Who starts which
If you are abroad with a network and no money
You are the customer, the quality inspector and the distributor for clusters 3, 5, 6, 10, 11 and 18, and for everything in Sri Lanka House. The single most valuable thing a Sri Lankan in Melbourne or Zurich can do for a producer at home is to be the first order and the first honest review. That is the keep-the-customer rule with the customer on the other side of the world. Cluster 17 is yours too: your parents are the customer.
Your clusters
3
Souvenirs that are actually from here
The Zermatt water bottle. Sigiriya has not got a stone with its own name on it.
25 ideas, 46 to 70
5
Wellness, which we are famous for and barely sell
Ayurveda is a system of medicine the world already recognises and seeks out. The demand is there; what Sri Lanka needs...
20 ideas, 101 to 120
6
Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
Dilmah says it earns over 3 times the national average price for tea, because it does its own blending, branding and...
30 ideas, 121 to 150
10
Tea, beyond the auction
The Colombo auction sells tea by the lot to a buyer who blends it under his own name. Every step after the auction is...
20 ideas, 201 to 220
11
Cinnamon and the spice garden
The imitation out-earns the original. Vietnam earns more from cassia than Sri Lanka does from true cinnamon, because...
15 ideas, 221 to 235
17
Health, care and the parents of Sri Lankans abroad
Sri Lankans abroad have parents at home whom they cannot look after from Melbourne. They will pay, and the money stays.
20 ideas, 341 to 360
18
Sri Lankans abroad, both directions
1.5 million people abroad who know how rich countries work, and who send home money and little else.
20 ideas, 361 to 380150 ideas
- 46Carved stone miniatures of heritage sitesCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 47Salt and pepper sets in the shape of the rockCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 48Fresco print reproductions, properly licensedCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 49Coconut shell and husk craft: bowls, spoons, lamps, jewellery, buttonsCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 50Handmade paper and stationeryCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 51Limited-edition scarves using site artworkCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 52Custom wood carvings of the Lion Paw and other motifsCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 53Clay: terracotta homeware, cooking pots and lamps, thrown in front of the buyerCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 54Handmade leather goodsCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 55Candles, incense and resin products in local wax and fragrance, made in view of the customerCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 56Eco-friendly fashion in organic cottonCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 57Children's toys in wood and clothCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 58Antique and reproduction map shopsCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 59Key rings, magnets and small items: done well, not importedCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 60Luxury spice boxes: cinnamon, cardamom, pepper, vanillaCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 61Premium tea packaging and gift tins, sold anywhere, not only in KandyCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 62A licensed Sigiriya mark, so that every bottle, tin and cap sold at the rock carries itCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 63Graphite pencils and artists' sets made from Sri Lankan vein graphite, the purest on earthCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 64Natural stones: a small Ceylon sapphire, garnet or moonstone in a sealed card with its laboratory report, at a price a tourist will payCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 65Handloom sarongs and shirts in the heritage colours of each districtCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 66Elephant-dung paper, which exists, branded properly and sold at every park gateCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 67The tea-factory tin: a small quantity from the estate you visited, with the date you were thereCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 68Postcards and prints by living Sri Lankan artists, sold with the artist's name and storyCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 69Batik in contemporary design, not only the tourist paletteCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 70A children's picture book of Sigiriya, Kandy or Galle in five languages, sold at the siteCluster 3: Souvenirs that are actually from here
- 101Ayurvedic treatment centres to international standardCluster 5: Wellness, which we are famous for and barely sell
- 102Jungle meditation retreatsCluster 5: Wellness, which we are famous for and barely sell
- 103Yoga and pilates retreatsCluster 5: Wellness, which we are famous for and barely sell
- 104Hot stone therapy using local graniteCluster 5: Wellness, which we are famous for and barely sell
- 105Herbal bath and body product linesCluster 5: Wellness, which we are famous for and barely sell
- 106Traditional hair oil production, branded and exportedCluster 5: Wellness, which we are famous for and barely sell
- 107Aromatherapy workshops and product rangesCluster 5: Wellness, which we are famous for and barely sell
- 108Sound healing and traditional therapy sessionsCluster 5: Wellness, which we are famous for and barely sell
- 109Wellness packages combining treatment, food and accommodationCluster 5: Wellness, which we are famous for and barely sell
- 110A Sri Lankan Ayurveda brand with clinical trials behind three products, not three hundredCluster 5: Wellness, which we are famous for and barely sell
- 111Post-surgery and post-cancer recuperation stays, with a doctor on call and the sea outsideCluster 5: Wellness, which we are famous for and barely sell
- 112Executive burnout retreats sold to companies in London and Singapore as a packageCluster 5: Wellness, which we are famous for and barely sell
- 113Ayurvedic cookery schools, since the food is the half of the treatment nobody exportsCluster 5: Wellness, which we are famous for and barely sell
- 114Herbal-garden nurseries selling certified medicinal plants to the treatment centresCluster 5: Wellness, which we are famous for and barely sell
- 115Physiotherapy and rehabilitation clinics at international prices, for Sri Lankans abroad and the visitorCluster 5: Wellness, which we are famous for and barely sell
- 116Dental tourism packages, which already exist quietly and could be sold openlyCluster 5: Wellness, which we are famous for and barely sell
- 117Fertility and maternity retreats, with the standard published and inspectedCluster 5: Wellness, which we are famous for and barely sell
- 118Elder wellness months for the retired parents of Sri Lankans abroad, with medical cover and family visits built inCluster 5: Wellness, which we are famous for and barely sell
- 119A registry of trained Ayurvedic practitioners with published qualifications, so the visitor can checkCluster 5: Wellness, which we are famous for and barely sell
- 120Spa-product manufacturing to European cosmetic regulations, so a Colombo brand can sit in a Zurich pharmacyCluster 5: Wellness, which we are famous for and barely sell
- 121Organic farm-to-table restaurants using genuinely local produceCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 122Single-origin chocolate using Sri Lankan spicesCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 123Ceylon coffee roasteriesCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 124Herbal tea ranges: cinnamon, lemongrass, gingerCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 125Coconut-based dessert cafés and product linesCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 126King coconut water, bottled and branded for exportCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 127Premium chilli sauces, chutneys and preservesCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 128Fusion pop-ups and supper clubsCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 129Luxury picnic catering at heritage sitesCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 130Spice oils and extracts rather than raw spiceCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 131Value-added cinnamon: ground, capsuled, oil, branded consumer packsCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 132Jaffna crab and cuttlefish curry as a chilled export dish for the Sri Lankan shops abroadCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 133Freeze-dried tropical fruit, mangosteen, rambutan, mango and pineapple, as snacks for European and Gulf supermarketsCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 134Hoppers and string-hopper mixes that work in a foreign kitchenCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 135Kithul treacle and jaggery as a named origin sweetener, the way maple syrup is Canadian, with a range of recipes and ready products that use it in place of white sugar, each tested for its glycaemic index so the label can say what it doesCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 136Ceylon arrack as a premium spirit with a distillery tour, the way whisky is sold in ScotlandCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 137Craft beer and cider from local fruit for the tourist townsCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 138Wood-apple, soursop and passion-fruit juices and sorbets for exportCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 139A fine-dining Sri Lankan restaurant in London or New York aiming for a Michelin star, the flagship that makes the whole cuisine premiumCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 140Curry-leaf, pandan and gotukola as frozen and dried herbs for European retailCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 141A Sri Lankan rice brand: red rice, suwandel and the heritage varieties, in retail packs abroadCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 142Ready meals for Sri Lankans abroad, cooked in Sri Lanka, frozen and shipped in bulkCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 143A cookbook and video series in English that becomes the standard reference, with the products linkedCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 144Vanilla, since it grows here, cured and graded to the Madagascar standardCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 145Pepper as a single-estate product with the estate's name on the jarCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 146Cocoa from the wet zone processed into bean-to-bar chocolate on the islandCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 147Jackfruit as a meat substitute for the vegan markets of Europe, canned and frozenCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 148Sea salt from the Puttalam and Hambantota pans, flaked and brandedCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 149Buffalo curd and treacle sold as a chilled dessert in the Gulf supermarketsCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 150A Sri Lankan food hall in one European city, run as a showcase and a wholesaler at onceCluster 6: Food and drink as export, not just hospitality
- 201Single-estate teas sold direct to consumers abroad by subscription, with the estate's storyCluster 10: Tea, beyond the auction
- 202A tea sommelier course in Nuwara Eliya, certified, for the hotel trade of the worldCluster 10: Tea, beyond the auction
- 203Tea tasting rooms in Kandy, Ella and Colombo run like wine barsCluster 10: Tea, beyond the auction
- 204Cold-brew and sparkling Ceylon tea in cans for the Gulf and AsiaCluster 10: Tea, beyond the auction
- 205Matcha-style ground green tea from the upcountry, for cafésCluster 10: Tea, beyond the auction
- 206Tea cosmetics: creams and serums with a named estate's extractCluster 10: Tea, beyond the auction
- 207A picking-and-processing day at a factory sold as an experience, with your own kilo at the endCluster 10: Tea, beyond the auction
- 208Tea-flavoured chocolates, ice creams and liqueurs made here rather than in EuropeCluster 10: Tea, beyond the auction
- 209The estate-workers' co-operative brand, where the pickers own the pack, sold to buyers who care who picked itCluster 10: Tea, beyond the auction
- 210Smallholder tea from the low country as a named origin, the way coffee has named regionsCluster 10: Tea, beyond the auction
- 211Blending workshops for Sri Lankans abroad in their own kitchens: a kit, a video, three estates in a boxCluster 10: Tea, beyond the auction
- 212Tea-bag manufacturing with compostable bags, since most of the world's are plasticCluster 10: Tea, beyond the auction
- 213A Ceylon tea museum with a shop that sells every estate, not one company'sCluster 10: Tea, beyond the auction
- 214Iced-tea concentrate for restaurants, made here, branded hereCluster 10: Tea, beyond the auction
- 215Tea-estate trail running and cycling events, with the estates as the courseCluster 10: Tea, beyond the auction
- 216Kombucha from Ceylon black tea, which the health shops of Europe already sell at ten times the tea's priceCluster 10: Tea, beyond the auction
- 217Tea leaf fertiliser and compost sold to the upcountry vegetable growersCluster 10: Tea, beyond the auction
- 218Tea-house franchising abroad: one format, Sri Lankan-owned, in the cities where Sri Lankans abroad liveCluster 10: Tea, beyond the auction
- 219Rare and aged Ceylon teas, sold at auction to collectors the way Pu-erh isCluster 10: Tea, beyond the auction
- 220A tea-quality laboratory certifying estate origin, so that "Ceylon" on a packet in Hamburg can be checkedCluster 10: Tea, beyond the auction
- 221Cinnamon quills in retail packs with the grade printed, since almost no consumer knows the grades existCluster 11: Cinnamon and the spice garden
- 222Cinnamon sticks as a branded gift, tied and boxed, sold at every airport in the world where we have a shopCluster 11: Cinnamon and the spice garden
- 223Cinnamon-leaf and bark oils bottled for the aromatherapy trade under a Sri Lankan nameCluster 11: Cinnamon and the spice garden
- 224Cinnamon-infused honey, sugar and salt as a rangeCluster 11: Cinnamon and the spice garden
- 225A "true cinnamon" education campaign run by producers, aimed at bakers and chefs abroadCluster 11: Cinnamon and the spice garden
- 226Cinnamon farm stays in the south-west, where the peeling is the showCluster 11: Cinnamon and the spice garden
- 227Peeler training schools, since the skill is disappearing and it is the whole valueCluster 11: Cinnamon and the spice garden
- 228Cardamom, cloves and nutmeg from the Kandy hills as single-origin retail productsCluster 11: Cinnamon and the spice garden
- 229A spice-trail tourism route from Galle to Matale with tastings, mapped and marketed as one productCluster 11: Cinnamon and the spice garden
- 230Curry-powder blends roasted and ground here, with the district recipe named on the tinCluster 11: Cinnamon and the spice garden
- 231Spice subscriptions for home cooks abroad: a different district each monthCluster 11: Cinnamon and the spice garden
- 232Turmeric from Sri Lanka tested and labelled for curcumin content, which is what the health market pays forCluster 11: Cinnamon and the spice garden
- 233Pepper vines on every coconut estate as a second crop, with a buyer contracted in advanceCluster 11: Cinnamon and the spice garden
- 234A cinnamon exchange: published daily prices by grade, so the smallholder knows what his bale is worthCluster 11: Cinnamon and the spice garden
- 235Cinnamon by-products, the chips and the featherings, into oil and powder instead of wasteCluster 11: Cinnamon and the spice garden
- 341Home-care agencies with trained, vetted carers, booked and paid from abroadCluster 17: Health, care and the parents of Sri Lankans abroad
- 342Assisted-living homes for the parents of Sri Lankans abroad, with the standard published and inspectedCluster 17: Health, care and the parents of Sri Lankans abroad
- 343A daily check-in service: a nurse's visit, a photograph, a message to the child abroadCluster 17: Health, care and the parents of Sri Lankans abroad
- 344Medical escort services: a nurse takes the parent to the appointment and reports backCluster 17: Health, care and the parents of Sri Lankans abroad
- 345Pharmacy delivery with the prescription managed and the refills trackedCluster 17: Health, care and the parents of Sri Lankans abroad
- 346Dementia day-care centres, which hardly exist yet and are needed everywhereCluster 17: Health, care and the parents of Sri Lankans abroad
- 347Physiotherapy at home for the elderly, subscription-pricedCluster 17: Health, care and the parents of Sri Lankans abroad
- 348A hospital directory for families, publishedCluster 17: Health, care and the parents of Sri Lankans abroad
- 349Health-insurance products for parents at home, bought by children abroadCluster 17: Health, care and the parents of Sri Lankans abroad
- 350Nurse training to the international standard with a bond to work 2 years in Sri Lankan hospitals firstCluster 17: Health, care and the parents of Sri Lankans abroad
- 351Medical tourism packages for cataract, hip and knee, with the surgeon's record publishedCluster 17: Health, care and the parents of Sri Lankans abroad
- 352Ambulance and emergency-response subscriptions for the districtsCluster 17: Health, care and the parents of Sri Lankans abroad
- 353Mental-health counselling by video in Sinhala and Tamil, for the island and for Sri Lankans abroadCluster 17: Health, care and the parents of Sri Lankans abroad
- 354Care-worker training for the Japanese and British markets, with the credential recognised on returnCluster 17: Health, care and the parents of Sri Lankans abroad
- 355A funeral and estate service for Sri Lankans abroad, who cannot fly home in timeCluster 17: Health, care and the parents of Sri Lankans abroad
- 356Care at home at the end of life, with a doctor and a nurse, which most families do aloneCluster 17: Health, care and the parents of Sri Lankans abroad
- 357Diabetes and hypertension management clinics, since these are the diseases the island hasCluster 17: Health, care and the parents of Sri Lankans abroad
- 358Dental clinics to the international standard, priced for both the visitor and the localCluster 17: Health, care and the parents of Sri Lankans abroad
- 359Eye clinics in the districtsCluster 17: Health, care and the parents of Sri Lankans abroad
- 360Fitness and rehabilitation centres for the over-sixties, which nobody has builtCluster 17: Health, care and the parents of Sri Lankans abroad
- 361A directory of Sri Lankans abroad: who does what, where, and what they will help with, verifiedCluster 18: Sri Lankans abroad, both directions
- 362Return-relocation services: the school, the house, the car, the tax, in one packageCluster 18: Sri Lankans abroad, both directions
- 363Sri Lanka House in London, Melbourne and Toronto: a shop, a café and a desk, the Colombo model abroadCluster 18: Sri Lankans abroad, both directions
- 364Money-transfer products that buy a specific thing at home, a course, a machine, a roof, rather than cashCluster 18: Sri Lankans abroad, both directions
- 365Investment clubs of Sri Lankans abroad that own one business each at home, with a manager on the groundCluster 18: Sri Lankans abroad, both directions
- 366Import agencies in each city with a Sri Lankan community, stocking Sri Lankan brands and nothing elseCluster 18: Sri Lankans abroad, both directions
- 367A returning-professional registry that hospitals, universities and firms at home can searchCluster 18: Sri Lankans abroad, both directions
- 368Summer schools at home for the teenagers of Sri Lankans abroad: the language, the history, the grandparentsCluster 18: Sri Lankans abroad, both directions
- 369Property management for the houses Sri Lankans abroad own at home, with a monthly report and photographsCluster 18: Sri Lankans abroad, both directions
- 370Wedding services for Sri Lankans abroad who want to marry at home: everything from the visa letter to the drummersCluster 18: Sri Lankans abroad, both directions
- 371Mentoring from abroad for the appendix: one professional abroad paired with one business at homeCluster 18: Sri Lankans abroad, both directions
- 372Sri Lankan restaurants abroad supplied direct from a Sri Lankan wholesalerCluster 18: Sri Lankans abroad, both directions
- 373A book club and speaker series abroad that puts Sri Lankan authors and founders in front of Sri Lankans overseasCluster 18: Sri Lankans abroad, both directions
- 374Second-generation internships at home, six weeks, arranged with firms that want the connectionCluster 18: Sri Lankans abroad, both directions
- 375Citizenship, visa and dual-nationality advisory services that are honest about the rulesCluster 18: Sri Lankans abroad, both directions
- 376Rotations for Sri Lankan doctors abroad: a month a year at a Sri Lankan hospital, arranged and housedCluster 18: Sri Lankans abroad, both directions
- 377Translation and interpreting businesses serving Sri Lankans abroad in their dealings with the state at homeCluster 18: Sri Lankans abroad, both directions
- 378A bank branch or credit union owned by Sri Lankans abroad that lends to the appendixCluster 18: Sri Lankans abroad, both directions
- 379Tamil and Sinhala Saturday schools abroad, franchised, with a curriculum that a child can passCluster 18: Sri Lankans abroad, both directions
- 380Retirement-at-home services for Sri Lankans abroad who want to come back at sixty and do not know howCluster 18: Sri Lankans abroad, both directions