One year later: From 15 farmers to a growing community enterprise
How business professionals from four companies co-created with members of a Sri Lankan communities, planting the seeds for KathiraGreens – and what happened next.
In May 2025, participants from Hilti, MANN+HUMMEL, BDO and Kuraray joined local entrepreneur Yalini Pushpakanthan in Kathiraveli, Sri Lanka, as part of the BOOKBRIDGE Capability Program. Together, they explored how local farmers could retain more of the value they create.
One year later, the initial pilot involving 15 farmers has grown into a community enterprise connecting farmers, students and local entrepreneurs – with new partnerships, new opportunities and a growing team behind it. This is what can happen when a few days of collaboration become the starting point for a much longer journey.
It started with one question
When participants from four different companies travelled to Kathiraveli in 2025, they worked alongside Yalini and members of the local community to address a fundamental challenge: How can local farmers keep more of the value they create?
At the time, many farmers had little choice but to sell their harvest immediately, often at unfavourable prices, because they lacked access to storage, financing and reliable market channels. Bringing together different professional backgrounds, experiences and perspectives, the team developed a business concept built around three connected areas:
Farmer services: Helping farmers access markets, financing and practical support.
Education: Creating opportunities for children, young people and farmers to develop new skills.
A local marketplace: Enabling community members to turn local resources into products with greater value.
The initiative became KathiraGreens. Today, more than a year later, that original idea is taking shape as a growing local enterprise.
From 15 farmers to a growing community ecosystem
The initial farmer pilot involved 15 farmers cultivating approximately 40 acres. Since then, KathiraGreens has facilitated the collection and delivery of 55,010 kg of paddy through five recorded trips in 2026, connecting farmers with private mills and the government purchasing system.
An important milestone was the emerging partnership with the Bank of Ceylon.
During the May–July 2026 farming cycle, the original group of 15 farmers gained access to bank financing with support from KathiraGreens. Farmers supplied their harvest, KathiraGreens paid them, and the proceeds were subsequently used to repay the bank loan.
This created a practical connection between access to finance, a route to market and a source of repayment. The experience has built confidence among institutional partners, and the bank has expressed willingness to support a larger group of farmers in the next season.
As Yalini puts it:
"Visible results within a small group can create confidence for wider support."
Education that reaches beyond the Academy
Education was another important pillar of the original concept. Through Kathira Academy, more than 200 learners have participated in learning sessions, while awareness programmes have reached more than 400 farmers.
But the ambition has grown beyond the original initiative. Through partnerships with DreamSpace Academy and Education Inside School (EIS), and with permission from the Zonal Education Office, KathiraGreens is now extending ICT and digital-skills learning to Palchenai School.
What started as a local learning initiative is becoming an opportunity to reach even more children and young people in the region.
Creating opportunities beyond farming
The third pillar of the original business concept was to help local people create more value from resources already available in their community.
This vision has led to Kathira Market.
Locally sourced products such as wild honey, tamarind and peanuts are now being prepared, packaged and sold. At least four products have been launched, and KathiraGreens has supported at least 14 local sellers in developing their enterprises.
The idea is simple but powerful: instead of selling local resources as low-value raw materials, community members can create additional value through processing, presentation and sales. In doing so, more economic value stays within the community.
Partnerships are multiplying
Perhaps one of the most significant developments is something that is harder to measure: trust. KathiraGreens is increasingly connected to farmers, schools, banks, government agencies and NGOs. Among the developments:
The Agriculture Department has provided access to a newly opened storage facility.
The Divisional Secretariat has allocated land for a future production facility and Academy.
KathiraGreens is contributing to farmer-awareness sessions and discussions on modern farming and climate change.
Collaboration with educational partners is opening new opportunities for digital learning.
These relationships are important because they create the foundations for something bigger than an individual business: a local ecosystem in which different actors contribute to shared development.
The Impact at a Glance
Reported progress from July 2025 to August 2026.
Indicator | Progress |
Farmers in the initial pilot | 15 |
Paddy collected and delivered | 55,010 kg |
Learners reached | 200+ |
Farmers reached through awareness programmes | 400+ |
Local sellers supported | 14+ |
Local products launched | 4+ |
Families supported with zero-interest loans | 5 |
Local team members | 4 |
Real impact also means learning what doesn't work yet
The story of KathiraGreens is not one of instant success – and that is precisely what makes it interesting. Building a financially sustainable social enterprise takes time, experimentation and a willingness to learn. For example, a paddy delivery in July 2026 generated only a small surplus after farmer payments and transportation costs. Transport, drying, storage and working capital all have a direct impact on whether the service can eventually sustain itself.
Yalini and her team are therefore working on better costing, cash planning, inventory management and clearer operational responsibilities.
There has also been an important organisational development: KathiraGreens now has a dedicated team of four people from the local community. This allows Yalini to share responsibilities and dedicate more time to finance, business development and external partnerships.
The next challenge is to make the connected services dependable for the community while ensuring that the enterprise can finance its own operations.
As Yalini writes in her latest impact report:
"Our responsibility now is to make these connected services dependable for the community and financially sustainable for KathiraGreens."
From a Capability Program to a long-term journey
When the participants from Hilti, MANN+HUMMEL, BDO and Kuraray travelled to Sri Lanka in 2025, they could not know exactly where the journey would lead. Their role was to work alongside Yalini and the local community, bring their own experience and capabilities to the table, challenge assumptions and help create the foundations for a viable enterprise.'
What happened afterwards was driven by Yalini and the people around her: local ownership, persistence, experimentation and the ability to build partnerships over time.
Today, farmers have new routes to markets and finance. Children and young people are gaining access to digital learning. Local entrepreneurs are developing and selling products. Government and institutional partners are increasingly engaging with the initiative. And Yalini has built a team capable of taking the work forward.
This is what makes the Capability Program special.
It is not about travelling somewhere for a few days and solving someone else's problem. It is about working alongside local entrepreneurs, combining different perspectives and capabilities, and helping build the foundations for solutions that communities can own and develop themselves.
The real measure of success is not just what happens during the program. It is what continues to happen afterwards.
The next story could start with you.
KathiraGreens is one example of what can happen when personal engagement becomes shared ownership. The BOOKBRIDGE Capability Program brings together business professionals and social entrepreneurs to work on real business challenges. Participants contribute their knowledge, experience and skills while learning from people who are building businesses and creating change in their own communities.
And sometimes, as the story of KathiraGreens shows, the most meaningful impact unfolds long after the program has ended.
Interested in being part of the next journey?
Join our 25th Capability Program and help create the foundations for the next story of lasting impact. Learn more about the Capability Program and apply here.
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