By Rihaab Mowlana

From a coconut plantation in Weriyapola to handcrafted wellness blends in Colombo, SĀRA is more than a brand. It’s a story of three generations bound by the land. Co-founder Kaushalya Gunathilake speaks of humble beginnings, rediscovered family roots, and the quiet joy of turning abundance into purpose. What began as her personal pastime during the pandemic has blossomed into a tribute to her husband’s grandfather, the visionary cultivator Don Gunathilake, whose century-old ethos of care and cultivation still seeps through every bottle of SĀRA today.

Who founded SĀRA, and what inspired you to turn a family legacy into a modern wellness brand?
SĀRA was founded by me, along with my family, Buddhima, Anuki, Chethin and Lehan.
The estate we have is a coconut plantation in Weriyapola, but it consists of more than 300 fruit trees from different varieties. Even though the coconuts are given out, we do not target giving the fruit harvest outside for monetary gain. We usually distribute it among friends and family. Even still, we were always left with a lot of fruit and vegetables which went to waste.

Cooking being a hobby of mine, I used to come up with different sorts of fruit juices, which were enjoyed by my close circle of friends and family. Realising that I have plenty of time left since the children are all grown up, I wanted to do something to occupy myself with and to use the skills that I am good at. With the biggest support from my husband and the 03 children, I started catering for the juice needs of my closest people. It was one of the humblest beginnings.

With COVID things became slow, but afterwards it started to move again...but during COVID, with the ample free time at hand as a family, we had the chance to discuss what we can do to improve what was slowly becoming something that I cherish. During that time, we came up with the label and different ideas for the betterment of our brand. Last year, Anuki, Chethin and Lehan made the social media pages, and to this day, they handle all marketing and sales-related matters, where I am the person behind the production

Your story spans more than a century, from Don Gunathilake’s plantations in 1913 to today. How did that heritage shape the ethos of SĀRA?
My husband’s grandfather and my children’s great-grandfather, Don Gunathilake, was a very inspirational character during his days..The amount of strength and the resilience he showed in everything he did. There were so many articles written about him in different newspapers at that time. The hundreds of acres of land he cultivated, the old methods of farming that did not disturb our mother nature and the amount of humanitarian work he did for the villagers he served were so commendable.

Pictured: Don Gunathilake

With the change of times and the modern society, we realised how difficult it is to maintain plantations and that made us realise as a family to come up with something special as a tribute to him. We have asked the villagers in and around the estate that had been coming down from the generations along with us to be part of our journey. We have also asked them to grow Hibiscus and katarolu on the promise of buying back. This is mainly done by women who are in dire need of financial assistance. SĀRA is not just a drink in a bottle... It's a circle of different generational links.

What moment made you decide to formalise this family tradition into a brand?
Actually, the turning point was when I read an article about our grandfather, Don Gunathilake, in the Dinamina newspaper published on 25th March, 1969. The heading was "වගාවක කතාව".The full-page newspaper cutting, which was safely kept by one of my husband's aunts, was given to us since she had realised how much we enjoyed our involvement with the plantation. Not having the fortune of getting to know him personally since he was already deceased when I joined the family, but hearing all the stories and reading about him made me want to do something out of the ordinary so that we can continue the legacy he started.

⁠The name SĀRA feels deeply symbolic. What does it represent?
Derived from the Sinhala word for fertility. SĀRA is a range of 100% natural and locally sourced juices. For us, SĀRA is the fertile end product of love, respect and family togetherness that became the ultimate brand name that so many people had come to love. We were looking for brand names that had a touch of Sri Lankan flavour and were looking for something pronounceable for everyone.

Pictured: From left, Lehan Gunathilake(youngest child), Buddhima Gunathilake (husband), Kaushalya Gunathilake, Anuki Gunathilake (daughter), and Chethin Gunathilake (older son)

Many wellness brands have emerged recently. What sets SĀRA apart?
Yes! There are many wellness brands in the market now. What differs our brand from most is the shelf life and how it is made. We do not make big batches. Each bottle is meticulously handcrafted using more than 80% of the harvest from our estate. Our shelf life is short compared to other brands. It ranges from 3 weeks to 3 months. That means fresher juices for all. It's a special family method that we use without using any type of preservative. And another feature we have is the sugar-free option and the availability of different sizes.

How do you balance honouring your roots while embracing modern sustainability?
At SĀRA Ceylon, we honour our family's agricultural roots by carrying forward the same respect for the land that our great-grandfather had when he planted those first Tamarind trees. We blend that heritage with modern sustainability and wellness practices, creating natural, mindful products that connect the wisdom of the past with the needs of today.

What challenges have you faced in building SĀRA?
The biggest challenges we have are the unpredictability of the harvest. Since starting, with the increase in demand for our products, we have found it very difficult to supply at an uninterrupted pace. Right at the beginning, it was not a problem since it was a very small circle, but we made COVID a blessing by expanding the number of trees and planting more and more fruit trees during that time.

Even though we were not able to personally visit, every instruction was given over the phone. With our trusted workers giving their best, we were equipped with more trees, which were ready to bear fruit by the time COVID ended. Since we are dealing with nature, it is very difficult during the drought season, but we are blessed with the Daduru Oya bordering one side of the estate. All year round, we are blessed with ample water.

The brand emphasises natural, locally sourced, and sugar-free options. How important is authenticity and ingredient transparency to you?
Authenticity is truly at our heart. Every Ingredient is carefully hand-picked. Our recipes are rooted in traditional wellness, every handcrafted bottle is made with love and care, so every drop is made to feel what SĂRA stands for.

Transparency is equally important to us. We want our customers to know exactly what they are consuming, from the source of our Tamarind pods to the lime behind our famous lime pickle. We make sure that we try to connect our customers with our estate visits via our social media channels so that they get to see where the ingredients come from. It's not just about making something that tastes good, it is about creating something that feels right, honest, wholesome and real. That’s what SĂRA stands for.

You often collaborate with local pop-ups and wellness events. How do these partnerships align with SĀRA’s mission?
Till recently, we did our sales through online and word of mouth. For a period of time, it felt enough, but with SĀRA slowly growing, we were able to build our own community. Most of our customers felt like family, even though all communication was done online. We figured out that it is time to connect with people physically so that we could feel what SĀRA truly stands for. With every person we met, old and new, through these collaborations, we were able to build a strong bond which is unique to SĀRA.

⁠What kind of response have you received from customers so far? Any stories or feedback that really stayed with you?
Right from its inception, the response had been so heart-warming. When there were times that I really wanted to give up, it was the heartfelt responses that kept me going. I really felt the support and the love we felt at our very first pop-up. People were so happy to see the whole family there and to get the chance to meet us. It was such a treat to hear how much they enjoy our products and how they had underestimated the taste of Hibiscus and Blue Butterfly pea

Looking ahead, where do you see SĀRA in the next few years? Are there any upcoming products or projects you’re particularly excited about?

SĀRA had always been a very small-scale business that catered to a very small circle of friends. But with time, it has grown with the love of our SĀRA community. But recently it has reached a level we have never anticipated. We have a few plans lined up, which will take a little more time to come to the surface.

There is a demand for us to come up with our own syrups, and there is a growing demand for our SĀRA Lime Pickle from our overseas buyers. If everything works out well, we might be available offshore as well.

Finally, if you could describe SĀRA in one feeling or experience, what would it be, and what do you want people to take away from it?
SĀRA is the feeling of coming home… to yourself, to your roots, and to nature. It gives you that quiet sense of peace you get when you drink something pure and real, knowing it was made with utmost love and care.

What I want people to take away from SĀRA is that it's more than a brand; it is an experience that reminds you to slow down, and a quiet reminder that the simplest things are often the most powerful.