Culinary Truth’s Cinnamon

by Capital for the Marginalized Ltd.December, 2010

© reserved

Sri Lanka topographical Map, brown high, green jungle or shrub; showing Matara city, capital of Matara District

Cinnamon Plantation

More Cinnamon cultivation

New leaves on a cinnamon bush

A Traditional Cinnamon Caste Worker and Family

Traditional worker – child labor

Traditional workers peeling cinnamon – need child labor

Traditional worker uses all purpose knife to remove outer bark

Another place - traditional workers removing outer bark

Traditional worker slits inner bark (the cinnamon) unhygienic & unhealthy

Another place – traditional worker peeling off inner bark (permanent ‘V’ observed between toes of older workers)

Traditional drying of inner bark (cinnamon) unhygienic

Traditional workers stuff the cinnamon sticks (semi dried roll with pieces)

Close up of traditional way of stuffing good bark with inferior

Traditional SULFUR Fumigation of rolled cinnamon (closed chamber process continues till all the cinnamon is yellow in color – open air restores original color in about 3 months)

Traditional producers bring their cinnamon to traders in minimum 50 Kg bundles of 48 inch sticks (Trading oligopoly sets a narrow price range at any time)

A Trader weighs his purchase (note uneven bundles, colors)

The long & big bundles inside Trader’s store for export (Sizing and Mixing is done outside Sri Lanka)

EU Food standard Factory in Growing Fields that supplies Culinary Truths Solely

Our modern hygienic worker cuts stick from natural organic cultivated plant

Antiseptic Footbath at entrance to factory

Cinnamon bush branches are hygienically washed at entry to factory

University designed tool and workbenches used when removing outer bark

Well paid and happy factory worker using special tools to remove bark

Women factory workers can beat the bark removed branch prior to peeling inner bark using Prof Weerasinghe’s social innovation award winning mechanical invention

Beaten branch’s inner bark is slit and peeled easily by special tool

Historic FIRST of hygienic healthy factory produced long unstuffed cinnamon peel of still fresh sap-wet inner bark just hours from cutting in field

Close Up of cinnamon Peeling: the key process

Women work in safe circumstances for 8 hour factory day; A far cry from the traditional men only working 16 hours a day in dirt & misery

Cinnamon starts to dry and curl rapidly in our hygienic factory

Cinnamon still fresh are cut to market sizes

Drying is done immediately in the factory

Drying is completed in 6 to 8 hours depending on weather conditionsHygiene and speed mean that Sulfur Fumigation is not needed.

Freshly Dried Culinary Truths Cinnamon – Natural, Healthy, Organic and Hygienic

Produced by Happy Workers; here having a tea break on company time

Natural Healthy Environs + Healthy Work Functions + Factory Wages = HAPPY WORKERS

Some Culinary Truths workers take time off for a visitor’s camera

Factory workers enjoying a tea break

Factory workers are happy to pose for visitors during their tea break

Happy Workers wave goodbye to interested visitor team to their factory

Culinary Truths sells cinnamon in these forms: Sticks, Pieces and Powder

Packaging on estate factory early manufacture by Culinary Truths

Early Packaging Culinary Truths on estate site