Neuchatel Estate’s commitment to innovation, sustainability and cultural heritage

Set against the beautiful backdrop of Kalutara’s lush tropical greenery, Neuchatel Estate remains a timeless tribute to the diversity of Sri Lanka’s plantation heritage.

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Founded in 1904 by British planter Colin Cowper Mee—who named the estate after his alma mater in Switzerland—Neuchatel quickly emerged as a beacon of progress.

In addition to being a skilled planter, Cowper Mee was also an enthusiastic equestrian, a generous supporter of the Ceylon Turf Club and an influential member of the Ceylon Planters’ Association, whose vision set in motion a legacy that would evolve over decades. Following his death in 1909, the estate passed to his siblings and later transitioned through colonial management, a takeover by Aitken Spence in 1942, government nationalization in 1975, and privatization under Horana Plantations PLC in 1992, which is under Hayleys Group. Even today, 121 years later, this legacy continues to thrive, with even Cowper Mee's original horse-training tracks having been preserved into the present day.

One of the estate’s significant milestones was its transition from tea to rubber. By 1928, rubber cultivation had expanded significantly in the Kalutara district and Neuchatel dedicated 2,200 acres to the crop. By 1996, tea cultivation ceased entirely, making way for more rubber plantations. A new era began in 2013 when oil palm was introduced as the second-largest crop on the estate, covering 124 hectares.