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Elephant House helps vanilla industry, growers

As pioneers in the local ice cream industry, Elephant House Ice Cream attributes its legendary heritage to the highest taste and quality standards derived from its unique recipe perfected over the years.

In keeping with the global trend of single flavour vanilla ice cream being the preferred choice over any other flavour, Sri Lanka’s ice cream industry also indicates that vanilla represents the largest share of the local market.

The fact that over 6.5 million Elephant House Vanilla ice cream servings are enjoyed in Sri Lanka every month is proof of its success and undeniable preference, and reinforces its unchallenged status up to now.

It was this enviable position, complimented by its long-term and perceptive vision that inspired Elephant House Ice Cream in 2002 to partner the Kandy Vanilla Growers’ Association (KVGA), with the intention of nurturing Sri Lanka’s local vanilla industry and promoting it to the world.

Today, more than eight years later, it is very much a thriving industry.

The project to extract essence from processed home-grown vanilla beans was first initiated at a Elephant House Ice Cream factory in Ranala, Kaduwela in 2002. The profitable cultivation of vanilla is focused in the Central Province of Matale, Kandy, Kurunegala, Kegalle and Nuwara Eliya, with an annual yield of approximately 5000 kilos of vanilla beans.

More than 2,500 farmers, as well as both the young and old, especially women, have been empowered by this burgeoning industry, and have managed to improve the quality of their lives through a healthy and steady monthly income.

According to President Consumer Foods Group of JKH, Jit Gunaratne, the benefits of this project are manifold. “Since we initiated the Vanilla Industry project, we buy locally produced and processed beans to extract vanilla essence and therefore do not need to import. Hence, there is a considerable saving on foreign exchange with more employment opportunities for the farmers”.

Commenting on Elephant House Ice Cream’s leadership and support, President of the Kandy Vanilla Growers’ Association Muthubandara Madugalla said that it was encouraging to see how Elephant House Ice Cream was actively involved in uplifting and developing the local vanilla industry, and to know that it was using locally grown produce in its ice creams.

“The fact that Elephant House Ice Cream has taken its product to the world is also an endorsement of the quality of our locally grown vanilla beans”, he stated.

Elephant House Ice Cream is confident that its market leadership status and unwavering consumer loyalty is mainly due to the unique taste of its vanilla ice cream, and is proud to be the only manufacturer to use locally produced vanilla essence.

With consumer interest in organic, natural and healthy products on the increase, vanilla’s pure image is likely to benefit, and with it, Sri Lanka’s home-grown Vanilla industry is bound to flourish even more.

The Vanilla Project is not the company’s only commitment to excellence. Clinching more quality awards in the Sri Lankan food manufacturing sector in 2009, Elephant House Ice Cream took top honours at the prestigious Ceylon National Chamber of Industries (CNCI) Awards by winning the National Gold (Joint) Award in the Extra Large Category (Manufacturing Sector).

It also won a Certificate of Commendation - Manufacturing Sector (Large Scale) at the Provincial Productivity Awards conducted by the National Productivity Secretariat.

These awards are an accolade to Elephant House Ice Cream’s commitment to quality, productivity, employer / employee relationships, adherence to statutory requirements, respect for the environment, and effective contribution to national development.

“As the market leader in the ice cream industry, we’re no doubt proud of our achievements. These awards not only strengthen our commitment to quality, but also strengthen our resolve to innovate and to give our customers the best deal always”, said Jit Gunaratne at a recent press conference. With innovation at heart, Elephant House Ice Cream recently launched its newest product, the Winter Slice. In the form of a traditional Christmas Yule Log, the Winter Slice is made up of Sri Lanka’s classic favourite Vanilla ice cream, with a Chocolate ice cream centre covered with a thick and rich chocolate coating that’s topped with roasted cashew nuts.

“The Winter Slice was an inspiration created to help people celebrate the festive season with a traditional Yule Log. All the firm favourites of both the young and old were combined into an irresistible temptation, and according to sales figures, proved to be a very popular choice throughout the season”, Frozen Confectionary Head, Neil Samarasinghe said.

Its trusted heritage, commitment to quality and innovative product range centered on consumer preferences has always been and will continue to be the pillars of Elephant House Ice Cream unquestionable success.

Odel to open:

ODEL’s most recently opened stores at Moratuwa and Mt. Lavinia.

Panadura outlet

ODEL will launch its 2010 expansion plan with an imposing new store at Panadura this month, taking its unique department store experience to residents of this coastal municipality.

Located at Jayathilake Mawatha, Panadura, ODEL’s 11th store in Sri Lanka extends to more than 11,270 square feet on three floors, making it the largest of the new outlets opened by the chain in recent months.

It will accommodate the main departments that make up the ODEL experience, including ‘Mens,’ ‘Ladies,’ ‘Kids,’ ‘Backstage,’ ‘Delight,’ and food outlets managed by tenant vendors.

“We are confident that Panadura would be an excellent beginning to the new year, in which we hope to accelerate our expansion,” said Founder and CEO of ODEL Otara Guneardene.

“Panadura is an affluent and quality-conscious community that would be pleased to have its own ODEL store.”

Gunewardene said ODEL plans to open several new stores in 2010 to better serve the large numbers of loyal customers who travel to shop at its outlets in Colombo.

HSBC appoints Anita Fung as Global Banking Head

HSBC has appointed Anita Fung as Head of Global Banking and Markets, Asia-Pacific, with immediate effect. In her new role, Fung will be responsible for Global Banking and Markets and also Global Asset Management across the region.

Fung will report locally to the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Chief Executive Peter Wong and functionally to Robin Phillips and Samir Assaf for Global Banking and Markets, as well as John Flint for Global Asset Management.

Wong said: “Asia-Pacific is a key focus of our emerging markets-led and financing-focused strategy and an important driver of growth for Global Banking and Markets.

“Anita has further strengthened our Asian franchise by successfully integrating global products onto the regional platform, enabling us to build market share, deliver more solutions to our clients and enhance our leadership position in Asia.”

Pan Asia Bank opens Chilaw branch

Pan Asia Bank opened its 36th branch in Chilaw on January 20 at No 15, Bazaar Street, Chilaw.

Pan Asia Bank Chairman A.G. Weerasinghe speaking on the occasion mentioned the three important things associated with Chilaw, the famous Munneswaram Kovil which attracts tourists, the fisheries industry and the coconut industry.

Chilaw Mayor Prasanna Fernando addressing the gathering mentioned that Chilaw was a fast growing City in the North Western Province with many development activities taking place of which the new shopping complex which is being built takes prominence.

He also highlighted there was high level unemployment among the youth of the area and appealed to the business community to provide the employment opportunities and give priority to the youth of the area when recruiting.

Pan Asia Bank is listed in the Colombo Stock Exchange and is in operation for over 14 years.

It offers a full range of products and services such as Saving accounts including different minor saving accounts, Current Accounts, Foreign Currency Accounts where proceeds will be credited immediately to the accounts, Pawning - Pan Asia offers the highest advance amount, Leasing at the lowest market rates, Safe deposit lockers, SMS banking, Visa Travellers cards and ATM services etc. which will meet all business needs and needs of each and every member of the family. Bank recently introduced Pan Asia Nivasa housing loans at competitive interest rates linked to Government Treasury Bill rates and Margin Trading/Custody facilities to add to its existing diverse product range.

Seylan Bank Nawalapitiya branch shifts

Seylan Bank has always been very keen in providing a personalized friendly customer service and is finding ways and means to even improve further. In order to make this endeavour more fruitful, Seylan Bank has relocated the Nawalapitiya Branch at No: 2, Baily Road, Nawalapitiya. Chairman, Seylan Bank Eastman Narangoda and General Manager, Chief Executive Officer, Ajita Pasqual, cutting the ribbon in the presence of Senior Deputy General Manager, Corporate and Retail Banking, Leoni Seneviratne, Deputy General Manager, Zone II, K. D. W. Rohana, Assistant General Manager, Zone II, Delvin Pereira, Assistant General Manager - Marketing Kamal Deshapriya and Chief Manager, Zone II (Central) P. K. Amarasekera.

Dankotuwa features in UK ad

Hundreds of Dankotuwa “Purity” shape cups were used to create the latest TV advertisement of Twinings of UK ‘tea infusions’. The advertisement features Tom Parks, a talented artist who is well known for creating beautiful pictures out of everyday objects.

In his latest creation featured on this ad, he uses hundreds of cups filled with tea infusions of different colours to create a landscape picture.

Taking one by one the artist arranges the cups in rows, fills them with boiling water and then inserts a carefully chosen tea infusion to give the required colour for that pixel in the scene he creates.

Over 800 cups were used to create this picture. This TV advertisement has been acknowledged as an exceptionally creative one.

Twining says they aim to “demonstrate an innovative artistic concept, to encourage consumers to explore the brand’s established infusions offering.”

This “art of tea” advertisement will run for five weeks. The cups used for this unique advertisement were supplied by the Dankotuwa Porcelain’s UK agent, Fairmont and Main.

According to Fairmont and Main Chairman Harrison, “Tom Parks had been looking for a suitable cup to translate his creative idea, and saw what he thought was the ideal cup at Selfridges. Having found out the source he then contacted me to buy several hundred cups directly from our Company”.

According to the Twinings website, the origin of the company can be traced to 1706 when “Thomas Twining first set up shop on London’s Strand. In the age of coffee shops, he was the man who loved tea and worked hard to bring it to the people”.

More than 300 years later, the company still works hard to bring new blends to tea lovers. Twinings claims to have more than one hundred varieties sourced from the finest tea gardens of the world and has more blenders than any other company. The advertisement, can be viewed on the Twinings website http://www.twinings.co.uk/twinings-discoveries/.

Dankotuwa is well recognized in the UK, supplying dinner sets and tea sets to top end department stores such as Selfriges and BHS.

The super white porcelain body of Dankotuwa, along with its many other features such as its scratch resistance, smooth surface and strength, makes it the preferred choice among discerning buyers worldwide.

Dankotuwa has also supplied specially made tea tasting cups to Sri Lanka’s top tea blenders and has formed good relationships to supply customized products to several Sri Lankan tea companies.

For 11th year:

Swadeshi illuminates Kelaniya

The Swadeshi Industrial Works PLC, sponsored the “Aloka Poojawa” of the Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya for the 11th successive year.

The event was held from January 25 to 29.

As part of its annual CSR program, Swadeshi supports the Aloka Poojas of Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya, Ruhunu Kataragama Maha Devalaya, Saman Devalaya Ratnapura and Devundara Uthpalawarna Sri Vishnu Maha Devalaya.

The company also supports the annual Aloka Poojawa of the Dambadeniya Raja Maha Viharaya.

Mobitel partners Turner Broadcasting

To deliver CNN mobile news on demand:

In a further demonstration of Turner’s industry-leading position in the mobile industry, Sri Lankan national mobile service provider Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel is to offer its customers access to CNN’s latest global news content through one call.

With a few clicks, Mobitel customers can watch CNN breaking news and the latest top stories, weather, business, entertainment, politics and more on an on-demand basis by dialling 555.

A key advantage of this service is uninterrupted content delivery when compared to web and WAP based streaming where delays can be experienced due to content being buffered. Mobitel customers can also enjoy the added convenience of replaying previous news stories within the same video portal.

Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel Chairperson Leisha de Silva Chandrasena said: “The mobile phone is fast becoming an important platform for the dissemination of information due to its high penetration and efficient reach.

Further, mobile TV and Video on Demand are also gaining popularity since it allows you quick and efficient access to know the latest happenings around the world despite being caught up in this fast paced world. The partnership with CNN International is yet another landmark development for Mobitel following its recent partnership with Google, the leading global Internet company.”

A further significant advantage is the fact that no software or special configurations are required by customers to access the service. For the benefit of 2G phone users in particular, CNN’s latest global news can also be accessed via WAP by logging onto wap.mobitel.lk.

Turner International India Private Limited (TIIPL) Vice President and Deputy General Manager - Distribution and Business Operations South Asia Siddharth Jain said: “Sri Lanka is an important and exciting market for Turner International and CNN in the region. Partnering with a leading player like Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel certainly provides a national footprint for CNN International to reach out to a wide consumer base in Sri Lanka. It is a win-win initiative for the consumers as they get to know what’s happening around the world from the world’s leading global news network via the leading mobile platform of Sri Lanka.”

Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel CEO Suren J Amarasekera said: “We are excited about the partnership with CNN International which will benefit our customers where they will be able to watch the latest in the world news over a video call. In keeping with our promise “We Care. Always” Mobitel will always innovate to bring in services that are more relevant for the customer and at the same time easily accessible. The selection of CNN’s global news is simple as one is able to select the feature through the Mobitel 3G video portal by dialling 555.”

New BMS Chairman

Leading economist and top educationist, W A Wijewardena has joined the Business Management School (BMS) as its Chairman in an honorary capacity from January 2010.

He was a career Central Banker and a well-known educationist both at academic and professional levels.

At the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, he held the positions of the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, Chairman of the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka and Chairman of the Sri Lanka Accounting and Auditing Standards Monitoring Board during 2000 - 2009.

BMS considers Wijewardena’s association as a privilege and also a means of adding value to its reputed name in the field of specialist UK education in Sri Lanka. The universities with which it has academic and recruitment alliances range from the UK’s top tertiary education providers such as Universities of Leicester, Aston, Northumbria, Surrey and Bangor. Northumbria University has recently appointed BMS as the Regional Centre for Sri Lanka and Maldives as recognition of its long-term relationship and high quality services.

Wijewardena will steer BMS into its new generation academic development as a tertiary education provider in both Sri Lanka and Maldives.

As Chairman, he will lead the Academic Advisory Body of BMS that will formulate policy and develop curricula with the recognition of international universities and professional bodies. Wijewardena said that, ‘Sri Lanka’s State owned higher educational institutions have been performing a remarkable job by producing the knowledge workers needed by the country to take it into the future.

Yet, there still remains a place for institutions like BMS to provide students with specialised knowledge like modern Banking and Finance, ICT and Management. Our aim is to set up a campus based institution of repute in the region to attract more foreign students, on the one hand, and help Sri Lankan students to have access to international qualification which will meet the growing need for professionals in this field’.

Wijewardena has obtained a first class Honours Degree in Public Administration and a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Statistics from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and an M.Sc. in Economics from the University York, UK. He has also completed Ph.D coursework in economics at the Simon Fraser University, BC, Canada.

He is an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka and an Honorary Diploma Holder Paris based ACI.

Dialog Telekom receives Mobile Services Market 2009 award

Dialog Telekom Group Chief Marketing Officer Nushad Perera (right), after receiving the award from Indus Towers CEO B.S. Shantaraju (centre). Dialog Telekom received the prestigious Frost and Sullivan Market Share Leadership Award in the Mobile Services Market category in Sri Lanka for 2009. Frost and Sullivan said Dialog Telekom has played a pivotal role in the growth of the local mobile industry by increasing the reach and affordability of these services.