Vegan business in Sri Lanka
I recently enjoyed a wonderful email exchange with a vegan business owner in Sri Lanka.
Instead of me trying to give you all the details, I’ve asked Tashie Roberts to give you all the inside information on her venture called Smokey’s – The Brownie Bar:
Three and half years ago I became a vegan and because I missed cake and goodies, I learnt to bake vegan brownies. My non-vegan family and friends loved the brownies I baked and many people suggested that I sell a few brownies from home. The rest is history. Smokey’s – The Brownie Bar was born! It took off and people (not just vegans) loved my brownies and it got bigger and I realised I could no longer do it from home. I took a small place and decided to start up my own café. I invested every last cent I have in to opening up the café. Now, even though I do have a regular amount of business coming in from people that order my brownies and cakes for delivery, it isn’t nearly enough to run the café. Sri Lanka is a fairly poor country meaning not many people simply walk into the café off the streets. In the past month (34 days to be exact) that I have been open, I have noticed to my surprise that the majority of customers walking in have been vegan tourists that have found me on HappyCow. I am also the admin of Vegan Sri Lanka, the vegan community here in Sri Lanka where we discuss veganism, help vegan tourists with where to eat, what to eat and how to order, and many other things. The vegan community in Sri Lanka is tiny but there a lot more of us than when we first started our Vegan Sri Lanka journey three years ago. It is growing and we are seeing so much progress in Sri Lanka!
What an amazing story.
We can help Tashie and the vegan movement in Sri Lanka by liking and sharing the Smokey’s Facebook page. You can also follow them on Instagram.
If you are in the area, the exact address of Smokey’s – The Brownie Bar can be seen here thanks to Google Maps.
