Today we'll talk with Mr. Sahan C. Bakmiwewa, Marketing Manager of E-Silk Route Ventures (Pvt) Ltd, committed in producing  spices, herbs, tea, fruits and vegetables, fairly and ethically.     

Dear Sahan, thank you to share your experience with us, can you tell us something about your products and why they are unique? 

We supply 100% Organic premium quality products, primarily of Ceylon / Sri Lanka Origin. How we are unique is in the way these products are made available to the customer and what goes into it.

We position ourselves as a Fair & Ethical company. We do this by directly buying from Small & medium scaled farmers. This direct trade model ensures that the farmers receive the best possible price for their produce, which otherwise would have been absorbed by non-value adding intermediaries. Thus, through this directly trade model our farmers co-operative gets not only the best possible price, but important customer information (e.g. ideal time to harvest, crops in demand for the next period etc.) which can be used to better their plantations and cultivate products which will be in demand for next season - this ensure that there is minimal oversupply of goods. These principles enable us to uplift the livelihood of farmer based rural communities through ethical, fair & transparent trade. This ensure that our supply / value chains embed CSR as the backbone in it. This is what makes us unique. 

In which country do you sell or would like to sell?

E-Silk Route Ventures exportes wholesale directly to over 15 countries and counting. Main countries are Australia, USA, Canada & several countries in the European region.

Which is the typical buyer type that searches for your products?

Our buyers are ones who are concerned not only with Organic production but also with production sourced ethically and fairly. Also, who are interested in being part of our cause of uplifting the livelihood of Rual farmer based communities on an on going manner. Hence, it would be correct to say that our buyers not only buy the product but also buy-into our cause of uplifting farmer livelihood.

How being registered at Ekowarehouse support your company?

Through EkoWarehouse we are able to get valuable inquiries for productswhich we supply from Buyers who will potentially want to be a part of our cause.

Tell us the main reasons why you are so satisfied about Ekowarehouse service?

Being positioned as an ‘Bio / Organic’ only platform; it filters out majority of buyers / inquiries who would otherwise be interested in different products, certifications & concerns. 

What advice would you give to companies that register at Ekowarehouse in order to be succesful?

To list all their Organic products with relevant certifications and make their idea & principles clear to the customer.

Thank you so much to have shared with us your experience and products history. We are very happy to support companies like yours that are commit to the world in order to improve life of small farmers and of final consumers.

This interview was first published on Connature here.