Sweet Wood Mafia of Ceylon

I have been working on a very important project during the past two & half months. I know it’s a very long time, but hold your judgment, till you get to the end of this post.

When our chairperson told me about the new project she was completely unaware of the fact that I had already started doing some ground work on promoting Sri Lankan Exports. It’s not every day you get to serve your country with your profession. Back here the common misconception is that you have to be either a soldier or politician to serve the country! So you know what I am talking about..

I was excited about branding Ceylon Cinnamon from the start for many reasons. Sri Lanka (previously known as Ceylon) produces the best quality cinnamon even before colonial times, working on this project means I would travel to Cinnamon cultivations, meet the farming community, traders, Cinnamon peelers, and exporters. I think this is the best part of being a Brand Planner – charting the uncharted waters and make a standup presentation to Capt. Jack Sparrow!

Once I was beach bumming in down south and suddenly thoughts of Cinnamon were running thru my head, the next day I traveled about 15 KM looking for Cinnamon cultivations where I met Miran Dilanka whose family owns sizeable Cinnamon plots in Baddegama. Although he works as an accounts clerk he has already set his eyes on growing the family owned business. Realizing the importance of the project or out of sheer Sri Lankan hospitality he tirelessly took me to several places where I had a crash course on Cinnamon. It did not take much time to learn that Cinnamon is run by a mafia in SL. When I entered the premises of a large regional exporter in Meetiyagoda, he was suspicious of our cause and refused to give any input, in fact we were asked to leave immediately. I encountered similar incidents back in Colombo when I contacted major exporters. I think when you grow large you become paranoid about the out side world – they think everybody’s trying to grab a piece of their pie. Well stupidity has no cure, its still the cardinal sin in the books!

Anyways not everyone was like this, Mr. Jayatilake who was kind enough to invite me to visit newly built processing centre is a true gentleman and a visionary – the kind of people we need to build Ceylon Cinnamon as an irreplaceable inredient for many industries.

Well this intro became a lot longer than I intended; besides I need to fine tune my presentation now. So hold your judgment till then!

Cinnamon Trivia:

Cinnamon means Sweet Wood
Cinnamon is an excellent insect repellent for your kitchen and bedroom cupboards.
Ceylon Cinnamon was regarded as a gift fit for monarchs and other great potentates.

During the 17th Century Dutch forbade private persons from trading Cinnamon bark due to its high value.