Today on Inside Story we feature trailblazing husband and wife duo, Charitha and Prasanna Hettiarachchi, who are doing their utmost to spread the message of sustainability not just to Sri Lankans, but to the world! Trained by the British Mossad and SAS and a former member of the STF, Prasanna has always been a man of action and ideas. The birth of Saaraketha in 2008 is the culmination of Prasanna’s training, experience and passion, which saw the start of a new wave for Sri Lankan agriculture.

Charitha set up Saraii Village in 2012 as a pilot project and developed it into a successful model that is easily replicable. As a female-owned venture Saraii has been accredited by the UNDP as a sustainable tourism operation and she is supported by the International Trade Centre of Geneva by enabling greater access to international markets. She’s a Fulbright scholar and has an MBA in Global Social Sustainable Enterprise. She was selected as a Winning Woman of Asia Pacific – 2020 by E & Y Global, Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2015, and Zonta Woman Achiever 2017, with Saraii being listed as One of the Top Ten Most Extraordinary Tree Top Hotels in the World by Trip Advisor both in 2014 as well as 2015, and the recipient of the World Luxury Hotel Award in 2016.

Q    What prompted both of you to found Saaraketha?
Our inspiration was the Sri Lankan Apparel Industry; where both of us worked and were fortunate to be involved and contribute to a transition of the apparel value chain from “Sweat Shop” to “One Stop Shop” for the world’s fashion market; in the process earning a national identity as a destination of choice for sourcing of ethically-made apparel, with a tagline of “Garments without Guilt”.  We envisioned creating a similar transformation in Sri Lanka’s Agriculture value chain, with global standards of compliance and technology infusion, to make Sri Lanka the sustainable Orchard of Asia.

Q    Prasanna, having been a part of the STF and trained by the British SAS and Mossad, do you find your present career sufficiently challenging?
Running one’s own business is always a challenge.  There is no real “switching off” from the work scenario; you are always required to be “switched on”  and it becomes a part of your being. Having said that, the challenges of running a business are vastly different from leading men into battle. In a business environment everything boils down to your P&L and Balance sheet; as business leaders, we are accountable to manage performance.  The decisions one makes, the calculated risks, the weighing in of options, etc are all about finally impacting a set of numbers that in turn impacts the stakeholders involved in the business.   Whereas leading men in a theatre of conflict, a leader is responsible for the very lives of the men he leads. The decisions you make, the risks you take, the options you decide on, all impact life and limb. Those decisions you do not get to walk away from; you walk the journey of life carrying the weight of it all.  

Q    How successful have you been in changing the ‘face’ as it were of agriculture in Sri Lanka and how difficult has your journey been?
The journey has been extremely challenging; yet very humbling and even more rewarding.  When we started out almost 10 years ago the organic concept was very novel in Sri Lanka. So much so our commercial focus was primarily focused on the export market. There was a lot of skepticism about what we set out to do. Most of those who knew us thought we were embarking upon an idealistic and “self-destructive”  journey.  The journey has not been uneventful; we have had our share of failures, mind-blowing setbacks, financial struggles, and nerve-racking times. We were conscious that what we set out to do was never going to be easy or even possible to be achieved in a lifetime. Locally I think we have made an impact in making people more aware of what they consume. 

We personally measure our success by the level of awareness we have been able to catalyze. To get people to relate to the idea of sustainable consumption and to say if you as an individual are conscious in your consumption choices, you understand the impact of your consumption choices;  to yourself,  society, and the environment and if you make that purchase choice based on this conscious knowledge,  you are contributing to empower sustainable production. 

This is what makes it all worth it; what both of us care deeply about and what humbles us most, is the fact that we have breathed life into and catalyzed an awareness about sustainable lifestyles which we see going mainstream in  Sri Lankan society today. There is a definite social consciousness about “What we eat”.  While we built a business from scratch, and a  brand that has a strong presence both globally and locally; we have been able to create a buzz, a movement, and facilitate a larger transition to  “responsible consumption” which we firmly believe is the only thing that will drive “responsible production”. Through this all we have been able to empower and bring multitudes of smallholder producers to consciously embrace sustainable production and be rewarded for doing so. When we look back and see the lives we have touched, the landscapes we have healed, the journey is worth it all.  For both of us, it indeed has been,  is, and will be the journey! The destination is an outcome. 

Q    With the rising cost of living, are people still willing to pay that extra bit for organic produce? I am not referring to the Colombo elite but to the general public?
Our single-minded purpose and unwavering efforts have been to make good, clean food accessible to all. We believe this is a fundamental right of everyone; immaterial of whether they are rich or poor. It is true that organic produce is, unfortunately, pricier and perhaps out of reach for some segments of society. This is primarily an issue of volumes of production which are driven by demand. Our endeavor has always been on how we can make organic produce mainstream; affordable and accessible to all.  The idea ultimately is to make the product have parity with conventional produce so that a consumer’s purchase decision is not influenced by the difference in price to “buy” or “not buy”.  

So to answer this specific question; yes there is a perceptible change in the consumption patterns of consumers due to the current economic conditions.  We definitely see a drop in volumes of consumption where consumers are rationalizing the quantity they consume; however, the really aware, conscious consumers are still not willing to compromise on quality.  This is true even for the general public.  We see an increasing tendency in the middle class and the lower-middle-class consumer segments as well, where they are very particular about what they consume.  

We have seen instances where they may not be able to afford organic produce for the entire family but they purchase smaller quantities for the children at least,  which reflects a decisive factor of awareness. Our vision is to create an environment where there never needs to be this type of choice based on what they can afford even if they know what is good. 

Q    How feasible is ‘sustainability’ in a country such as Sri Lanka where, especially today, people are struggling to have one square meal a day?
As a nation; our history has very concrete examples which showcase that we have been a nation where sustainability was simply our only way of life; firmly integrated into society. How we ate, how we lived, how we interacted with one another and with our environment; everything had a continuum,  a connection; all a part of an integrated ecosystem. The ancient eastern civilizations were the bedrock of sustainability for the world and sustainability was seamlessly woven into the fabric of these civilizations. It was these civilizations and their sustainability practices that the west emulated in more recent years to tout and champion the concept of modern sustainability to the rest of the world. 

Sustainability is a mindset;  It is not an expensive hobby!  It’s not something you teach your kids in school and tell them with emotional content, that it is the right thing to do - we make people realize and invest in it because it is the only thing to do. And it pays in so many ways to embrace sustainable practice not just because of the environment but it pays in supporting our health, managing the finite resources we have available to us, and all those intricately woven connections we have with ourselves, our fellow beings, and nature - the Triple Bottom Line. So our take is that there is no other way - this is the only way and it is time we all realize it. In fact, these tough economic times globally are the results of unsustainable practices. If ever we need it,  we need sustainability in every fibre of society and we need it now to come out of this mess. 

Living a sustainable life means respecting the limits of the planet’s ability to provide. We seek solutions that lead to a simpler, more self-sufficient way of living. That doesn’t mean we want everyone to live an austere life.  Sustainability is not distinguished by being rich or poor; it is the very essence of life in all its forms known to us. It is not a tool to be exploited for gain and to spawn greed where we  Greenwash and use it to embellish our Annual Reports to satisfy our Corporate Social Responsibility agendas and to proclaim to the world how “ good we are”.  The closest analogy I can draw is the movie “Avatar”  - it’s a very powerful message of re-contributing and the connecting strands between us and the planet that nurture our mutual existence. 

Q    Do you buy your produce directly from the grower – you say you have over 2000 rural farmers in your network, and do you cut out the ‘middle man’. Does this ensure better prices for the grower?
Part of our supply chain supports small farmers because it’s at the core of our philosophy for sustainable production.  Rural farmers who face daily threats from wild elephants, the merciless heat of the sun, a continuous battle for water, and similar challenges of their unique environs, have partnered with Saaraketha to bring sustainable produce to the table. We are constantly searching for producers and creators who can support your conscious choice for sustainable consumption. In most instances, our supply chains are organized groups of smallholder producers who have been organized into cohesive production clusters so we achieve economies of scale.  This is a direct link with the producer and more importantly, these clusters produce exclusively for us.  The producers have to strictly adhere to organic farming practices, where their farms and processes are audited by our compliance teams and independent International auditors for organic integrity;  for which they get paid a premium. 

Q    Prasanna - as the recipient of many, many awards including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, what are your future plans?
We would like to increase our footprint in terms of being able to offer a complete life support system for sustainable living and add on different product ranges under this sustainable lifestyle brand. Value-added products are something we envisage in the next phase, Convenience products for people like single parents and young working couples; we want to look at ethical food options, personal care products - a full range under our portfolio that truly supports a sustainable lifestyle.

Q    Charitha How does it feel to be a trailblazer?
Definitely not a walk in the park. When I embarked on my entrepreneurial journey,  I faced so many stumbling blocks from the get-go, but call it perseverance or call it persistence, I made it happen…
I am humbled to have been able to contribute to the Sri Lankan tourism industry portfolio with a product concept that today has become mainstream with many others following suit to embody authentic sustainability into their offering, moving away from the traditional  “ sea and sun” Sri Lanka was known for. Differentiating ourselves as a nation by curating, showcasing, and offering authentic Sri Lankan experiences that truly convey why we are Sri Lankan;  in different forms, to the discerning traveler. 

Q    Being a husband and wife team, how do you manage to preserve a work-life balance?
We both support each other in our businesses and we share the same passions and values and are inspired by each other and our similar aspirations. Initially, we tried to draw a distinct line between work and life; we felt we should not talk work at home and have a conscious “ switch off” from work so we balanced life!  We realized soon enough that this was futile, vain, and a tad pretentious; we have come to realize that we are what we are and our work is interconnected and that we live by the ideals that we have carved into work.  So it is ok to have our work interwoven with our lives. Once we figured this out it was never needed to “preserve ”  a work-life balance.  Our balance stems from who we are and what we do. We are comfortable with this and it works very well for us. 

Q    What made you found Saraii Village?
My key focus as the Director of Branding & Marketing of Saaraketha is to build the brand and communicate the story behind the product to discerning consumers.  Who grew your food, what went into it, how did it get to you, and what are the best ways to consume it, are some of the key areas we try to focus on. Our target audience appreciates the authenticity and the care we take in bringing them a high-quality product that also has a story attached to it. Marketing and Branding is my forte and I traveled the country along with Prasanna, meeting farmers, understanding what they do, so that I can creatively communicate the “farm to table” connection to our consumers.

It was this journey that led me to understand that our local farmers were not happy with what they did, they were not happy for their kids to be in the same vocation, as they felt agriculture was not rewarding enough. This got me thinking of what else the farmers can do in their own environments that might have greater appeal for them. One of the ideas I toyed with was Eco / Agro tourism. 

I wanted my business idea to be a Triple Bottom line aligned business similar to Saaraketha, where environmental and social sustainability was a key factor, apart from making money! Since I had no experience in setting up a business, I decided to get an MBA. I found a suitable program at Colorado State University, called the Global Social Sustainable Enterprise, and also got myself a Fulbright Scholarship that funded my MBA. This gave me the time to flesh out my idea, make the necessary changes, and create a model that would work in rural Sri Lanka.  

I called my business “Saraii” , a Hebrew word that simply means ‘the essence’  in Sanskrit, the same word also means “A place to stay for travelers”. And true to its meaning, Saraii Village exemplifies the true essence of Sri Lankan village life. 

Today, Saraii Village is a dream, a concept, a connection and a business venture all rolled into one. It is an eco-tourism resort in the South of Sri Lanka built for responsible travelers from around the globe to experience the true essence of Sri Lankan life. It’s a return to basics and a lesson on how to enjoy simple pleasures, healthy food, and live a lifestyle that personifies a message of giving back to our community, our planet, and ourselves. 

Q    How successful have you been in replicating your model across the country?
Since getting off the ground as my MBA project in 2013,  Saraii went into rapid expansion and consolidation of our first location Weerawila in our first five years.  We expanded our accommodation footprint, added on the restaurant, yoga wellness, and other guest experience infrastructure to make the resort a compelling destination. We had aggressive expansion plans to create and expand a sustainable tourism trail, replicating the Saraii model across the country, showcasing the unique socio / cultural aspects of each region we would be located in.  The Easter debacle followed by the onset of the COVID pandemic and the resultant impact it had on the tourism industry required us to hold back on those plans for the foreseeable future.  With the return of the Sri Lankan tourism industry to its full potential; which in my opinion is inevitable, in the next 12- 18 months, we will revisit our plans to expand and replicate the Saraii model in other strategic locations in the country. 

Q    How practical and feasible is sustainable travel and is this the way forward for tourism in Sri Lanka as well as globally?
I believe that the traditional tourism model is changing rapidly. With the advent of the internet, social media, GPS location services, UBER, and Airbnb; most global travelers are able to make informed choices with access to vivid and intimate details about places, people, cultures, food, etc which travelers hitherto did not have, hence relied upon travel companies to arrange for them. Most travelers today seek experiences; something different from what they are used to in their regular lives. More and more people are becoming aware of the impact of their choices so they keep demanding options that make them feel good. Also, the Pandemic has brought on a very strong realization globally about how fleeting life is and a change in perspective in what really matters. People are more aware than ever of sustainability and why it is important for our own survival. So yes, I believe most definitely that sustainable tourism is the way forward for tourism in Sri Lanka and the world over. 

Q    Charitha and Prasanna, how hard was it to change the mindset of people towards a sustainable way of earning one’s living?
It was certainly not easy. It continues to be a challenge as most people look for easy ways out.  Our approach was to reward sustainable practice rather than preach rhetoric to them. For example, our organic farmers who produce for Saaraketha would earn a significant premium on their produce as opposed to their conventional produce farming counterparts. At Saraii the local community-based experiences we offer like the “ Fishing tour”; which allows a visitor to accompany a local fisherman in his canoe on the Weerawila lake, bring in the catch, and be treated to a picnic breakfast cooked on the lakeshore with the freshly caught fish, is an excursion where Saraii provides a local fisherman an opportunity to earn significant additional revenue, even much more than what his vocation provides. One mandatory requirement for the fishermen who work with Saraii on this excursion is that they have to employ only sustainable practices as they ply their trade; meaning no nylon netting, no outboard motors on the canoe etc.  Through these mechanisms we have been able to get people to understand that sustainability is not all about “ tree-hugging” and preaching;  that it can really be much more rewarding financially and hence worth embracing. 

Q    As a ‘ Winning  Woman of Asia Pacific 2020 by E & Y Global, what is your recipe for success, and what are your future plans?
A passion for social business! Where my main focus is environmental and social sustainability, rather than my financial bottom line! This means I need to work smarter and harder; quick wins are less and I  absolutely must be patient to reap any rewards! 

“My vision for Saraii is to build a replicable “sustainable travel” brand that showcases the authenticity and essence of a location, which allows for contemporary smart global travelers to enjoy a responsible holiday with a minimal carbon footprint. A sustainable business model that catalyzes the triple bottom line which enables social and environmental sustainability, cultural immersion and economic empowerment of local people.”

I would like to be able to inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs (with no gender bias) / free thinkers, to understand the importance of sustainability; about being conscious consumers! To inspire new businesses to think beyond profit; about the greater good for our environment, society, and co-existence! This is what I wish for my son Kai as well…

By Anusha David

Pix by Damith Wickramasinghe