‘Lankasoy’ celebrates 25 years of leadership in Sri Lanka

CBL Group Chairman Ramya Wickramasingha (third from left) felicitating employees who complete 25 years of service. CFL Managing Director Thilanka De Soyza also present

Convenience Foods Lanka PLC (CFL), the pioneer in manufacturing and marketing soya based products in Sri Lanka recently celebrated its 25th anniversary while felicitating employees who have completed 25 years of service. CFL manufactures and distributes the renowned soya products brand ‘Lankasoy’ in Sri Lanka and in overseas markets. 

The company was incorporated in Sri Lanka in 1990 as a subsidiary of Forbes and Walker Ltd. It was listed in the Colombo Stock Exchange as ‘Soy Foods F&W Ltd.’ as a public listed company. The company introduced Textured Vegetable Protein, a non traditional food item to the local market. Textured Vegetable Protein better known as TVP or soya meat, soon gained popularity among consumers and became a nutritious tasteful addition to the daily meals. 

The company initially sold its products in bulk packages but later it also introduced a range of retail sized soya packs leading to the inception of one of the most prominent brands in Sri Lanka today, ‘Lanksoy’. The launch of ‘Lankasoy’ brand by Soy Foods F&W Ltd. was a remarkable moment in Sri Lankan food industry introducing another addition to our meals for the first time. Although the company produced a superior quality product, it was not performing well due to the lack of a strategic vision towards retaining the market leadership position. Having realised the potential of the company, Ceylon Biscuits Ltd. (CBL), the renowned confectioners in Sri Lanka acquired the majority of shares of the company in the year 2000. 

Sharing the vision of CBL, the company rapidly began to convert losses into profits. Lankasoy’s introduction of new shapes and flavours has led to greater acceptance of the brand and revolutionalised the soya market thereby changing the perception, expanding the market potential for the product. The goodness of TVP was highlighted in attractive packs and introduced to the market as Malu Soy, Chico Soy and Vegi Soy. Drawing on CBL’s expertise in innovation, marketing and distribution, Soy Foods Lanka Ltd. rapidly re-gained its market leadership and has flourished ever since. 

The company invested heavily in technology and in the year 2004, it invested in automated packaging and modernised the factory to enhance the quality of the products. Having secured the market leadership in the Soya category, the company realised the need for diversification. The company was renamed as ‘Convenience Foods Lanka PLC (CFL) and expanded its offering under the brand names ‘Lankasoy’, ‘Ramba’ snacks, ‘Rasahari’ noodles, ‘Rasahari’ Soups and ‘Nutriline’ Cereal. Today, CFL is a key player within the CBL group of companies.

CFL has been awarded ISO 9000 & 22000, GMP and HACCP certified for maintaining stringent quality standards. The ‘Lankasoy’ brand also is the first to gain SLS Certification for Textured Soya Protein. The company has been recognised by winning Business Excellence Awards, Productivity Improvement awards Sustainability Reporting awards from Trade Chambers and National Productivity Secretariat. 

Building the brand value in the hearts of the consumer’s mind over the years the brands of CFL were awarded the prestigious ‘Brand of the year – Gold’, ‘Local brand of the year – Gold’, ‘Innovative brand of the year – Gold’ and ‘Product brand of the year – Gold’ in 2013.

Convenience Foods Lanka Ltd. Managing Director Thilanka De Soyza stated, “We celebrated 25 years of continuous service to the nation through economic and social value creation. This happy occasion was commemorated recently with a series of exciting events under the theme ‘25 years of commitment’. Our vision is to introduce many innovative new products focusing on consumer requirement further upgrading state of the art technology in our factory. I would also like to thank all our employees who are the pillars of success of CFL.”

With a proud history of 25 years, CFL is preparing itself to continuously offer the local consumer more and more exciting innovative products in the future to address the demands of rising modern lifestyles of the consumers.