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The e-auction solution for tea after 1880: Transforming how tea is bought and sold in Sri Lanka Brewing up change under COVID-19:  A cloud-based auction system keeps buyers and sellers socially distanced, safeguards a 150-year-old industry, and protects the livelihoods of almost two million people Boil the kettle, fill the pot, and raise a celebratory cup. Sri Lanka’s renowned tea industry has just dodged a potentially devastating COVID-19 shutdown by swapping 19th-century tradition with 21st-century digital innovation. Within a matter of days, industry leaders were able to deploy a virtual e-auction system that keeps buyers and sellers of the world’s favourite beverage safely apart and socially distanced. Thanks to the agility and security of the cloud, they can stay still do business away from their usually crowded sales halls. And that, in turn, safeguards the livelihoods of almost two million people who rely on tea growing, production, and exports. Tropical Sri Lanka, known as Ceylon in British colonial ...