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OUR VISION

To be the best environmentally-friendly organic food producer in Asia, and to achieve global customer satisfaction while guaranteeing a sustainable fair trade approach to our primary producers and employees of Bio Foods. 

SUSTAINABILITY

We believe in the combination of organic and fair trade practices as the tool to establish sustainability in all agricultural practices. Rigorously maintained organic standards ensure that our environment is kept fertile for the use by future generations, and 
our fair trade standards ensure that farmers will always have the security of being guaranteed a fair price, so that there is an incentive to keep farming. This enables us to sustainably obtain the produce that is required to cater to the ever-growing demand of our buying partners. 

OUR MISSION

To establish ever higher standards of organic and fair trade production through the team effort of our primary producers and members of the Bio Foods family. 

ABOUT US

Established in 1993, we are a company devoted to sustainable, organic and fair trade way of life. Starting out as a family owned business based in Kandy, this company has grown to be one of the world leaders in biodynamic, organic and fair-trade agriculture. We have always believed in clean, agrochemically uncontaminated produce the way nature makes it. Even our fertilizer is certified organic, so that we can leave behind clean air, water and soil for all living things, present and future. In addition, from its very inception, Bio Foods also ensured fair trade standards to take care of our farmers from fluctuating market prices and middle-man exploitation. This is what makes us leaders in modern sustainable agriculture. Due to his commitment towards this vision and ethical standing, the founder and the chairman of Bio Foods, Dr. Sarath Ranaweera, won the first ever “World’s Fairest Fairtrader Award”, presented by the World Fairtrade Labelling Organization (FLO) in 2014. Now celebrating our 25th anniversary (2018), we are leading exporters of beautiful tea, spices and coconut products, with exciting plans to bring our truly organic way of life to more and more beautiful people.

As a longtime processor and exporter of high quality products, Bio Foods plays a major role in the organic post-harvested food industry in Sri Lanka. While fulfilling the ever-growing needs of the international market, we take all the necessary steps (and responsibility!) to assure the sustainability of all stakeholders of this essential supply chain; from producer to consumer. We provide a guaranteed minimum price at the farm-gate, transparent documentation for assured traceability and rigorously maintain local and international environmental regulations. While we were initially established as an exporter of organic and fair trade teas, Bio Foods soon expanded to be the worlds’ first fairtrade registered processor & exporter for spices. We are now gearing up to introduce a large range of products marketed under our own brand, which was our chairman’s initiative to give back to the people of the land that we harvest our wonderful produce from. These products range from teas, spices, herbs, fruits, vegetables, coconut products, to whole grains, and should soon be accessible to the a discerning international audience as well, because we believe that the #organicway is for everyone, no matter where they are from. We have organised our many certified organic farmers into farmer groups, and we process our harvest in our own processing units, scattered all over Sri Lanka, We also package the final goods, which is why we can take responsibility (and pride!) in the transparency of our entire production line. We currently can export the final products in bulk form or in consumer packing all over the world, from Europe, North America, Japan, Australia and many other developed countries, under many different certifications. The farmer associations founded by Bio Foods have set both local and international standards, with our Marginalized organic Producers Association (MOPA) being awarded “Best Small Organic Farmer Group in Asia” in 2014 by the Fairtrade Labelling Organization (FLO).

Our Awards

OUR AWARDS

Winner at German Sustainability Awards for Best Global Corporate Partnerships (with GLS Bank, Germany) - 2020

Europe's most prestigious award In the field of sustainable development

 

Finalist in Sustainability Food Award -2019
At the fair trade general assembly in Bonn, Germany

 

Presidential Awards - 2018

Discovery of special enzyme in activator for green tea processing – 2nd place in food technology

 

International Pepper Council Award-2017

Excellence in exporter of value added products

 

Sri Lanka Tea Board Awards - 2016

Highest FOB achiever for bulk tea, 2nd place in specialty tea category

 

Presidential Export Excellence Awards - (2015, 2016, 2019, 2020)

The highest value added exporter in organic products sector in Sri Lanka

 

Fairest Fairtrader of the World - 2014 - (Dr. Sarath Ranaweera, Chairman)

At the fair trade general assembly in Bonn, Germany

 

Best Small Farmer Organization in Asia – 2014

Awarded to MOPA by FLO [2014]

 

'Madarata Abhimana’ – Chief Ministerial Award, Central Province, Sri Lanka - 2010

Bronze medal Sri Lankan entrepreneur for the year (central province)

 

Sri Lanka Tea Board - (2007, 2008)

Two star rated for Jamesvalley tea factory (QCQ)

 

Sri Lanka Tea Board - (2006)

Systems certified award for Jamesvalley tea factory (CQC) 

 

Cafedirect – (2001)

Award for successful partnership creating quality fair trade products

 

Ministry of Industries - (1999)

Star awards large scale manufacturing sector

 

NCE Exporters Award - (1999)

National chamber of commerce

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THE FAIREST FAIR TRADER OF THEM ALL 

In 2014, our chairman and founder, Dr. Sarath Ranaweera, received the “Fairest Fair-trader of the World” award at the first ever Fair Trade Awards (organized by FLO) held in Bonn, Germany. Selected from over 80 individuals, this award recognized special efforts or innovations by outstanding individuals within the global fair-trade system. In addition, the Marginalized Organic Producers’ Association (MOPA) that functions under the overall management of Bio Foods (and also founded by the chairman) was recognized as the best small Producer organization of the year 2014 in Asia at the ceremony.

 
So how did he get here? 


By training a mathematician (and notorious sportsman), he was the unfortunate victim of some aggressive food poisoning during his time in university. This prompted him to wonder what actually goes in our food. A consequent switch in field to food technology and statistics (because he couldn’t just shed the numbers!) led him to develop his own tea manufacturing processes. He produced his first batch of tea with a rented factory, rented out a small square space at a trade fair, found a buyer that was so impressed with the quality of his tea that he ordered the everything that could be produced, and that is how Bio Foods got its start. From the outset, he wanted to make sure that farmers were treated fairly, because none of the second generation farmers he met wanted to continue the work of their fathers because their livelihood was so risky. Everything from fluctuating market prices to the weather could compromise their income, so to provide the farmers with some job security, Dr. Ranaweera set a minimum price that was above their cost of production. As such, no matter what the market price was, they could be assured of an income. If the market price were to rise above that threshold, that price was matched, and farmers were 
given a buying guarantee. So right from the beginning, before FLO was even born, Bio Foods was practicing the fair trade and organic way. In fact, Dr. Ranaweera was involved in an advisory capacity when FLO was setting down their fair trade regulations. This is the enduring vision of our visionary founder that we commit ourself to maintaining every day. A steadfastly supportive wife both at work and at home, two wonderful daughters (the oldest of whom is now part of the Bio Foods family), a doctorate in bio statistics and many uphill battles, and over two decades later, he was recognized as the fairest of them all, a Sri Lankan farmer as he calls himself, on an international platform, being called the fairest of them all.

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Dr. Sarath Ranaweera (Ph.D)

Chairman

DR

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