The Athwela Marketplace community is made up of families and individuals that have come together to create a movement that values creativity, authenticity, and quality. The intention is to connect with communities across the world to give us the opportunity to benefit from a globalized economy.
ANOMA
Anoma joined our production line of Who Made This? Hand Painted Coconut Shell Bowls in 2022 after being laid off due to the economic crisis. In 2023 she took charge of the coconut shell bowl production unit, and in 2024 took on the mantle of Athwela Marketplace Coordinator.
Her commitment to quality, and her joyful growth has served as an inspiration for others in the communities we serve.
BADRA NANDA & BASHITHA
Badra Nanda is a feminist who loves cooking for her family. Her slow cooked pork curry is testament to the authenticity of the village food experience in Sri Lanka. Badra Nanda is also part of the leadership team at Women’s Development Foundation, which works to empower women and their families in the Ibbagamuwa Division of the Kurunegala District.
Bashitha is Badra Nanda’s son. A graduate of the Sri Lankan Institute of Information Technology, Bashitha is the architect of our online marketplace platform. Bashitha is also the proprietor of Hatti-Mutti, the business that inspired our gasproof Happy Home Earthen Cooking Wear.
eDrops
Athwela Marketplace has partnered with E DROP to deliver our products within Colombo City Limits. eDrops is an online delivery store, a subsidiary of CodeGen International, and Sri Lanka’s first app to deliver goods solely through electric bikes and tuks.
Our partnership with eDrops reflects our commitment to responding in real time to the climate crisis.
MADUMAL
Madumal is a Presidential award-winning artisan potter from the village of Thiththawelgala in the Ibbagamuwa Division. His skill with the potter’s wheel is a joy behold, and each handcrafted Rainbow Family Till begins life in his workshop.
Coming soon from his ancestral brick kiln – Breathe Oxygen Pots.
MALLIKA
Mallika tends to the Athwela Marketplace Home Stead. She is charged with maintaining a model home garden where others can learn best practices on using limited space to grow organic vegetables, which include a variety of traditional leafy vegetables that assist us to live healthier lives.
She also helps develop homegrown organic fertilizer, including BIO-CHAR, and a Kohomba [Neem] based pesticide.
MIHIRANI
Mihirani learned the fundamentals of eco-batiks at a workshop for entrepreneurs conducted by the Devasarana Development Centre in 2023. She was one of the few participants from Ibbagamuwa to maximize on this opportunity and develop her skills.
Together with Paba, they set up SAAYAM: Colours of Nature, an eco-batik business through which they bring us unique designs using traditional methods and natural colours sourced sustainably.
MISTER PERERA
Mister Perera handcrafts, arguably, the best coconut shell spoons in Sri Lanka.
His knowledge and skill, built over decades, results in a coconut shell spoon, cut to perfection, held together with wooden nails made of Kithul [Jaggery Palm] wood, and an ergonomically turned Teak handle that makes it a joy to cook with every day.
NATASHA
Natasha is the custodian of Margie’s Kitchen, a family business set up by her mother in the 1980s that specializes in forgotten Burgher recipes. Natasha offers a select product range which includes in addition to her Arrack infused CBP, a Devil’s Food Dark Chocolate Arrack Cake, and a similarly adult Ice Coffee. Her homemade Milk Toffee is from a recipe that goes back to World War II, and the Margie’s Kitchen signature dish – The Black Pork Curry, is an absolute delight.
Natasha also works with women in the Ibbagamuwa Division to share experiences, learn and offer up a platform for everyone to grow their businesses, so that Margie’s Kitchen can bring you an authentic and diverse Sri Lankan food experience.
PABA & HANS
Paba and Hans conceptualized the Athwela Marketplace as a fairtrade space that values local artisans and crafts people.
The Athwela Marketplace with its philosophy of CONNECTING COMMUNITIES is integral to the approach of The Grassrooted Trust in raising awareness, creating opportunities, and advocating for an improved quality of life.
Athwela Marketplace’s commitment to ZERO WASTE seeks to inspire rural communities to lead the climate revolution that begins with a sustainable local ecology.
SEETHA
Seetha is a talented artist and cartoonist from Rambukkana in the Kurunegala District and is a member of the Women’s Development Foundation.
Her work with Grassrooted includes being the principle cartoonist for the bakamoono.lk online education portal, and her murals adorn the Athwela Marketplace in Yakalla, Ibbagamuwa.
Seetha also designs and hand paints the MY CULTURE? Tray and the BREATHE Oxygen Pots.
SHEKAINAH
Shekainah is a Multimedia Graduate from Sri Lanka’s first Green University – the National School of Business Management.
Shekainah is the Athwela Marketplace designer, and her quiet determined confidence to ensure that every product we sell is uniquely marketed inspires us in our commitment to quality.
USHANI & VIPULA
Ushani’s love of colour and her attention to detail makes her a wonderful addition to the Athwela Market Place community, where she also works with women from local villages in Ibbagamuwa to develop their skills.
Vipula has nearly twenty years’ experience in the corporate sector, for which he still consults. He brings this skillset to the Athwela Marketplace team and focuses on business development and growth.
