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At the heart of the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka had been a trading hub even before Arab traders arrived with sapphire, rubies, pearls, and cinnamon being valued items of commerce frequented by Persians, Indians, Romans and Chinese merchants.

Historians generally agree that Sri Lanka is the cradle of the ancient spice trade. And with regard to cinnamon, which originated in Sri Lanka, it is certainly the predominant cradle.

Famous historian and author, John Keay, mentions Sri Lanka in the opening paragraph of “The Spice Route – a history” wherein he describes the “clashing aromas” of a spice market in Hambantota as “rasping the sinuses with the olfactory equivalent of an aural assault of massed brass bands attuning their instruments”. The Arab traders must have had an even keener olfactory sense than the Europeans, for they arrived in Galle on the Southern coast of Sri Lanka in the 7th century AD. The purpose of their expedition was to establish a trading post dedicated primarily to spices and gems. Later many of these traders migrated to Jaffna and established another flourishing port on the northern coast of the Island. It is said that all of the Moorish Muslims who live in Sri Lanka today are descendants of those early spice traders.

Archaeology also alludes to an Arabic spice trade with Sri Lanka long before the 7th century. Cinnamon, which is native to Sri Lanka, has been found in archaeological digs in Egypt and it is believed that the cherished spice was used as an embalming agent more than two thousand years ago. There is also Biblical reference (Proverbs 7, 16 – 19) of cinnamon being used as fragrance in Jerusalem sometime during the 3rd or 4th millennia BC. And since Sri Lanka or Taprobane as it would have been known then (named so by the Ancient Greeks) was the only source of Cinnamon, it is thus evident of the island’s linkages to the centers of trade and civilizations. Sri Lankan spice has been available in Europe for centuries, albeit in conservative quantities and extremely expensive; making it out of reach of most of the commoners. The spice trade was monopolized by the Arab, Persian and North African traders who demanded as much as seven fattened oxen for a pound of the exotic commodity; as a matter of fact a pound of spice was considered more valuable than a pound of gold!

There is an old adage that “the last straw broke the camel’s back” and in reference to the Arabic spice caravans it was the great Master Mariners of Europe who provided that last straw. This all goes to show that Sri Lanka would’ve been a valued destination for traders of yore as it was literally a resplendent isle!

It was probably the Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama in 1498 (and on into the early 16th century) who is most credited with discovering a sea route from the Indies back to Europe; a sea route that also connected the fabled Spice Islands of Indonesia and the Port of Galle in Sri Lanka. Vasco de Gama’s success as an explorer led to the Portuguese invasion of Sri Lanka’s Coastal kingdoms in 1536  the invasions later influenced a treaty between Portugal and the Kingdoms of Kotte (City in Western Province) and Jaffna (city in North Province) that included a tribute of 110,000 pounds of cinnamon paid each year to Portugal by the King of Kotte.

One hundred years later the Dutch captured Sri Lanka and are said to be the first settlers to systematically cultivate cinnamon, a practice that is apparently still in use today. The Dutch eventually granted autonomy to parts of Sri Lanka but not before securing a monopoly of the precious spice trade. By 1796 the Dutch ceded any control they had in Sri Lanka to the British and the British completed the consolidation of the whole island by 1815 through the Kandy Convention.

As the botanical name stands “Cinnamomum Zeylanicum” the cinnamon plant is an endemic plant to the island with Sri Lanka still continuing to enjoy over 90% of the world market for true cinnamon.

Many other spices too grow abundantly in on the island namely, Pepper, Clove, Cardamom, Areca nut and Garcinia all of which have their own geographical and climatic regions where they flourish thus producing some of the best quality produce to be found.

In contrast to the colonial tinge of the spice industry, the current status of this industry is anything but old. The sector has developed with new varieties being made available for cultivators with increased quality and acreage.

In addition, a conscious and organized distribution of spices according to required environmental conditions for the best output has taken hold with State also providing a myriad of facilities and services to enhance production and cultivation. There are a range of different specialized state agencies focusing on the many spices which Sri Lanka boasts.

Perhaps most importantly, we continue to pursue Local and Regional Economic Development and ICT4D (Information, Communication and Technology for Development) policies where we have constructed vast network of cultivators in the most rural nooks of our island to ensure that livelihoods and sustainable production of spices occur while also minimizing the middlemen.

We started to blend spices in 2015 because we believed in carrying on the traditions of our forefathers, assisting in the socio-economic development of rural cultivators with maximum benefits derived from our blends suiting any customers’ desire and taking Sri Lankan Spices to ever greater heights.

What makes these districts more special is that there are on average 30 collection points in each district (totaling to approximately 360 collecting centers in the twelve districts) for the cultivators to supply their produce.

A collection mechanism is now functioning through our extensive network with spices directly bought from the cultivators and gathered at the aforementioned collection points within 3 - 4 hours.

Upon receiving the produce in Colombo, it is communicated to the producer that their spices have been accepted and (if) any shortcomings or defects are present that too is notified promptly opening space for the improvement of overall communications and quality.

Link with other websites

• Export Development Board
• Sri Lanka Customs
• Ministry of Samurdhi and Housing
• Board of Investment
• Sri Lanka Tourism
• Ministry of Industry and Commerce