Sri Lanka Coffee Festival
The Australian Government-funded Market Development Facility (MDF), in partnership with the Sri Lankan coffee industry, brought together over 100 representatives from Sri Lanka’s coffee sector for the first-ever ‘Sri Lanka Coffee Festival.’
The festival, a celebration of Sri Lanka’s home-grown speciality coffee and re-emerging coffee culture, highlighted Australia’s ongoing support to the sector. The spotlight was turned on the diverse stakeholders in the local coffee value chain, providing a valuable networking opportunity for the government and private sector to discuss the future of Sri Lankan coffee.
The event included government and private sector panel discussions, presentations from international coffee experts, and a coffee expo showcasing local specialty coffee brands. A screening of an MDF-Roar Media documentary on Sri Lankan specialty coffee and launch of MDF’s report ‘Arabica Coffee Value Chain Analysis’ were also part of the event.
The global specialty coffee market provides enormous opportunities for coffee producers, with the market estimated to grow from USD 35 billion in 2018 to over USD 80 billion by 2025. In line with this increasing demand, Sri Lanka’s coffee exports have increased in recent years, growing 84 per cent between 2017 and 2019. The coffee industry has seen increased investment from the private sector and an uptick in demand for locally grown coffee in Sri Lankan hotels, restaurants and cafes.
Australia’s support for Sri Lanka’s specialty coffee sector is delivered through MDF, the Australian Government’s flagship private sector development initiative.
The Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, H.E. David Holly, while in attendance at the event, noted:
“A more robust coffee sector will provide further export opportunities for Sri Lanka and benefit rural coffee farmers and farming communities by improving their livelihoods. Australia is proud to be actively partnering to strengthen the specialty coffee segment in Sri Lanka.”
Nearly 80 per cent of Sri Lanka’s specialty coffee is produced by smallholder farmers who are mostly female.
Read the full Story on Sri Lanka Coffee Festival here.
