Managing Director Manjula Janaki receiving the award

Sakura Products & Exports, one of Sri Lanka’s leading companies in the field of sesame seed and allied confectionery, bagged the Gold Award at the 2022 National Business Excellence Awards (NBE) organized by the National Chamber of Commerce (NCE). 

The leading manufacturer of refined sesame rice won the award in the small-scale category in the food and beverage and allied products category 
Managing Director Manjula Janaki and Gamini Jayasinghe received the award at the event under the patronage of the French Ambassador to Sri Lanka Eric Lavertu.

The company which started off as Sakura Productions in 2007 with an initial investment of Rs. 500 eventually managed to conquer the market with the increase of their sesame-based products. 

The business operates from rural area such as Pitakanda in the Kolonna Divisional Secretariat Division in the Ratnapura Districtand is an example of Sri Lankan excellence. 

Many luxury hotels and bakeries in Sri Lanka use Sakura Sesame products due to their high quality and the fact that they were produced without the use of any chemicals. Sakura Products & Exports, which supports local agriculture, has created a direct market for a large number of local sesame farmers. “I am immensely proud and happy that we are able to successfully carry on this business even from a rural village which is 38 kilometers away from the Embilipitiya main town. 

We still do not have the three-phase electricity required to operate the machines properly. However, we challenge the challenges and emerge victorious while also bringing in foreign exchange to the country by exporting sesame products,” said Janaki commenting on the win.

She went on to would express her gratitude to the staff and our farmers who contributed to 
the achievement.