The earliest references of natural rubber (Hevea Brasiliensis) were recorded in the second voyage to the New-World in 1495-1496 by the great voyager Christopher Columbus.

When Columbus and his men set sail to Haiti for the second time, they observed natives playing with a ball and to their surprise discovered that they were far more superior than their Castilian wind-ball as they bounced better and incredibly higher.

The secret they learnt from the natives was that it was made from a milky substance from a certain tree with the consistency of honey which was then cured over palm nuts…

It was not until the late 18th and early 19th centuries that rubber was used in some applications, and during this time period all rubber originated from Latin America, notably Brazil .

Sir Henry Wickham, a local planter representing the British Government then sent seeds from the Amazon rainforests to London in 1876. The seeds were then germinated at the Tropical Herbarium , the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew Gardens , London and of which was then sent to, Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon ).

In 1877 seeds were sent from Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) to Singapore and then began the spreading of natural rubber tree plantations in Malaysia, Indonesia (formerly Java), Thailand and as well as other parts of South-East Asia.