For Sri Lankan cinnamon growers, peelers & small processors

Become a Ceylon Cinnamon Exporter

You peel and dry the cinnamon. We help you grade it to standard, reach real overseas buyers, and handle the export side: compliance, consolidation, shipping and getting paid in foreign currency.

Join the founding cohort → Check your grade first
This is a founding-cohort pilot. We’re opening the Ceylon cinnamon exporter program now and onboarding our first group of producers. Register your interest and we’ll be in touch as the pilot opens. This is an invitation to join early, not an instant signup.

This is the cinnamon track of the broader Sri Lanka spice exporter program (also pepper and cardamom).

Why most smallholders never export: and what we change

Sri Lanka grows the finest cinnamon in the world, but most of it leaves the hands of smallholders and small peelers long before it reaches an overseas buyer. That’s rarely about price alone. Exporting directly means meeting food-safety and SLS 81:2021 quality standards, grading consistently, gathering enough volume to fill an order, finding and trusting a buyer abroad, completing export paperwork, and getting paid in foreign currency. Each step on its own is manageable; together they’re a wall.

That wall, the conversion layer between a good product and a completed export, is exactly what this program is built to carry for you. You keep doing what you do best: producing good cinnamon. We help with the rest, and you stay the producer the whole way through.

The path from grower to exporter

The program is a ladder. You move up at your own pace, using free tools at each step, and we help where it counts.

  • Free · start here

    Register your producer profile

    Create a free profile telling us what you grow or peel, roughly how much, and where you are. No cost, no commitment. It simply puts you on the map for the pilot.

    Register your interest →
  • Self-serve

    Become an organized supplier

    Get a clear picture of where you stand. Work through the export-readiness checklist to see what’s already in place and what’s missing, and use the grade calculator to classify your quills so you know exactly what you’re selling and what it’s roughly worth.

    You do: self-assess readiness · measure and classify your grade
    Export readiness checklistCinnamon grade calculatorHarvest calendar
  • We help

    Reach export-ready

    This is where we step in. We help you get a sample reviewed for grade and quality, and walk you through the compliance basics, the documents, drying and food-safety practices a buyer will expect. We coordinate the testing and certification with accredited labs; we don’t issue certificates ourselves.

    We help with: sample quality review · compliance setup · arranging testing & certification
    Trade complianceCertifications & standardsExport documents
  • Export

    Ship to a real buyer

    When an overseas buyer’s requirement matches your grade and volume, we bring it to you. Where one producer can’t fill an order alone, we consolidate with other producers in the cohort, coordinate certification and shipping out of Colombo, and you’re paid in foreign currency on agreed terms. You see the price and terms before you commit to anything.

    We coordinate: buyer matching · consolidation · certification & shipping · USD payment
    See live buyer requirements

Who does what

You, the producerUs (SriLankaExport / Harker International)
Grow, peel and dry your cinnamon to a consistent grade and moistureHelp you classify the grade and reach the moisture and quality a buyer expects
Keep honest records of what you have and can supplyMatch you to real overseas buyer requirements already in our network
Meet the food-safety and drying practices we walk you throughCoordinate sample QC, arrange lab testing and certification, prepare export documents
Agree the price and terms before each orderConsolidate volume, arrange shipping from Colombo, and settle payment to you in foreign currency

How it works commercially: in plain terms

It is free to join and free to use the tools. There is no fee to register and no charge for the checklist, grade calculator or guidance. On a completed export order, we earn a transparent margin or commission for carrying the export side, and you always see the price and your share before you agree to anything. You remain the producer and the owner of your goods until an order is agreed; we act as your export partner, not a buyer taking your stock off you at the farm gate.

We’re honest about stage: this is a founding-cohort pilot, so the program is opening rather than running at scale. Early producers help us prove the path end-to-end, and get first access to the buyers we match.

Free tools to start today

You don’t need to wait to begin. These are free and need no account:

Cinnamon grade calculator Export readiness checklist Product grades guide Ceylon commodity prices HS code finder Harvest calendar

Join the founding cinnamon cohort

Register your interest and tell us what you produce. We’ll be in touch as the pilot opens to begin working with our first producers.

Register your interest →

Have questions first? Talk to our Trade Desk.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to be a registered exporter to join?

No. The program is built for growers, peelers and small processors who are not exporting yet. EDB exporter registration is voluntary in Sri Lanka, and we’ll walk you through the registrations and documents that actually matter for your situation as you move up the ladder.

How much cinnamon do I need to take part?

There’s no fixed minimum to register or to use the tools. Export orders do have volumes, but a big part of what we do is consolidate several producers’ cinnamon to fill an order, so you don’t have to fill a container on your own. Tell us what you can realistically supply and how often.

What does it cost?

Joining and the tools are free. On a completed export order we earn a transparent margin or commission for handling the export side, and you see the price and your share before you agree. You’re never charged to register or to get guidance.

Do you buy my cinnamon directly?

Usually we act as your export partner: you remain the owner of your goods, we match you to a buyer and coordinate the export, and you’re paid on agreed terms. For our own premium branded Ceylon cinnamon line we may buy directly, but either way, nothing happens without an agreed price you’ve seen first.

What grade does my cinnamon need to be?

There’s a buyer for most grades, from fine Alba to coarser Hamburg, the grade sets the price, not whether you can sell. Use the grade calculator to classify your quills, then we match you to buyers looking for that grade and help you grade up over time.

When does the pilot start?

We’re onboarding the first producers now. Register your interest and we’ll contact you as we open the pilot in your area: the cinnamon belt around Galle, Matara, Ratnapura and Kalutara first.