Sri Lanka’s is seeing a growing demand for coffee amid a revival in tourism and efforts are underway to lift skills and improve quality down the value chain as part of efforts to broaden the island’s coffee culture, industry officials said.
Lanka Coffee Association, made up of companies involved in the industry, with Australia-funded Market Development Facility is holding the Sri Lanka Coffee Festival in Galle in June.
Coffee Consumption
Coffee sales in café, are picking up partly helped by the tourist industry.
“A lot of tourists especially in Colombo and down South appreciate a good cup of Sri Lankan coffee and that makes up a lot of the café’s demand,” Country Director for the Market Development Facility, Maryam Piracha, says.
Sri Lanka has approximately 2000 coffee bars.
As part of efforts to lift the industry, competitions will be held around the country to recognize the best baristas, or the people who serve customers in coffee bars.
“We will judge them on flavor and technique and less emphasis will be given to presentation,” Lanka
Coffee Association Chairman, Kushan Samararathne said.
The Barista competitions will be held at Jetwing Hotels in Dambulla, Galle and Colombo. The main Coffee Festival will be held in Galle on 7 June.
