Cyaniq Global is one of Colombo’s leading marketing, communications, and content creation firms, servicing 10 of the top 20 corporates listed in the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE).  Cyaniq Global made waves when they announced a new arm of operations during the pandemic, the service Kada Malu, a digitally run grocery store set up and operated by Cyaniq Global that dealt with delivering essential items and groceries to customers’ doorsteps in the midst of curfew.  The Morning Brunch spoke to Cyaniq Global Creative Director Shehani Alles to learn more about the story behind Kada Malu, and what they’ve got planned next. 

Starting Kada Malu

[caption id="attachment_89477" align="alignright" width="200"] Cyaniq Global Creative Director Shehani Alles[/caption] Alles explained that Kada Malu was very much a response to the pandemic. “Cyaniq Global is all about support. Through our expertise in content creation, we build systems to support businesses and people grow in their ventures. During the height of the lockdown, we found ourselves unable to do that, with everyone’s focus being redirected towards being safe and making it through that time. Being who we are, we finally decided to use our knowledge in social media and digital marketing to set up an easily accessible essential delivery service as sort of an emergency response.” Partnering with SMEs (small and medium enterprises) or other businesses that had inventory to sell but no channels to sell it through, Cyaniq Global decided to create a support system for those with good produce, as unfortunately, wholesale livelihoods were being challenged by the pandemic. At the end of the day, it was all about supporting communities.  

Setting up a delivery business overnight

Commenting on the process of setting up the Kada Malu system and infrastructure virtually overnight, Alles explained that one major challenge was limited movement and not being able to physically go out and get things done. In overcoming this, the Cyaniq Global team understood the power of social media and online connectivity, and through working digitally and using established relationships, the team were able to form the base of what would become the Kada Malu infrastructure, linking with vendors and independent taxi owners to create a functional delivery service in a matter of days.  The shift from creative to logistics that had to take place with Kada Malu was one that came with a lot of work, Alles shared. Even though Cyaniq Global had an understanding of logistics, in theory, through their work with several logistics firms, applying this theory into practice was an entirely different ball game; though there were bumps and lessons learned at the start, the Cyaniq Global team pulled together, making failures stepping stones and improving every step of the way.   

What comes next? 

Based on the lessons and connections made through Kada Malu, the Cyaniq Global team has decided to diversify from Kada Malu into a new venture, Green Bean Express.  Green Bean Express is a retail platform focused on introducing Sri Lankan-based SMEs to the global marketplace, empowering them and helping them grow through supply chain completion at the retail end. Currently, Green Bean Express can be found on PickMe Food and the UberEats apps. Green Bean Express will focus on being the retail end of the supply chain, creating new connections with SMEs that supply great locally sourced products, empowering them by offering services such as product development, marketing, and branding, which ties back into Cyaniq Global’s core strengths and expertise. Cyaniq Global will also be introducing a system of investing and funding in these SMEs, building strategic partnerships that enable these vendors to scale and grow.