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The investment case for specialty coffee in Sri Lanka.

SRI LANKA
Arabica Coffee

Value Chain
Analysis

The investment case for
specialty coffee in Sri Lanka

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through the page

SRI LANKA
Arabica Coffee
 Value Chain Analysis

The investment case for  specialty coffee in Sri Lanka

Scroll down to navigate through the page

In the 1800s, Sri Lanka was the world’s third-largest exporter of coffee, recording an export volume of 2 million pounds of green beans.

But the Coffee Leaf Rust disease devastated the country’s plantations in the 1860s.

The Sri Lankan coffee industry never recovered. Exports have remained low ever since.

Coffee is now making a gradual comeback. Investments across the supply chain from the government and the private sector have driven up demand.

As global demand for specialty coffee continues to rise, the time is ripe for authentic Ceylon Coffee to make its mark in local and international markets.

Market Development Facility (MDF) Arabica Coffee Value Chain Analysis is a one-of-a-kind, in-depth analysis into the specialty arabica coffee sector in Sri Lanka. The study collects information from bean to cup, charting the pathways to scale and identifying the opportunities for growth in the arabica coffee sub-sector in Sri Lanka. The recommendations of the report can be used by all stakeholders to align their efforts to achieve sustainable growth in this niche industry.

Market Development Facility provides Arabica Coffee Value Chain Analysis.

Market Development Facility (MDF) Arabica Coffee Value Chain Analysis is a one-of-a-kind, in-depth analysis into the specialty arabica coffee sector in Sri Lanka.

The study collects information from bean to cup, charting the pathways to scale and identifying the opportunities for growth in the arabica coffee sub-sector in Sri Lanka.

The recommendations of the report can be used by all stakeholders to align their efforts to achieve sustainable growth in this niche industry.

Market Development Facility provides Arabica Coffee Value Chain Analysis.

Global
Demand for
Specialty
Coffee

Market expected to grow over
USD 80 billion by 2025

Market revenue is projected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13.3%

Market volume is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.3%

Global Demand for Specialty Coffee

Market expected to grow over USD 80 billion by 2025

Market revenue is projected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13.3%

Market volume is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.3%

Evolution of Sri Lankan Coffee

Sri Lanka's potential
to meet the
global demand for
Specialty Coffee

Top 5 countries that imported
Sri Lankan coffee from 2013-2018

Sri Lanka's main coffee importers include United States, Australia, China, Maldives & Chile.
United States Import
Chile Coffee Import
Maldives Coffee Import
Australia Coffee Import
China Coffee Import
Sri Lanka is ripe with opportunities and reasons to expand the domestic specialty coffee industry.

Opportunities for arabica coffee

Sri Lanka
is ripe with opportunities and reasons to expand the domestic specialty coffee industry.

BETTER AROMA

INTERNATIONAL INTEREST

NICHE MARKETS

Nearly 80% of specialty coffee produced in Sri Lanka originates from smallholder farmers and backyard farmers, who are mostly women.

MDF interventions seek to improve processing methods and techniques, and support access to good agricultural practices.

MDF Interventions

MDF is working with businesses to move into a cherry-purchasing business model versus the traditional green bean model. The market intervention allows farmers – many of whom are women – to sell high-quality coffee cherries, earning better income and also saving on the time previously spent on drying the cherries into green bean.  In addition, MDF interventions seek to improve processing methods and techniques, and support access to good agricultural practices.

Colombo Coffee Company (CCC) is the only front-end barista coffee machinery solutions provider in Sri Lanka.

Colombo Coffee Company (CCC)

Colombo Coffee Company (CCC) is the largest local arabica coffee seller to Sri Lanka’s Hotel, Restaurant and Café (HORECA) market and the only front-end barista coffee machinery solutions provider in Sri Lanka. Currently, the company markets its coffee under two brands: the flagship Lavazza brand via franchise imports and the Toscana Ceylon brand, produced from locally-sourced, specialty grade, 100% arabica beans.

Ella Coffee Cooperative (ECC) sources green bean from a number of independent wet processing mills and a green coffee trader and has a factory based in Colombo.

Ella Coffee Cooperative (ECC)

Ella Coffee Cooperative (ECC) is a joint venture formed between Soul Coffee (Private) Limited and Amba Estate (Private) Limited. Soul Coffee (Pvt) Ltd was incorporated in 2016 as an arabica coffee roasting and packaging business. The company currently sources green bean from a number of independent wet processing mills and a green coffee trader and has a factory based in Colombo.

RCI’s core business involves business-to-business green bean and roasted coffee sales to the local hotel, restaurant and café (HORECA) market.

Helanta Coffee

Royawin Ceylon International (RCI) emerged as an off-shoot of the Japan Fairtrade Congradulate, a farmer-cooperative-based NGO. RCI’s core business involves business-to-business green bean and roasted coffee sales to the local hotel, restaurant and café (HORECA) market. RCI sells unbranded green bean coffee to their buyers’ individual brands, while the roasted coffee is sold under the Helanta brand to the HORECA sector.

Home

Report

Global Demand

Timeline

Sri Lanka's Potential

Leading Buyers

Opportunities

MDF Interventions

CLIMATE

Coffee is highly sensitive to climate change. Climatic factors, such as rainfall, humidity, light, wind, cloud cover, soil properties, cropping patterns and management practices are all crucial variables in this farming industry. Researchers found that coffee crops will thrive in a warmer world if they are intercropped with trees or moved to higher elevation. This make the vast number of arable land located in the Sri Lankan highlands, ideal for coffee farming.

NICHE MARKETS

The specialized characteristics of domestically cultivated arabica is a major selling point as niche products become more attractive to consumers. The practice of micro-lots, for example, where a consumer can trace a bean back to the origin farm, field or harvest, is already in operation in several villages in Kandy and Nuwara Eliya. There is potential to increase value by differentiating products through superior coffee beans and unique experiences.

INTERNATIONAL INTEREST

Although Sri Lanka does not currently produce enough arabica to compete with the global market at present, international consumers are interested. Japanese companies have invested in and purchase from Sri Lankan processors. European investors have already started purchasing wet processed arabica green beans. It is anticipated that this market will become more profitable in the future if the value chain becomes more reliable and resilient.

BETTER AROMA

A recent study on different arabica coffees with similar genetic characteristics but different agroclimatic plantation conditions and international geography, found that Sri Lankan coffee brew had a better aroma than that of Brazilian, Colombian or Ethiopian origins.