Barista brews 20 year coffee legacy in Sri Lanka

Barista Coffee Lanka Ltd is celebrating its 20th anniversary of business operations in Sri Lanka by breaking the campaign “A Legacy of 20 Years of Coffee” with a series of projects and events aligned with their brand values and beliefs. 

“We’ve been through the war, the tsunami, Easter attack, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the current financial crisis. Through all this that the country went through, we were always with our people, fighting through it all, surviving and reaching new levels for our own community ensuring that we are always open for you to walk in and grab your coffee. We believe in our country, and we will keep fighting the odds to raise our flag higher than ever before through every possible opportunity,” said Barista’s Chief Executive Officer Dilupa Pathirana.

Speaking on future plans Pathirana added: “We are in the process of expanding up to 50 outlets around the country within the next two years with the goal of promoting the coffee culture in Sri Lanka and thereby to be the undisputed leader in the industry.” 

Barista started back in 2002 by opening their first outlet at the World Trade Centre and were the pioneers in the industry. Currently the operate the largest café chain in Sri Lanka with over 17 outlets and many more coming up while leading many national and international projects to uplift the future and the youth of Sri Lanka by introducing Barista and restaurant management trainings and opportunities.

Barista is a brand which is deeply rooted and connected with the customers in a different level through social media, at cafes and through delivery applications prioritising giving a true coffee experience which will stay closer to the heart. 

Barista is also currently the most digitised café chain in Sri Lanka who also launched the first ever coffee app in the country bringing the daily cup of coffee one step closer to their beloved coffee community.

While they raise over 1,500 coffee cups every day, Barista as an organisation is also very connected to the people and planet with serious and ongoing CSR projects. Nurdle cleaning, beach cleaning, reforestation, feeding the needy, Save the Children and SOS children’s project, the Pick-a-book project, blood donation campaigns, leadership and youth training projects are some key highlights of their work.

Barista is also the first private sector company to affiliate with the Vocational Training Authority to come up with the project “VTA Barista Training Program” which is offered completely free with the best lecturers to promote being a Barista amongst the youngsters, and to train them to join international and local cafes as skilled and knowledgeable Baristas. The brand Barista is proud to have produced over thousands of Baristas within these 20 years who are now working in the largest café chains around the world.