The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Sweden, in partnership with the Sweden-Sri Lanka Business Council (SSLBC) organized a meeting with the members of the Association of Stockholm Grocers (Livsmedelshandlarna) on 10 October 2018 at the Embassy premises.
The Association of Stockholm Grocers has a membership of more than 800 and owns approximately 1000 grocery stores. These account for almost 60% of all grocery sales in Sweden. The meeting was the first step towards developing close contacts with the Association by introducing Sri Lanka and its products to the members of the Association.
Chargé d' Affaires a.i. of the Embassy Harsha Vithanaarachchi welcomed the participants and invited them to explore the potential business relations with Sri Lanka following this initial meeting. Second Secretary (Commercial) of the Mission Yasoji Gunawardana made a presentation on Sri Lankan products that have export potential to the Swedish market. Secretary-General of the SSLBC Leif Ohlson presented the potential business opportunities in Sri Lanka and shared his views on working with Sri Lankans for more than a decade.
30 members of the Association, including the 13 members who participated in the meeting are due to visit Sri Lanka during the last week of October 2018 on a private tour. The group is expected to have a meeting with EDB officials on 01 November 2018.
The meeting was followed by a cocktail reception and a product display of Ceylon tea, herbal products, cosmetics and self care products, spices, handloom products and processed food items. Gift bags containing brochures on tourism and Ceylon tea, complementary items from Dilmah Tea, Svenska Kakaobolaget, Nature’s Beauty Creations and copies of the Swedish translation of “The Tea Planter’s Wife”, a British novel based on the tea industry in Ceylon, were distributed among participants.
