A foodie and animal lover, Krishanti De Silva has managed to turn two of her favourite pastimes, eating good food and treating her beloved pets, into two thriving businesses. She is the owner of the successful dog food brand, Simka Canine Treats and co-founder of Rocco’s, one of Colombo’s top pizzerias.

Having spent most of her formative years living in Australia, Krishanti moved back to Sri Lanka in 1992. A science graduate, she immediately put her degree to good use by taking up a position as General Manager at DMS Medical Laboratories Pvt Ltd better known at the time as Medilab. Recalling her time there, she said, “It was a very responsible and sometimes stressful period, and most times I would have to speak to the families of patients, some had happy stories but others were not so fortunate.”

This knowledge was later put to good use when she decided to launch her own dog treats brand, Simka Canine Treats. Krishanti’s interest in making dog treats initially started after a friend showed her how to make tasty and healthy dog biscuits, which she soon began making for her own pets.

Speaking about her switch from the medical field to the food industry, she says it was simply something she wanted to do as she felt she needed a change of direction in life and this seemed like a good challenge to take up.

Her three dogs, Kiara, Peggy and Jessica, have to be the luckiest dogs in Colombo as they get to taste everything she turns out of the oven ‘hot hot’. “They’re my little guinea pigs! Whenever I experiment with new flavours, I test it on them first, if they like it then I know it’s positively tasty.” She said. The wholesome dog treats come in three yummy flavours, liver, chicken and vegetarian and are made with natural, dog-friendly ingredients of good quality, with the base being whole wheat Atta flour.

While she continues to turn out these tasty treats, she’s also heavily involved in her role at Rocco’s. The delivery/take-away business was opened in January last year by Krishanti and her close friend Judy, whom she says share a passion and enjoyment for good food. Since its inception, Rocco’s has come to be known as one of the better authentic pizzerias in town.

When it comes to quality control, she explained that the goal for them is to make sure everything is up to standard and always consistent. “We try to make sure everything is as authentic as possible when it comes to the pizzas. We use the freshest ingredients from Mozzarella cheese to vegetables sourced daily from Nuwara Eliya for our thin crust pizzas. Everything is homemade and cooked in a wood burning oven.

“We are pleased that it has been such a success.”  

Running two businesses simultaneously isn’t easy but Krishanti says what motivates her most is her customers, citing them as an inspiration, “they are so appreciative about what we do. They call us up to thank us or make suggestions; I think the personal touch in our service has made the difference here. It’s really all about pleasing the customer and the satisfaction you get from it.”

While she is generally kept busy with managing her businesses, Krishanti does take time out of her busy schedule to relax. A self confessed ‘outdoors girl’ she says she loves to swim and is taking up snorkeling, again something she did often back in Australia.  

For now, things are certainly looking good for the entrepreneur, with her businesses booming and several innovative ideas in motion for the brands, it seems there’s plenty to look forward to for everyone concerned. 

 

 

You can take a look at Rocco's extensive menu by visiting https://www.facebook.com/roccoslk?fref=ts

 

 

By Lake Argent