From Sri Lankan village to Dubai doorstep: Lankan Cart opens Gulf route for small producers

Managing Director  Hemali Francisco

Sampath Perera

Lankan Cart, one of the UAE’s established Sri Lankan retail and e-commerce brands, celebrated its seventh anniversary in Dubai with a relaunch under new management and plans to take Sri Lankan products, small producers, and home-grown brands to a wider regional market.

The event, held at LankanCart’s Al Nahda outlet, brought together founders, community leaders, business representatives, Sri Lankan artists and wellwishers. 

Founders Channa and Dilini Munasinghe joined Managing Director Himali Francisco and the new LankanCart team for the occasion, which also saw the launch of the company’s new digital platform.

Under Francisco’s leadership, supported by her husband Sampath Perera, LankanCart is being repositioned from a community retail outlet into a platform connecting Sri Lankan farmers, small producers, entrepreneurs and brands with consumers and businesses in the UAE and, in time, the wider Gulf.

Village life to the doorstep

Addressing the gathering, Francisco said the new team had brought fresh ideas to the business, with the aim of bringing Sri Lanka, and Sri Lankan village life, to the doorstep of every Sri Lankan expatriate in the UAE.

Sampath Perera echoed that vision, saying the goal was to give Sri Lankans everywhere the chance to get the products they want, when they want them, from anywhere in the world. He added that the company also wants to help small producers by making sure that anything Sri Lankans miss from home is available here.

A community role during COVID-19

LankanCart had only recently opened when the COVID-19 pandemic brought normal life in the UAE to a standstill. With movement restricted and many Sri Lankans facing hardship, the Sri Lanka Business Council UAE (SLBC UAE), Sahana and other community partners worked with LankanCart to distribute essential food parcels to Sri Lankan families across the Emirates.

The contribution of SLBC UAE, Sahana and other partners during that period was formally recognised at the anniversary celebration. The experience helped establish LankanCart as a community brand rather than a purely commercial venture.

Space to grow

Chief Guest SLBC UAE Chairman Suren Swaminathan, who attended with his wife Tushara, said the business filled a clear need in the market.

“There are some 350,000 Sri Lankan expatriates in the UAE. There is room for improvement, and there is space for everyone to compete,” he said. “But this is the first time someone has stepped forward to do it this way, while also helping the small farmer in Sri Lanka to get every product out to the market.”

Swaminathan said the new team was driven by passion rather than profit alone, adding that such commitment was essential for the venture to succeed.

From rural Sri Lanka to Gulf consumers

The new management intends to work increasingly with farmers, rural producers, small businesses, women entrepreneurs and emerging brands in Sri Lanka directly, rather than relying solely on conventional import channels. The aim is to give these producers access to an overseas market, better value for their products and a source of foreign exchange.

Through its relaunched website, LankanCart will offer Sri Lankan groceries, fresh vegetables and fruit, spices, snacks and household products for delivery across the UAE. It also plans a business to business platform to support small Sri Lankan businesses.

Expansion plans

Perera has for many years promoted Sri Lanka to overseas investors and business partners. While Francisco leads the day to day growth of the business, the couple see LankanCart as creating benefits at both ends of the supply chain.

The management aims to establish a presence across all seven Emirates, followed by expansion into other Gulf markets, potentially through a franchise model. Its longer term ambitions extend to exports and to promoting Sri Lankan food, culture, heritage and tourism to an international audience.

Representatives of Sahana, SriLankan Airlines, PIMA and other community and business organisations also attended.

Seven years after starting as a small community venture, LankanCart now aims to become a bridge between the Sri Lankan producer and the Gulf consumer, and between Sri Lankans abroad and the tastes of home.