Bank of Ceylon became a source of hope, shielding the nation from economic hardships and helping people rebuild their confidence

THE Bank of Ceylon (BOC), with its commitment to strengthening local entre preneurship, has been a cor nerstone of business resil ience in Sri Lanka. One such success story is the Orzone Group of Companies, a homegrown brand that has made remarkable strides in the local and international markets. In this exclusive interview, Orzone Group of Companies Chairman and Managing Director, Dr. Upul Senarath, shares his journey, the role of BOC in his busi ness growth, and the bank’s pivotal contribution to Sri Lanka’s entrepreneurial landscape.

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Q. How could you share your business evolved, and how you suc cessfully established the Orzone brand in Sri Lanka?

During the 1990s, the Sri Lankan market was domi nated by imported prod ucts, including beverages, with prices reaching as high as Rs. 400 rupees per unit. Observing this, I envisioned creating a product that would not only serve the needs of local consumers but also introduce a unique quality that set it apart from existing products. My goal was to offer something superior—some thing Sri Lankans could take pride in. This vision led to the birth of the Orzone brand, a name synonymous with qual ity, reliability, and authentic ity. It was crucial to ensure that our product stood out in terms of both presentation and substance, as only a dis tinctive offering could gain a competitive edge in the mar ket.

Q. How did Orzone Group establish its partnership with the Bank of Ceylon?

Initially, we were disheart ened by our experiences with banks, as we believed they were not genuinely inter ested in supporting busi nesses like ours. Our primary objective was to expand into international markets and our first major breakthrough came when we successfully exported our product to the Maldives. This endeavour proved to be immensely rewarding, allowing us to generate substantial revenue. However, in 2014, BOC took the initiative to visit our com pany and extended its sup port to us. This was a turning point, as we finally found a financial partner that truly understood our vision and challenges. We were extremely grateful for this opportunity to collabo rate with BOC, as it marked the beginning of a long-stand ing and fruitful relationship with the bank.

Q. How many employees did you start with and how many do you cur rently employ?