Join us as we dive into the story behind Navigate.Co’s spice blends and learn about the passion and dedication that goes into each and every product. Founder, Ranuja Amarasinghe shares it all this week.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I have a diverse background. I attended both Royal College Colombo 7 and St. Peter’s College Colombo 5 for my schooling. During my schooling, I actively participated in rugby. Education wasn’t my primary focus until I made the decision to pursue my LLB from the University of London, which I successfully graduated from last year. I am the youngest in my family with an older sister who inspired me to embark on my LLB journey. My father works as a marine engineer, and my mother used to be a teacher and is now a housewife.
Tell us a little about your business, Navigate.Co
Navigate.Co is a premium spice company that specialises in single-origin spices and spice blends. Our product range encompasses a variety of spices, starting from black pepper to more exotic blends like masala chai mix. One of our core values is ethical sourcing, which means we pay above-market rates to small-scale farmers and manufacturers. This approach ensures that even in circumstances where we cannot immediately purchase their spices, they can sustain themselves until they are able to sell their produce.
How did the idea for Navigate.Co Premium Spices come about?
The initial concept for Navigate.Co and its current form are vastly different. Initially, Navigate.Co solely focused on exporting raw materials. However, upon delving deeper into the spice industry, I realised that although Sri Lanka is renowned for its premium spices, ordinary consumers like you and me rarely have the opportunity to experience them. These high-quality spices are primarily only exported. This realisation sparked the idea of introducing export-quality premium spices to the domestic market but with a unique twist.
You’ve mentioned before that your appointment as a Nilame (courtier) gave you and your business an upper hand in helping local farmers and small-scale manufacturers. Could you please shed some light on this?
Through my appointment as a Nilame at Siththamgalla Raja Maha Viharaya, I had the privilege of interacting with numerous local spice farmers. Engaging in conversations with them allowed me to understand their challenges, particularly regarding fluctuating market prices. As a company, we ensure that regardless of market fluctuations, these farmers receive payment above market value. This approach safeguards their livelihoods, enabling them to navigate through market uncertainties without adverse effects
How do you ensure all your products are of top quality?
Maintaining product quality is of utmost importance to us. We implement rigorous testing procedures on each batch to ensure they meet our stringent quality standards. In cases where a batch fails to meet our criteria, we return it and work closely with our suppliers to ensure they adhere to our quality standards. This meticulous attention to quality guarantees that our customers receive only the finest products.
Given the existence of many spice businesses, what makes Navigate.Co unique and stand out from the crowd?
The spice industry is saturated with numerous businesses offering similar products, often falling short of meeting customers’ true expectations. At Navigate.Co, we aim to address this gap by introducing export-quality premium spices to the domestic market. We firmly believe that the people of Sri Lanka deserve more than what is currently available to them. To stand out from the crowd, we continuously innovate and diversify our product range. Our introduction of products like the chai mix showcases our commitment to offering new and exciting options. We are also actively developing additional products set to be released in the coming months. By consistently innovating, Navigate.Co establishes its uniqueness and captures the attention of discerning customers.
Tell us about how you use modern methods of selling on a centuries-old business model.
While the spice industry has a rich history spanning centuries, many Sri Lankan spice brands remain tied to traditional business practices. At Navigate.Co, we recognise the power of social media, especially the surge in its usage post-COVID-19. Although traditional methods still hold relevance, physical stores incur significant overhead costs and markups, making products more expensive for consumers. By leveraging the online platform, we make our products accessible and affordable, and maintain an unmatched level of quality. We firmly believe that social media is the future of business, and thus, Navigate.Co intends to remain an online presence before eventually considering physical retail stores.
What does sustainability mean to you? How does Navigate.Co embrace sustainability?
Sustainability encompasses two vital aspects: sustainable business practices and environmental sustainability. These principles lie at the core of Navigate.Co’s values. We strongly believe that incorporating sustainable business practices is crucial for long-term success. However, many emerging business models neglect this aspect. At Navigate.Co, we prioritise sustainable practices to ensure the longevity and continuity of our business for future generations. By integrating sustainability into our operations, we position Navigate.Co as a responsible and forward-thinking company.
Furthermore, environmental sustainability is a key focus for us. We proudly utilise 100% biodegradable packaging for our products. This decision serves a dual purpose: it reduces our ecological footprint and ensures the freshness and quality of our spices.
From your very own experience, what are some sacrifices one needs to make in order to run a business?
Interesting question. In my experience, regardless of whether one is a seasoned entrepreneur, a novice, or an aspiring business owner, you have to be able to make a lot of sacrifices. Nothing of worth ever comes easy so you need to try your hardest and do your very best, day in and day out to achieve greatness. Especially when it comes to starting your own business, you need to be able to let go of a lot of things you did prior to starting a business – for example, socialising on weekends, spending time with negative influences, and indulging in excessive entertainment such as Netflix or YouTube may need to take a backseat.
I believe that motivation is not something you have every day. I’m not always motivated to do a lot of things that I’m supposed to do but I was disciplined enough to do them consistently day in and day out. And here I am, a few months into business and on the cover of The Sunday Morning Happinez.