The Spice trade is the cultivation, preparation, transportation and merchandising of spices and herbs – a practice formed in ancient origins steeped in cultural and economic signifiers.

Spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and turmeric (now quite sparse in fact, in Sri Lanka) were important items of trade and commerce in the early origins of the spice trade, with the first recording of cinnamon and cassia in the Middle East noted at least 4,000 years ago.

For as long as travelers and tradesmen recall Southern Arabia had been a trading centre for Arab traders who heavily guarded the true sources of the spices they sold.

In their attempt to safeguard these secrets of the spice – mythical stories were told far and wide of finding spices in lakes guarded by winged animals, and even that cinnamon grew in snake infested valleys.

Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka – became an important part of the spice trade as Arab traders soon starting sailing directly to spice-producing lands. In fact, Arab traders controlled the spice trade between Europe and the East, such as China, Indonesia, India and Ceylon for almost 5,000 years until European traders began looking for new routes to the Far East.

Following in the footsteps of the Arab traders, were the British traders under the French East India Company (1664) under King Louis XIV, with many Other East India companies chartered by European countries to follow thereafter.

Whilst Portugal was eventually overthrown in the 19th Century as the dominant power (after a century) British trading companies soon showcased their vested interest in India and Ceylon, while the Dutch
retained control over the greater part of the East Indies.

Ceylon during this time became known as the island of spices in the Indian ocean abundant with spices rich in flavour, aroma and colour – distinct only to Ceylon. Queue the rise of Ceylon cinnamon, also known as the True Cinnamon, native only to Sri Lanka. For centuries, pure Ceylon cinnamon was considered to be a miracle spice and was highly coveted by merchants, traders and customers.

Today, Spices play an intricate role in Sri Lanka’s traditions, culture and even day-to-day lifestyles.

The Spices and Concentrates sector in Sri Lanka has actually been identified as a priority sector in the National Export Strategy, with the local Government aiming to achieve an export target of $880 million from within this sector by 2022, having Sri Lanka globally recognised as an innovative player in the value-added spice market.