CBL Natural Foods (Pvt) Ltd, one of Sri Lanka’s leading organic food processing and exporting companies, was placed among the top 100 Best Workplaces in Asia List in the Small and Medium category by Great Place to Work®, a global authority leading in evaluating the employee experience and workplace culture.
Over half a million employees from over 16 countries in Asia and the Middle East were evaluated in the process to determine the Best Workplaces in Asia 2021 from over 200 companies in the category which had outstanding performance in Great Place to Work® Best Workplaces lists in the region over the past two years. The survey evaluated employee experiences on criteria such as trust, innovation, company values and leadership. Companies were also evaluated on how well they create a For All™ workplace experience, inclusive of all employees no matter who they are or what they do. On average, the survey found that, companies that ranked on the Best Workplaces in Asia list, scored 10% better than companies in the Best Workplaces National Lists of their respective countries.
CBL Natural Foods was placed among the Top 10 Best Workplaces for Women and among the Top 40 Best Workplaces in Sri Lanka which qualified the company to be evaluated among the Best Workplaces in Asia.
CEO Randeewa Malalasooriya says “Our workplace culture is the most important factor of our business success. This pandemic tests our resilience every day but as a team, we have been committed to ensuring that our culture is a reflection of our core values and because of this we have been able to consistently show results.” As a significant contributor to Sri Lanka’s export sector, he says this culture extends beyond the company to its 2000+ organic farmer base made up primarily of smallholder farmer Groups, where teams work to train and build capacities and improve livelihoods.
L.A. Harshani De Silva is a line leader at the company’s canning line and has been an employee of the company for 9 years. She says “The teams here are united like a family and we support each other to fulfil not just our own responsibilities but we work together to succeed as a team.”
“Our management always supports us to perform well and takes steps to ensure that employees have the right support for a good work-life balance,” says I.M Seetha Kumari, who is a line leader at the Company’s Desiccated Coconut line.
The company manufactures and exports organic products including fruits, spices and coconut related products and is a fully owned subsidiary of the CBL Group, one of Sri Lanka’s largest food conglomerates. The CBL Family consists of over 6000 employees of the CBL Group across its subsidiaries in Sri Lanka and Overseas.
