About us
This is who we are...
Provide employment
Ceylon Heritage is a social enterprise that give fairly paid, educative and flexible employment to hundreds of artisan rural women in Sri Lanka.
Create unique apparel
Our female staff make exclusive knit apparel for the international yarn and apparel market, using regular to advanced knitting and crochet techniques by hand and hand needles.
Support families
By becoming our customer, you are helping empowering rural women in Sri Lanka by supporting their families and avoiding migration from their local communities.
Meet some of our knitters
Izathul Mumthas
Retired production Manager, still a dedicated knitter,
Employed since 1981
Malkanthi Fonseka
Center Leader – H1 center , Hunupitiya, Negambo,
Employed since 1981
Mareena Kahid
Center Leader – R1 center , Ratmalana,
Employed since 1981
A D Malkanthi
Knitter - R1 Center, Ratmalana
Employed since 1990
G K Siriyawathie
Knitter - P3 Center, Padukka
Employed since 2017
Our knitting centers
Ceylon Heritage has 14 knitting centers situated in four provinces of Sri Lanka. Our knitting centers are the daily workplace for our knitters and are managed by our center leaders. Today we employ 125 well experienced knitters, and a head office staff of 6 employees.
Western Province
Ragama Center (R2), in Ragama, suburb of Colombo
Koswatte Center (K1), in Battaramulla, suburb of Colombo
Kandana Center (K3), in Wattala, suburb of Colombo
Hunupitiya Center (H1), in Negombo
Panadura Center (PS), in Panadura
Pandukka Center (P3), Padukka
Central Province
Nuwara Eliya Center (NE), in Nuwara Eliya
Uwa Province
Bandarawela 1 Center (BW1), in Bandarawela
Meet our administrative team
The Ceylon Heritage administrative team in Mount Lavinia, Sri Lanka, consists of production manager Fathima Shiffriya Nizam and her staff.
Fathima Shiffriya Nizam
Production manager
Tharanga Lasanthi
Quality controller
Employed since 2017
Jayawathie Kumarage
Quality controller
Employed since 2019
Ruwani Dilrukshi
Stores & Cum Asst. Quality
Employed since 2017
Diana Hemamali
Assistant Accountant
Employed since 2014
Susantha Kumara
Driver Cum Stores AssistanT
Employed since 2019
Meet our international team
The Ceylon Heritage team in Bergen, Norway, consists of Head of Board of Directors Sturle Harald Pedersen, his wife Anne Marie Fotland Pedersen and daughters Helene and Lise. Our common vision is to continue the original project purpose, being a social enterprise, generating hand knit training and employment of Sri Lankan rural women in their home villages, by providing knowledge in strategic management, new customer contact and innovation.
Anne Marie Fotland Pedersen
Sales coordinator - new sales
Sturle Harald Pedersen
CEO
Tel: +47 481 23 799
E-mail: anne@norwegian-spirit.com
Sturle’s broad experience within international business development combined with his passionate relation to the social enterprise of Ceylon Heritage has been a key success factor for the enterprise continuing activity and stability today.
Tel: +47 952 47061
E-mail: sturle@norwegian-spirit.com