About Us
Imagine, if you will, two old reprobates who've been together longer than would seem decent in the twenty-first century, and have blagged their way into as many domestic and professional kitchens all around the world as possible in that time. They sell their hotel in the West Highlands of Scotland and scoot off to Sri Lanka to chill, catch their breath, and decide what's next on the menu of life. They get home as planned just before Christmas 2004. On Boxing Day, the tsunami wipes out whole communities on the seaboards of many South-Eastern Asian countries. Feeling incredibly fortunate to have avoided the devastation, they decide to return to Sri Lanka to see what they can possibly do to help. Friends and acquaintances tell them that straightforward charity is not the answer. What the country needs is help in normalising itself as quickly as possible.
So, esconced comfortably, if guiltily, in the Kandalama Hotel (The best hotel in the world, bar none - don't argue) near Dambulla, our Darby and Joan decide on the basis of their experience that they will visit the spice growers of Sri Lanka to ascertain if trade in spices would be both possible and helpful. Armed with a list of spices, they decamp to Matale, and ask every spice grower in sight for quotes against the list. Two days later, back on the plane, having placed orders (no haggling) and arranged testing and shipment of about half a tonne of spices.
Our naive couple now have to decide what on earth to do with all this wonderful produce. So, using their experience, they use their new spices to test-cook, taste and adjust curry and seasoning recipes, initially Sri Lankan, then broadening horizons to include recipes from pretty-well everywhere in the tropics. Then using their portfolio of photographs to prettify, and a mountain of trial and error, they have packaging.
And so, with overwhelming trepidation, book a Food Festival, see how it goes, and take it from there.
Wow. That was better than we dared hope - book some more.
Build a website. (This is iteration three)
The old codgers are busy, pressing into action more synapses than they thought they had.
Hold breath. The repeat orders start to come. Phew, that was the real test.
And here we are. Still.
We've made heaps of friends among our suppliers, customers and co-exhibitors over the last few years, and we continue to develop new products for every season, so that now we have over 90 and counting.
Have a look at our 'where we're exhibiting' page. If you can come to see us, we'd be delighted to make your acqaintance.
One last thing - we are well aware that everyone has a different palate, so if you say to us 'there's a bit too much cumin in that for me', or 'that's a bit hot for me', we can and will adjust the recipe just for you.
Ayubowan