The Cargills story

In 1844, William Miller and David Sime Cargills commenced a general warehouse, import and wholesale business in the heart of Fort in Colombo. Once a simple establishment with humble beginnings, this transformed into one of Sri Lanka’s leading consumer good entities. Initially known as the “House of Cargills”, the business was incorporated as a Public Limited Liability Company on the 1st March 1946 under the guidance of the first Chairman, Sir Chittampalam A Gardiner. Over a quarter of a century later, the controlling interest of the Company was attained by Ceylon Theatres through the visionary leadership of Mr. Albert A. Page in 1981.

Mr. Albert A. Page was appointed as the Chairman of Cargills on 26th November 1982, and recognised the opportunity for a 139 year old brand to venture into retail trade. Thus, in 1983, the first Cargills Food City supermarket was established in Staple Street. Thereafter, Cargills Food City continued to challenge the norm by taking to the masses what was traditionally an affluent focused business and offering ‘Higher Value for the Lowest Price’. Cargills Food City would go on to become a household name consisting of the most widespread modern retail network in the nation.

Cargills has been a long-time advocate for providing goods and services which were affordable and of nutritional value to customers without compromising on quality. Thus, started the company’s investment into its first production facility in 1993 named Cargills Quality Food which specialised in processed food. The company also attained the franchise license for the acclaimed international fast food chain KFC in 1996 in a bid to bring international restaurants to Sri Lanka, while innovating on their product portfolio to better fit the domestic clientele.

A major turning point for Cargills was in 1999 as the company committed to empowering local farming communities through its first vegetable collection centre in Hanguranketha. This, in turn, set up the agricultural supply chain which allowed Cargills to directly source produce from farmers.

Between the years 2000 and 2010, Cargills consolidated and greatly diversified its manufacturing businesses. In 2002, an investment was made in the international brand Wall’s, which was restructured into Cargills Magic Ice Cream and is presently the most valued dairy ice cream brand in the minds of the consumer. Moreover, the conversion of the dairy facility also resulted in the expansion of the company’s outgrower network to include dairy farmers as well. Cargills acquired the trusted KIST brand in 2003, and innovated on its array of value-added agri products to better cater to the consumer demand. In 2010, Kotmale was acquired which would go on to become the foremost dairy company in the country and within the same year, Cargills set foot into the confectionery market with its investment in KIST biscuits. All these ventures, matched with the extensive retail network, would form the Cargills ecosystem and establish Cargills as a household name. Leveraging on this ecosystem, the customer-centric and financially inclusive Cargills Bank was established in 2014, to transform the concept of conventional banking within Sri Lanka.

Reflecting on our journey of the last 175 years, notably in the last 37 years, we as a company have grown beyond that of a high-end department store, to an entity which resolutely serves Sri Lankans across all districts. Cargills’ multifaceted business activities have set the benchmark for corporate excellence in Sri Lanka – modelling a better future for this country’s generations to come. While the country’s darkest hours may come and go, the legacy of Cargills will stand the test of time. Just as the late Chairman envisioned it would, a legacy of trust.

(Annual Report 2019/20)