Kumaran Natural Products began on a small plot of land in Kalmunai, in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. The choice of quail — rather than chicken or duck — was deliberate. Quail reach laying age in just six weeks, need far less feed per egg than chickens, and are naturally resilient to the humid coastal climate of the East.
When we started, we had fewer than two hundred birds. Within eighteen months we had scaled to thousands, supplying eggs and meat in 500g and 1000g vacuum-sealed packets to private buyers and, eventually, to branches of Cargills Food City and Keells across multiple districts.
Why the Eastern Province?
Kalmunai sits on the eastern coast, where temperatures stay warm year-round with regular rainfall. Quail thrive in these conditions. Local feed — primarily grains sourced from nearby suppliers — keeps our input costs predictable and supports the regional agricultural economy at the same time.
We also saw a gap. Supermarket shelves in Batticaloa and Ampara districts carried very few local quail products. Most quail eggs on the market were imported or travelled long distances from the Western Province, arriving older and more expensive. Producing locally meant fresher eggs on shelves within 24 hours of packing.
The daily routine
Every morning begins at dawn. Birds are checked, feed and water topped up, and the previous evening's eggs collected, candled for quality, and moved to our packing area. Each batch is weighed, counted, and sealed before our vehicle loads for the day's supply run to supermarket branches.
Returns — packets that come back unsold or past best-before — are tracked carefully. That discipline keeps our quality reputation intact and helps us understand which branches need more frequent visits.
What's next
We are currently expanding our flock, adding a dedicated cold room, and extending supply to more branches in the Northern and North-Central Provinces. The goal is to make Kumaran Natural Products quail eggs and meat available across the island, always fresh, always traceable from our farm to the packet on the shelf.