What Bio Foods does

Bio Foods (Pvt.) Ltd. is a Sri Lankan processor and B2B exporter of certified organic and fairtrade tea, spices, coconut products, and frozen herbs and fruits. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Kandy, the company sources raw materials from a smallholder network organized under MOPA (Marginalized Organic Producers' Association, 10,050+ farmer families) and SOFA, spanning approximately 24,400 acres across six Sri Lankan provinces. Operations are anchored by multiple processing facilities in key growing regions, including the Avonleahill Organic and Biodynamic Tea Factory in Diyathalawa (Uva High Grown, above 4,500 feet), the Jamesvalley Organic Green Tea Factory in Gampola (the first Sri Lankan factory awarded a three-star Ceylon Quality Certificate in 2009), and the Kingslynn factory producing the patented Heaven Scent tea at 6,000 feet.

The company's core technology base combines biodynamic and organic agriculture with proprietary processing. Bio Foods holds exclusive rights to three Sri Lankan patents on tea processing: Patent No. 11802 (special non-fermented tea processing), Patent No. 13337 (new withering unit), and Patent No. 16466 (special enzyme in-activator for green tea). It also developed EcoPlanet, Sri Lanka's first certified organic fertilizer, formulated using six reintroduced soil microbes on animal-waste substrate from Control Union certified farms; the fertilizer is reported to deliver higher yields than conventional alternatives. The product portfolio includes organic and biodynamic black and green teas (including specialty lines Heaven Scent and Ceylon Cha), organic spices (nutmeg, curry powder), organic coconut products, and the EcoPlanet fertilizer.

Bio Foods sells exclusively through one-time B2B export contracts to international buyers, with no disclosed pricing, subscriptions, or consumer-facing channels. Revenue is governed by a deep certification stack including Demeter, EU Organic, USDA Organic, JAS, Fairtrade/FLO, BioSuisse, Naturland, BRC, ISO 22000, Rainforest Alliance, Kosher, ESR, and BSCI. The company is family-owned, has no disclosed parent or external funding, and has been recognized twice as Best Exporter in the Organic Sector at the Sri Lankan Presidential Export Awards (2019 and 2021); founder and chairman Dr. Sarath Ranaweera received the FLO "World's Fairest Fairtrader Award" in 2014.

Name

Bio Foods

Legal name

Biofoods Pvt Ltd

Website

https://biofoodslk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Bio Foods is a Sri Lankan processor and exporter of certified organic and fairtrade tea, spices, coconut products, and frozen fruits. It sources from 10,050+ smallholder farmers across 24,400 acres and exports globally under Demeter, USDA, EU, and Fairtrade certifications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic Food Production and Export

NAICS

Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531), Pesticide, Fertilizer, and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing (3253), Fats and Oils Refining and Blending (311225)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Fats & Oils (2070), Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organic & Regenerative Fertility Inputs (Manures, Plant/Animal Meals, Fish/Seaweed) (AFABAKAE), Organic & Bio-based Fertilizers (Manure/Compost/Biochar) (IMAEAEAF), Organic Herb, Spice & Medicinal/Aromatic Plant Farming (AFAGAKAE)

Keywords

• Organic tea export
• Fairtrade spices
• Certified coconut products
• Biodynamic agriculture
• Organic fertilizer production

Headquarters

HQ city

Kaduwela

HQ country

Sri Lanka

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Organic Food Export: Export of certified organic and fair trade tea, spices, coconut products, and frozen foods to international markets. The company serves as an exporter of organic agricultural products produced by their network of smallholder farmers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Bio Foods processes and exports certified organic and fairtrade teas (black and green), organic spices (nutmeg, curry powder), coconut products (coconut oil), and frozen foods to international buyers, working through a network of smallholder farmer cooperatives (MOPA, SOFA). The company also manufactures EcoPlanet, Sri Lanka's first certified organic fertilizer, using a proprietary six-microbe formulation reintroduced to animal waste substrate from control union certified farms.

Product overview

Bio Foods is an organic and fairtrade food producer offering a portfolio of certified organic products including tea (black and green varieties), spices, coconut products, and organic fertilizer. The company operates processing facilities in Sri Lanka's highland tea-growing regions and works with farmer organizations MOPA and SOFA. Product lines include specialty teas like Heaven Scent and Ceylon Cha, organic spices, coconut oil, and Eco Planet certified organic fertilizer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organic and Biodynamic Tea Products Organic and biodynamic black and green teas sourced from small farmer groups, including specialty products like Heaven Scent and Ceylon Cha, processed at Bio Foods' factories in Sri Lanka and exported to international wholesale buyers.
• Organic Spice Products Organic spices including nutmeg, curry powder, and other Sri Lankan spices produced by certified organic farmers in Bio Foods' network and exported internationally.
• Organic Coconut Products Organic coconut products including coconut oil produced from certified organic farms in Sri Lanka and exported to international wholesale buyers.
• EcoPlanet Organic Fertilizer

Quantifiable outcome

• EcoPlanet fertilizer delivers higher yields and lower plant mortality compared to conventional agrochemicals, with over 85% of buyers being conventional farmers
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020GIZ is implementing a project on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Fairtrade and German Forum Fairer Handel under the COVID-19 Fair Trade Emergency Initiative. The initiative assists Bio Foods network of smallholder farmers with training and equipment.
• Fairtrade (Germany and International)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership under COVID-19 Fair Trade Emergency Initiative to assist smallholder farmers in fair trade supply chains with training programs and processing equipment upgrades.
• German Forum Fairer Handel (FFH)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partner in COVID-19 Fair Trade Emergency Initiative supporting Bio Foods farmer communities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Rapunzel Naturkost: German organic and fair-trade food company sourcing tea, cocoa and other commodities from smallholder cooperatives for European retail brands. Closely comparable organic/fair-trade sourcing model and certification depth.
• Equal Exchange: US worker cooperative importing certified organic and fair-trade tea, coffee and cocoa from smallholder farmer co-ops for natural-foods retail. Direct overlap on smallholder organic/fair-trade supply chain and US/EU retail distribution.
• James Finlay (Finlays): Global tea and extracts business with significant Sri Lankan black-tea operations supplying B2B blenders and brand-owners worldwide. Comparable B2B export focus on the same Ceylon tea category.
• Cafedirect: UK fair-trade pioneer sourcing tea and coffee from smallholder co-ops for UK grocery and out-of-home channels. Comparable fair-trade smallholder sourcing model and UK/European retail exposure.
• Akbar Brothers: One of Sri Lanka's largest tea exporters with B2B private-label and bulk tea offerings for international markets. Closely comparable business model - Sri Lankan processing, global export to importers.
• Rishi Tea & Botanicals: US specialty importer of organic and fair-trade teas, botanicals and spices sourced from international origins. Overlapping product portfolio (organic loose-leaf tea, spices) and B2B/B2C specialty distribution.
• Watawala Plantations: Sri Lankan vertically integrated tea producer and exporter running plantation estates and processing, with growing sustainability and ESG certification positioning. Comparable geography, product (Ceylon tea) and export channel.
• MJF Group (Dilmah): Sri Lanka's largest single-origin tea brand and exporter, operating B2B and B2C channels globally from the same country and category Bio Foods serves. Direct overlap on Ceylon black/green tea export with international buyers.

Broad incumbents

• Tata Consumer Products (Tetley, Tata Tea): Global mass-market tea brand owner with extensive Sri Lankan and Indian sourcing operations. Broader portfolio than Bio Foods but directly competes for shelf placement and B2B tea contracts in the same commodity and certified-organic price tiers.

Emerging players

• Traditional Medicinals (packer via organic herbs): US herbal-tea company with growing fair-trade and organic sourcing footprint that overlaps with Bio Foods on certified organic botanical sourcing. Comparable product adjacency (herbal/certified botanicals) with B2B retail channel overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/biofoodslk
• Facebookfacebook.com/Biofoofdslk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/about

Compliance14 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bio Foods