Organized by the National Chamber of Exporters
Royal Cashews, a Sri Lanka company empowering local cultivators and victorious in local and overseas markets, won the Best Ethically Trading Exporter 2021 NCE Challenge Trophy – Special Award for the first time at the 29TH National Export Awards Ceremony organized by the National Chamber of Exporters, establishing themselves as the best export organization adhering to ethics and following virtuous and humanitarian practices. Furthermore, Royal Cashews also secured the NCE Exports Gold Award for the Fresh and Processed Agricultural Export Crops Sector, also awarded by the National Chamber of Exporters.
Daily News Supplements spoke with the Managing Director of Royal Cashews Dr. Ruwan Wathugala about these significant achievements.
Excerpts of the discussion:
What are the special achievements of Royal Cashews?
Royal Cashews was awarded the first ever “Best Ethically Trading Exporter of the Year” Special Award at the 29th National Export Awards Ceremony – 2021 organized by the National Chamber of Exporters (NCE) held on 21st January at Shangri-La Hotel confirming the Company as the best export organization adhering to ethics and following virtuous and humanitarian practices. Furthermore, Royal Cashews was successful in winning the NCE Export Gold Award for the “Fresh and Processed Agricultural Export Crops Sector” also awarded by the NCE. NCE, while conferring those two awards, specially felicitated Royal Cashews.
Other than those awards, in the year 2021, Royal Cashews was successful in securing the “Sri Lankan Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 National Gold Award,” the “Sri Lankan Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 Provincial Gold Award,” the “Most Innovative Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 National Winner – Western Province Gold Award” and the “Most Innovative Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 Gold Award” at the NCE Export Awards Ceremony organized by the Sri Lanka National Chamber of Exporters.
Royal Cashews was also successful in securing 26 awards in all including the award for the “Product with Excellent Packaging”, “Most Excellent Eco-friendly Packaging”, the MACO Entrepreneurial Excellence Award, the Lanka Star President’s Gold Award and the ASIASTAR – 2015 Award for eco-friendly areca nut flower sheath (Kolapath) packaging.
What are the reasons for Royal Cashews being awarded a National Export Gold Award?
Our Company being awarded the Gold Award in the National Export Awards Ceremony is a special victory we have achieved as a Sri Lankan cashew processing and export company. As the only cashew processing company in Sri Lanka with all certificates of standardization such as ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management Systems Standard Certification, the ISO 22000:2018 Food Safety Management Systems Standard Certification, HACCP and GMP Certifications, the Company is working painstakingly to add new, high quality cashew products with scientifically enhanced new flavours to the international market.
What is so special in presenting these products?
Sri Lanka is well-known in the world, not only for spices, but also for cashew. It is globally recognized that Sri Lankan cashews are the largest and tastiest cashews in the world. In the year 1999, this Company was launched with the objective of taking Sri Lankan cashes to the international level, on behalf of the local cashew cultivator and the local market. With business, launched with just one person, has, at present, become a group of companies in partnership with three companies. They are, Royal Food Marketing (Pvt) Ltd, Trust Lanka Suppliers (Pvt) Ltd., and Green Way Asia Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. All three companies purchase the cashew harvests of cashew cultivators as whole cashews, turn them into value-added products in our factory and supply to the local and global markets. Turning whole cashew nuts into shelled cashew nuts is not easy. Our factory is placed under necessary technical methodologies conforming to international standards. Furthermore, our products are sent to the market in 19 tastes.
Can you explain how Royal Cashews has conquered local and international markets?
Royal Cashews cashew nut products are exported to several countries of the world such as Malaysia, Japan, America, Switzerland, Britain, New Zealand, Germany, Australia, Austria, The Maldives and Saudi Arabia. Our brand is in great demand in those countries. Royal Cashews, with the largest cashew sales outlet network in the country with 20 showrooms located in foremost places such as One Galle Face, Shangri-La Hotel Colombo, Crescat – Colombo 03, Marino Mall – Colombo 03, Arcade – Independence Square, K-Zone – Ja-Ela and Moratuwa, Kandy City Center – Kandy, World Trade Center – Colombo, Welipenna Service Area – Southern Expressway, Kiribathgoda, Nugegoda, Galle, Borella and Orion City – Colombo, is able to supply hygienically processed cashew products to their local and foreign customers.
What are the special facilities you have introduced for your customers?
Royal Cashews has introduced a Cashew Online Delivery System where cashews could be delivered free of charge to any point in Sri Lanka. Through that, Royal Cashew products in 19 varied flavours could be purchased in 682 varied packaging’s and gift packs with special discounts.
What are the future plans of your company?
Our unending and extremely fair mission to our consumers, cultivators, and the staff of Royal Cashews was thus valued with the Company being bestowed with the “Best Ethically Trading Exporter of the Year” Special Award and the NCE Export Gold Award for the “Fresh and Processed Agricultural Export Crops Sector” at the 29th National Export Awards Ceremony – 2021 organized by the National Chamber of Exporters (NCE) held recently.
In the same way, in the future also, we hope to bring in more foreign revenue into the country by increasing production through going direct to the cultivator and purchasing his cashew harvest. So, the cultivators also can join us and contribute to strengthening his own, as well as the country’s economy. If cultivators wish to contact us direct, the information they require is in our website (www.royalcashew.com) as well as our facebook page.
Important Links