Crowning cinnamon

News that Pure Ceylon Cinnamon is to be launched internationally as a brand is welcome. It is also reported that the brand, which will be registered in all important markets, will be launched at the widely-accepted international food fair held annually in Germany under the name Anuga Food Fair.

The advantage of launching the product at an international food fair is that it is a cost-effective method of promoting a product as this particular food fair is one of the best in attracting worldwide importers of food. However, the promotion will have to be continued for some time in targeted markets until the brand is well known, like tea.

While Anuga will be the launching pad for the brand, it is stated that the national exhibition – Sri Lanka Expo 2012 – will be used to continue with the promotion. This is also a good strategy as Sri Lanka being the home of cinnamon, a special promotional campaign in the island at a time when international buyers are present has added benefits.

Much work by the public and the private sector working together resulted in cinnamon being separated from cassia with a separate Customs classification. Branding the product has become easier as a result of this.

History shows that even before Ceylon tea came to be known, cinnamon was the product which was identified with the island known as Ceylon. According to Wikipedia, cinnamon was so highly prized among ancient nations that it was regarded as a gift fit for monarchs and even gods.

It states that an inscription records the gift of cinnamon and cassia to the Temple of Apollo and although it was too expensive to be commonly used on funeral pyres in Rome, Emperor Nero is supposed to have burned a year’s worth of the city’s supply of cinnamon at his wife’s funeral.

It also quotes a Dutch captain reporting after the Dutch took control of Ceylon after dislodging the Portuguese that “the shores of the island are full of it and it is the best in all the Orient: When one is downwind of the island, one can still smell cinnamon eight leagues out to sea.”

Ceylon cinnamon, using only the thin inner bark, has a finer, less dense, and more crumbly texture, and is considered to be less strong than cassia. The health benefits of cinnamon are many. Although yet untested, it has also been proposed for use as an insect repellent and the cinnamon leaf oil was said to be found to be effective in killing mosquito larvae. According to Wikipedia, a 2011 study isolated a substance in the cinnamon plant which inhibits the development of Alzheimer’s disease in mice.

Cinnamon, therefore, is an extremely important spice; in fact the queen of spices, for which Sri Lanka has been famed. It is therefore appropriate that the authorities are taking action to publicise this brand internationally, particularly because it is now separated from cassia under Customs classification.

While Mexico was the leading importer of cinnamon, it is now time to look at other markets, which are very quality and health conscious. Most people, particularly the average consumer, do not know the difference between cinnamon and cassia and efforts must be made to differentiate the two products in important markets.

While it is important to promote the brand internationally, it is equally important to promote the supply of the product itself. Cinnamon exporters complain about getting sufficient supplies due lack .of cinnamon peelers. The changing education levels and social structure may make it difficult even to find peelers in the future. If so, other methods must be found for peeling the bark.

Cinnamon growers and exporters must be given incentives and encouragement to produce and export more of the product. The past glory of cinnamon can be restored with coordinated efforts by all stakeholders.

(Manel de Silva holds an Honours Degree in Political Science from the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya and has engaged in professional training in Commercial Diplomacy at ITC and GATT. She has served as a trade diplomat in several Sri Lankan Missions overseas and was the first female Head of the Department of Commerce as Director General of Commerce.)