2020-04-23
Sri Lanka, the celebrated Spice Island, is the proud country of origin of some of the world's highest-quality spices and is among the top spice exporting countries in the world.
To protect the integrity of Sri Lankan spice exports and provide a convenient mean of identification for spices made in Sri Lanka the Sri Lanka Export Development Board has acquired and developed the ‘Ceylon Spices’ brand and geographic indication for five types of spices exported from Sri Lanka, which acts as a proof quality and flavour that is unique to the terroir of Sri Lanka.
The brand ‘Ceylon Spices’ within its brand umbrella holds the branding for five main spice exports from Sri Lanka namely;
under the tagline ‘Born in Sri Lanka’
The unique branding seeks to emphasise the key USPs in relation to spices made in Sri Lanka including the
To establish a secure market foothold, Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB Sri Lanka) with the guidance of value chain experts in France and the UK undertook an 18-month project to research the intricacies of the current and future market trends and segmented the key findings of the competitor markets by the factors of volume and value market share.
Sri Lanka is one of the strongest performing suppliers in the Latin American Regions especially Mexico where it has achieved a concrete grasp over the market with a staggering 84% volume share and 94% value share establishing its position as the third-largest exporter by volume with a 4.4% share and the highest global value share at 15%.
One of the rising threats to Sri Lanka's position in the true Cinnamon market originates from Madagascar, one of the few other countries capable of growing True Cinnamon. Madagascar currently possesses a market reach that has penetrated European regions such as the Netherlands, Germany, France and Spain and has attained a 2% volume share globally against Sri Lanka's 9%.
Under the new branding, the immediate goals for the Sri Lankan spice exporters are to increase the production and export volume share to meet the future global market demands. This strategy would enable Sri Lanka to consolidate and grow its share in Mexico and Peru, both traditional markets that have recently seen encroachment by Madagascar, while also refocusing and diversifying into new markets like the USA, UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain where Sri Lanka’s share is significantly smaller.
The national branding strategy was undertaken to push the country's image forward and entice potential trade partners and companies to establish an export partnership with the 'Born in Sri Lanka' brand to convey the unique quality and integrity of Sri Lankan products.
The key-value message conveyed by the brand 'Born in Sri Lanka' include
As a channel of communication, ‘Born in Sri Lanka' speaks to consumers about key values that are present in the Sri Lankan spirit. The unique symbolism behind it allows Sri Lanka to distinguish itself from its competitors with an identity that cannot be imitated.
