BIO FOODS (Pvt) LTD, SRI LANKA

Bio Foods (Pvt) Ltd. is a devoted Organic & Fair Trade Company established in 1993 and the head office is established in Kandy, Sri Lanka, the central hills part of the island. We are a processor & exporter of close to 200 organic and fair trade products ranging from green teas, black teas, spices, herbs, coconut products, traditional rice to other post-harvest food items.

Our vision is to be the best environmental friendly organic food producer in South Asia to achieve global customer satisfaction guaranteeing a sustainable fair trade approach for our primary producers and the employees of Bio Foods. We plan to achieve our mission through establishing higher overall standards of organic and Fair Trade production through team effort of our primary producers and Bio Foods members.

We export our products to more than 30 countries including Europe, North America, Japan, Australia in the forms of bulk and consumer packs under certifications like FLO, Organic, USDA NOP, JAS, Bio Suisse, EU, Demeter and Naturland. The company plants are certified and awarded ISO 22000:2005 for food safety management and we are a member of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM). We use Jameslea to promote our own brands while packing is done under many other renowned private labels.

We process all the products in our own processing facilities. Tea is manufactured at James Valley Organic Tea Factory and Avonlea Hill Organic Tea Factory situated in the world famous Uva High Grown tea region. Well equipped three processing units are established to process organic spices,herbs and other products. Our latest strength is the upgraded processing facility for Canned Coconut Milk, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and Low Fat Desiccated Coconut which meet international standards in process technology & food safety. Many patented technologies are successfully applied in our food processing facilities and qualified & Experienced professionals work as a team which comes close 600 number of persons.

Parallel to our beginning in 1993 we initiated producer groups within central region and expanded to other regions with time providing our extension services to establish small farmer groups from which our raw materials are sourced through. Theses producer groups are organized under Small Organic Farmers Association (SOFA) and Marginalized Organic Producers Association (MOPA), both certified as Organic & Fair Trade entities, subject to strict internal control systems. Accordingly these small producer organizations receive the Fair Trade premium for their social & economic development activities directly from the overseas consumers. Additionally Bio Foods Pvt Ltd maintain a Development Fund with a contribution of 0.5% from all the produce sold for upbringing the living standards of the small producers & employees and to give them better trading conditions, which promotes higher social, economical & environmental standards and sustainability.

Maintaining clear book-keeping systems at all levels of producers, processing facilities and export administration has been a primary objective in organic management that provides traceability and transparency in our projects. All internal control affairs are monitored by the Internal Control Unit of Bio Foods to make sure products are purchased strictly from certified farmer groups. Raw materials are processed at our facilities under the supervision of Quality Control Department of Bio Foods. Processed samples are checked frequently at our laboratory and samples are sent to external laboratories for higher precision.

We are the world's 1st Fair Trade registered processor and exporter of organic spices. Bio Foods (Pvt) Ltd. and SOFA has become a sustainable model in Sri Lanka. This project shows clear impact of Fair Trade activities on socio-economic development of small organic producers in the South.