Sri Lanka holds the monopoly for Ceylon Cinnamon or true cinnamon, with a unique fragrance and taste, as well as a remarkably low amount of coumarin. Cinnamon is the third largest agriculture export from Sri Lanka with 31,000 hectares under cultivation employing nearly 400,000 people directly and indirectly.

With an average export earning recorded at USD 191 million and another USD seven million for value-added products, cinnamon holds great potential as a major revenue and employment generation avenue in Sri Lanka. EDB Sri Lanka holds the ownership of the “Pure Ceylon Cinnamon” (PCC) branding as well as other associate names “Ceylon Cinnamon”, “Sri Lanka Cinnamon” and Sri Lanka “Kurundu”. The “Pure Ceylon Cinnamon” trademark is registered in the EU, Mexico, the USA, Peru and Colombia with the objectives of differentiating it from Cassia.

Pepper was found growing in the wild in ancient Sri Lanka and can be found as a home garden or a mid-range crop in Sri Lanka, today. It is mainly cultivated in low and mid regions with a cooler climate, The total number of pepper cultivated land amounts to nearly 30,320 hectares in Sri Lanka and many cultivators combine pepper cultivation with another crop, practising mix-crop cultivation.The weather and soil have a greater effect on the taste of peppercorn and the level of piperine,the alkaloid responsible for the pungency and aroma of pepper.

Sri Lankan pepper has a high level of piperine, compared to the other pepper exporters in the world and carries a taste quite similar to the renowned Malabar Pepper.Sri Lankan pepper manufacturers mainly produce black pepper and white pepper from their harvest. While black and white peppercorns are both the fruit of the pepper plant, they are processed differently to bring out different colour and strength. Sri Lanka caters to 6% of the global demand for pepper earning an average revenue of USD 87 million through exports made to India, Germany and the USA among others.

Turmeric, once processed from the rhizomes, is a deep orangish yellow powder. It is used mainly to impart colour or in other words dye foods. When it comes to flavour, the spice tastes slightly bitter and peppery with undertones of earthy flavour.