WHAT IS VILLAGE TO HOME?

With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns in 2020, many of the traditional markets of local small and medium entrepreneurs (SMEs) and the agricultural community were lost. Most were unable to get products to market. Realising the challenges faced by small entrepreneurs and farmers in rural and sub-urban Sri Lanka, Cargills launched an initiative named ‘Village to Home’. Our immediate objective was to provide small businesses access to a larger market and to support them compensate for their lost markets. Our larger vision is to develop the country's budding SMEs and to take their products to markets outside Sri Lanka.
We hold monthly stalls outside Cargills Food City premises, where selected SMEs get an opportunity showcase their products to the Cargills customer base. The Company bears all expenses of the event. Through the program, local entrepreneurs get the opportunity to directly sell their products to the market. To date, we have seen an exciting array of traditional products including healthy, nutritious, Ayurveda herbal products, handloom and handicraft, cane and reed craft products, etc.
We collaborate with several government and other organizations to ensure the success of this initiative. The Small Enterprises Development Division (SED) of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, the National Enterprise Development Authority (NEDA) of the Ministry of Industries and Commerce, the Ministry of Cane, Brass, Clay, Furniture, and Rural Industry Promotion, and the Provincial Department of Agriculture (Western Province) have all assisted us in identifying potential SMEs.

WHAT HAVE WE DONE SO FAR?

Providing stalls and opportunities to local SMEs to showcase their products to the Cargills customer base. The Cargills team creates demarcated stalls outside the Food City premises. We provide stalls, water, electricity, and other required infrastructure at no cost to the SME.
As of January 2023, over 150 SMEs have received the opportunity to demonstrate their products.
16 programs of Cargills “Village to Home” have been held to date introducing over 1500 products to the market.
Cargills Bank provides financial assistance to SMEs by providing bank accounts, loan facilities, card facilities, and Lanka QR codes, which are accepted throughout the country.
We also provide training and advice to help them reach their full potential. We assist with packaging, quality assurance, technical understanding, and in obtaining necessary certifications and standards.
SMEs have an opportunity list their products at Cargills Food City outlets as established suppliers.
To promote SME products and increase income for them, Cargills launched the Gondola program which allows greater visibility and exposure at Cargills Food City outlets, for a minimal shelf cost.
We also held an SME training workshop in partnership with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka to improve financial literacy and technical awareness among SMEs. The training program focuses on the fundamentals of financial management and savings, market-oriented labeling, packaging, and provides a complete guide to financial services such as loans, credit cards, the process of creating long-term businesses, and so on.
Another phase of the program is the collaboration with Hela Bojun, which is a Ministry of Agriculture project to introduce healthy breakfast meals. As an initial step towards providing a nutritious breakfast to the public, Cargills will provide the Food City premises to Hela Bojun to set up carts and sell their traditional, healthy, food items, while the Cargills QA team will audit the ongoing project to ensure a high level of quality.

WHAT DO WE GAIN?

The program is another CSR initiative by Cargills, aligned to its mission statement of reducing regional disparities in Sri Lanka and empowering local smallholder farmers and businesses. It is also aligned with the Group’s continuous efforts to provide affordable nutrition to consumers, as most of the products on offer are traditional, healthy, food products. By encouraging small businesses to increase capacity and providing them with the necessary expertise to do so, the Group is also able to further promote its objectives of providing affordable nutrition to customers by increasing local production.

SUCCESS STORIES

The local SMEs who took part in this program are extremely grateful, not only for the additional income they were able to generate but also for the technical expertise they gained by working closely with the Cargills team. There have been many success stories to come out of the Village to Home program with some SMEs getting numerous other opportunities as a result.

Radha Lanka Natural Food Products

Radha Lanka Natural Food Products has a range of healthy food products made with traditional grains. Mediseed is one of the main SKUs which is a local grain-based milk powder substitute.

Chamara Cane products

Chamara is an entrepreneur who produces cane furniture and handicrafts. Through the Cargills Village to Home program, Chamara’s cane products got exposure to many clients, including export opportunities. We are proud to play a small part in Chamara’s efforts to take unique Sri Lankan handicrafts to the world.

GSK Products

GSK Products is a local SME that produces 100% natural herbal medicinal drinks such as Nilkatarodu/Butterfly pea flower drink and the Yakinaran/Atalantia Ceylanica drink, which was introduced by the Cargills Village to Home program. These products are listed in selected Cargills Food City outlets.