On Monday, 3 August 2021, the “Harpo’s Market” retail outlet was launched at Harpo’s Pizza and Pasta Restaurant in Ethul Kotte.
Harpo’s Marketplace is an extension of the Harpo’s retail range launched in 2018, which now features 31 fresh homemade products and are available in all leading supermarkets.
Emphasising the concept behind Harpo’s Marketplace, Harpo’s Cafes & Restaurants Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Harpo Gooneratne shared that the thinking behind the initiative is to “give local products a chance, as people are going through a tough time these days”.
“I wanted to feature small businesses and young start-ups, along with established brands, to enjoy the journey together,” he shared.
[caption id="attachment_153287" align="aligncenter" width="413"]
Chef and restaurateur Dharshan Munidasa and Harpo’s Cafes & Restaurants Founder/CEO Harpo Gooneratne[/caption]
Gooneratne also shared that he hopes the space would be a great place for people to come dine in and be able to take home the featured homemade sauces, and have that opportunity to replicate it back at home.
Promoting businesses, local start-ups, home cooks, and vendors who emerged during the pandemic and before, from all over the island, the marketplace offers a distinct retail list which follows a differentiation strategy that provides unique, local choices to its patrons.
[caption id="attachment_153285" align="alignleft" width="369"]
Cane Craft Founder Karen Joachim[/caption]
We spoke to some of the vendors joining Harpo’s Marketplace, including Cane Craft Founder Karen Joachim. Cane Craft is a social enterprise offering exclusive, handmade sustainable products. Joachim shared that everything they have at Cane Crafts is made according to the order, adding that they utilise Sri Lankan wewal for their products.
“I don’t believe in consignments; everything featured here at the marketplace is made specifically to suit the concept, and every item has a purpose,” said Joachim.
Promoting handmade local products and Sri Lankan crafts appears to be a running theme at Harpo’s Marketplace, as they also feature handmade pottery from Red.cocoon. Speaking to its Founder Mihiri de Silva, she shared that while handmade pottery has been a somewhat forgotten craft, they’ve done something different.
“While respecting and appreciating the traditional craft of pottery, I’ve made every handcrafted item more modern, more contemporary, and more functional, because I personally enjoy a unique piece of craft that has a sense of great usability. All of these pieces I have here are versatile in their use and are exclusively unique items,” she said.
[caption id="attachment_153286" align="alignright" width="336"]
Red.cocoon Founder Mihiri de Silva[/caption]
We also spoke to The Chameleon Collective Founder Mihiri de Sylva, who shared that as a business that was started just prior to the pandemic, they were affected quite severely. However, early on, she had realised that they would have to get online to stay afloat.
“After getting online, we started selling the product overseas, which then gave us the option to expand the brand. Of course, there were hurdles, but it brought something positive our way that we would not have considered or explored, had it not been for those roadblocks,” she said.
Harpo’s Marketplace also features Nihonbashi’s two in-house sauces: Spicy Tonkatsu Sauce and Spicy Aged Soy Sauce. Chef and restaurateur Dharshan Munidasa shared that with the current situation in the country as well as globally, it is difficult for local businesses to expand and so initiatives like these present a great opportunity.
“What Harpo has created here is a great marketplace for these local products and we are more than happy to be here; we are proud to be associated with him and he is a leader in our industry,” he shared.
[caption id="attachment_153284" align="alignleft" width="343"]
The Chameleon Collective Founder Mihiri de Sylva[/caption]
Harpo’s Marketplace features a variety of local products, and for further convenience, they’ve also launched the Harpo’s Marketplace delivery app, where delivery will be available in Colombo and its suburbs, with the hopes of expanding to other areas in the future.
Harpo’s Marketplace is an extension of the Harpo’s retail range launched in 2018, which now features 31 fresh homemade products and are available in all leading supermarkets.
Emphasising the concept behind Harpo’s Marketplace, Harpo’s Cafes & Restaurants Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Harpo Gooneratne shared that the thinking behind the initiative is to “give local products a chance, as people are going through a tough time these days”.
“I wanted to feature small businesses and young start-ups, along with established brands, to enjoy the journey together,” he shared.
[caption id="attachment_153287" align="aligncenter" width="413"] Chef and restaurateur Dharshan Munidasa and Harpo’s Cafes & Restaurants Founder/CEO Harpo Gooneratne[/caption]
Gooneratne also shared that he hopes the space would be a great place for people to come dine in and be able to take home the featured homemade sauces, and have that opportunity to replicate it back at home.
Promoting businesses, local start-ups, home cooks, and vendors who emerged during the pandemic and before, from all over the island, the marketplace offers a distinct retail list which follows a differentiation strategy that provides unique, local choices to its patrons.
[caption id="attachment_153285" align="alignleft" width="369"] Cane Craft Founder Karen Joachim[/caption]
We spoke to some of the vendors joining Harpo’s Marketplace, including Cane Craft Founder Karen Joachim. Cane Craft is a social enterprise offering exclusive, handmade sustainable products. Joachim shared that everything they have at Cane Crafts is made according to the order, adding that they utilise Sri Lankan wewal for their products.
“I don’t believe in consignments; everything featured here at the marketplace is made specifically to suit the concept, and every item has a purpose,” said Joachim.
Promoting handmade local products and Sri Lankan crafts appears to be a running theme at Harpo’s Marketplace, as they also feature handmade pottery from Red.cocoon. Speaking to its Founder Mihiri de Silva, she shared that while handmade pottery has been a somewhat forgotten craft, they’ve done something different.
“While respecting and appreciating the traditional craft of pottery, I’ve made every handcrafted item more modern, more contemporary, and more functional, because I personally enjoy a unique piece of craft that has a sense of great usability. All of these pieces I have here are versatile in their use and are exclusively unique items,” she said.
[caption id="attachment_153286" align="alignright" width="336"] Red.cocoon Founder Mihiri de Silva[/caption]
We also spoke to The Chameleon Collective Founder Mihiri de Sylva, who shared that as a business that was started just prior to the pandemic, they were affected quite severely. However, early on, she had realised that they would have to get online to stay afloat.
“After getting online, we started selling the product overseas, which then gave us the option to expand the brand. Of course, there were hurdles, but it brought something positive our way that we would not have considered or explored, had it not been for those roadblocks,” she said.
Harpo’s Marketplace also features Nihonbashi’s two in-house sauces: Spicy Tonkatsu Sauce and Spicy Aged Soy Sauce. Chef and restaurateur Dharshan Munidasa shared that with the current situation in the country as well as globally, it is difficult for local businesses to expand and so initiatives like these present a great opportunity.
“What Harpo has created here is a great marketplace for these local products and we are more than happy to be here; we are proud to be associated with him and he is a leader in our industry,” he shared.
[caption id="attachment_153284" align="alignleft" width="343"] The Chameleon Collective Founder Mihiri de Sylva[/caption]
Harpo’s Marketplace features a variety of local products, and for further convenience, they’ve also launched the Harpo’s Marketplace delivery app, where delivery will be available in Colombo and its suburbs, with the hopes of expanding to other areas in the future.