The situation
Ceylon tea is sold on quality, yet proving that quality at the factory meant slow, expensive tests. A moisture reading followed the 6-hour ISO oven-drying method. A polyphenol test took two days at an external lab and cost LKR 6,000 per sample. Buyers and factories were making decisions before the numbers arrived.
What stood in the way
- Slow moisture testing. The ISO oven-drying standard takes 6 hours per reading, so purchase decisions at the factory gate waited on the lab.
- Costly polyphenol analysis. Total polyphenol (TPP) tests took two days and LKR 6,000 per sample, so most lots were never tested.
- Subjective leaf grading. Manual grading varied from person to person and from shift to shift.
- Audit pressure from export buyers. EU and Japanese buyers expect quality data they can trace back to each lot.
What Veracity built
SpectrifyAI is a Veracity Digital subsidiary, and Veracity engineered its platform: NIR spectral AI models, a mobile app and cloud traceability, built for the tea factory floor. It covers four quality parameters:
- Moisture detection. TRI-validated moisture readings in 15 seconds, replacing the 6-hour oven method.
- Total polyphenol (TPP) detection. Polyphenol measurement in 15 seconds at LKR 15 per test, replacing a 2-day lab test. Lots can be checked against the ISO 3720 standard before they move.
- Leaf quality grading. Consistent, objective classification through a mobile app, with no device required: Best, Below Best or Poor.
- Digital traceability. Every reading is linked to lot, time and operator in a cloud audit trail built for EU and Japanese buyers.
- Spectral AI models developed over three years with the Tea Research Institute of Sri Lanka and validated against the same reference standards used at the Colombo auction.
Results in production
6 hours to 15 seconds
for moisture testing, so factories and exporters decide at the gate instead of waiting for the lab.
LKR 6,000 to LKR 15
per polyphenol test, making it practical to test every lot rather than a sample.
TRI validated, December 2025
the first commercial NIR spectrometer in Sri Lanka to receive Tea Research Institute validation.
Audit-ready quality data
traceable to lot, time and operator for international buyers.
Best AI Solution in Agriculture, National AI Awards 2026
SpectrifyAI won Gold and 1st Place in the Best AI Solution in Agriculture category at the National AI Awards 2026, held as part of the National AI Expo & Conference powered by Sri Lanka Telecom. The awards drew more than 300 applications across multiple categories.
The recognition marks a major milestone in SpectrifyAI's mission to transform the tea industry with AI-powered quality intelligence. That work is backed by a strong ecosystem: the Tea Research Institute of Sri Lanka, which supported and validated the technology, together with customers, industry partners and collaborators who help turn deep technology into real-world impact.
