Cinnamon growers sell their cured cinnamon at seasonal cinnamon fairs which serve as the meeting points for producers and their buyers from large exporting firms in Colombo. The leading names here are H.D de Silva and Co, Forbes Walker & Co, John Keells Holdings, Sherman Sons' and the Government-owned exporter, Consolexpo.

Growers journey to the fair with their cinnamon, all processed and baled to the precise requirements of the London and Amsterdam transshipment trade. Each grower's peelers also attend the fair, and according to an age-old practice, their proceeds are divided equally between them. This is a highly effective quality control: the peelers maintain high standards in processing the bark since their share depends as much on the caliber of their work as on the natural quality of the cinnamon.

In early times the cinnamon trade was in the hands of the Arabs, who traded in it with the Greeks and Romans but who kept the source and manner of obtaining it a closely guarded secret. Like the silk route, the spice route too has a rich history and was fraught with many perils - stormy seas, arduous overland journeys, pirates and brigands. From Sri Lanka, cinnamon traveled the western coast of India, through Arabia and Egypt to European markets by way of the great trade gateway, Constantinople.  Continued...

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