Free pilot · Smallholders & small factories
You already know your land.
We help it pay you more.
We work with you on when to pluck, how to keep leaf quality up, and where fertiliser is being wasted. Small changes, measured properly, so you can see what they actually earn you.
- Free to join
- No contract
- Stop any time
What this is
What is the PLANet-ZERO Tea Pilot?
We are testing whether better ground-level information, better timing and clearer recommendations can improve results across the tea supply chain.
We start with real questions
- When should plucking happen?
- How can quality be improved?
- Where is value being lost?
- How can factories see supply earlier?
- How can estates make better day-to-day decisions?
- Which actions actually improve income?
This is a pilot. We are testing, learning and measuring what works in real conditions.
Who it is for
Built for the people doing the work.
For farmers and smallholders
Clearer guidance on timing, quality and field decisions that may help improve income.
For factories
Better visibility into supply, timing and quality from the network you depend on.
For estates
Better information behind decisions on labour, productivity, fields, quality and factory outcomes.
What it could mean for you
Three groups. Three different gains.
For farmers
Simple guidance that may help you earn more.
The pilot aims to help farmers make better decisions about picking, timing, quality and inputs.
What we are testing
- Better timing for plucking
- Better leaf quality
- Less waste
- Lower unnecessary input cost
- A clearer view of what actually works
For factories
Make uncertain supply more visible.
Factories depend on thousands of small decisions outside the factory gate. We are testing whether better data and coordination can improve visibility into what is coming.
Visibility we are testing
- How much leaf may arrive
- When it may arrive
- What quality may arrive
- How supply patterns affect utilisation
For estates
See problems earlier and act sooner.
The pilot connects information across fields, workers, inputs, harvest timing, transport and factory performance, so management can focus where it matters.
Where it can help
- Productivity
- Labour use
- Quality
- Timing
- Cost
- Profitability
The goal is not just more data. The goal is better decisions.
In the pilot
What we are testing.
Not every element applies to every participant. We agree what is relevant with you before anything starts.
- Field and operational data capture
- Mobile-first data collection
- Leaf-quality image capture
- Harvest timing guidance
- Factory-linked quality visibility
- Field mapping
- Fertiliser and input testing where approved
- Short-term operational forecasting
- Measurement of action and outcome over time
Pilot targets
These are the pilot targets we are testing in the field and at the factory. They are targets for the pilot, not blanket promises.
Better plucking
Test whether fine, 7-day plucking improves green-leaf yield and fine-leaf share versus current practice.
Better factory value
Test what fine 2.5 leaf is actually worth to the factory in net outturn, quality value, and drying energy.
Smarter fertiliser use
Test whether variable-rate fertiliser placement can reduce waste and improve response compared with a blanket rate.
How the pilot works
PLANet-ZERO connects the field and the factory, so better decisions in the field can create more value at every step.
01 | Improve the plucking
We test better plucking rounds and stricter 2.5-leaf standards to improve leaf quality and realised leaf value.
02 | Measure what quality is worth
We work with factories to measure what cleaner intake leaf does to outturn, quality value, and energy use.
03 | Guide the field better
We use field mapping, simple mobile workflows, and fertiliser prescription tools to help farmers and field teams act earlier and more accurately.
This is not just a dashboard. It is a practical pilot to help farmers pick better, help factories convert better, and help both sides earn more.
What we need from you
A few minutes a day
Share your daily plucking weight when we call, message, or collect it through the pilot workflow.
One field visit
Let us map your field boundary and set up your pilot profile.
A willingness to test and learn
We use the pilot to compare current practice against better ways of plucking, grading, and guiding the field.
That's all. We handle the data, the mapping, the guidance, and the pilot support.
Simple to join
There is no cost to join the pilot. Smallholders do not need a lab or special equipment, and factories do not need to commit to a full rollout to participate in the pilot stage.
Go deeper
More about the pilot.
Why we are doing this
Too much value is lost to guesswork.
The people growing, collecting and processing the crop often do not have timely, usable information. We exist to test whether better information and decision support can improve outcomes for everyone in the chain.
Increase income for all.
Who is asking
Built by people who understand operations.
Gihan Atapattu, Founder
35+ years running industrial operations and supply chains, including as President of Ball Corporation Asia.
An operations team, not just software people
Engineering, agronomy and finance experience, working alongside partners already in the tea trade.
Working in Sri Lanka, with Sri Lankan partners
The pilot runs with Nandana Tea Factory and regional partners, on real plots and in real factories.
Free to join, and you can stop
There is no cost to take part and no contract tying you in.
Built with pilot partners
Join our growing network of partners
PLANet-ZERO is being developed and tested with real tea partners in Sri Lanka, using pre-registered field and factory experiments to prove what works before scaling.
Join the PLANet-ZERO pilot
We are now inviting smallholders and small factories to join a free pilot focused on better leaf, better field guidance, and better factory outcomes.
A simple way to help farmers earn more and help factories make more from every kilo of leaf.
To join the pilot or learn more, contact: Sashintha Kaushalya, +94 76 331 0117
Important information
This pilot is designed to test and measure outcomes in real operating conditions. Any examples, targets or benefit areas shown on this page are pilot objectives or areas being evaluated — not promised results. We will publish measured outcomes only once they have been validated and the participants involved have agreed to their publication.