon teas, loose leaf and in gift packs, which make easy souvenirs.
How Ceylon tea is made
Pluckers pick “two leaves and a bud” by hand. In the factory the leaf is withered to soften it, rolled to break the cells and release the juices, left to oxidise (often called fermenting) until it darkens, then dried, sifted and graded by leaf size, from whole-leaf grades to fine dust.
Practical tips
Labookellie is a natural break on the drive from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya, about two hours or so into the climb. Go in the morning, when the factory is more likely to be working and the views are clearer. In late 2026, with the railway from Kandy into the hills closed for repairs, this is the road most visitors take up to the tea country.
Our advice: stop for the factory walk and a cup of tea on the way up, then visit a smaller working factory, such as one of the estates near Nuwara Eliya or Ella, for a longer, quieter look at how tea is made.
Why it's on our list
- Short factory walk-through
- Tea with an estate view
- Estate shop
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Labookellie Tea Centre (formerly Mackwoods) before you go.