Market
More than 30 companies compete for a market
of 60,000 metric tonnes in Sri Lanka (Source:
ACNielsen 2005). However, Maliban – together
with its main competitor – accounts for nearly
90% of the biscuit market – one that has been
growing at a steady pace over the years.
Maliban is one of Sri Lanka’s premier biscuit
manufacturers, with a rich history of 50 years.
What began as a simple tea-making operation
has grown into a massive enterprise today, with
a turnover of Rs. 5 billion. And a state-of-the-art
production facility on a nine-hectare site at
Ratmalana makes Maliban one of the largest
biscuit-making units in South Asia. The company
provides direct employment to 1,500 people
and takes pride for having withstood the
inexorable force of globalisation – a matter of
national pride. Maliban is a truly Sri Lankan
company with an inspiring vision that positions
itself as a strong player in the global market.
Maliban biscuits reach every corner of the
island, through an extensive distribution
network. Its extensive product range –
comprising Crackers, Savoury, Sweet and
Assortments – caters to a wide variety of
consumer segments; from the health conscious
to regular biscuit lovers, and from kids to senior
citizens.
Maliban became the first Sri Lankan company
to export locally manufactured biscuits to the
world as far back as in 1963. Since then, its
biscuits were exported mainly to ethnic markets
around the world. International marketing has
gained momentum after the company
restructured its export department in 2003 – a
20% growth in exports followed. Today, Maliban
biscuits are directly exported to Canada, the
US, the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland,
Australia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia,
Kuwait, the Maldives, Seychelles, India,
Bangladesh and Ghana. It is now a truly global
company with distribution channels in Europe,
North America, the Middle East and Asia.
Achievements
Maliban was the first biscuit manufacturer to be
awarded ISO 9001 certification in 1995 and the
National Quality Award in 1996. Its flexible
manufacturing systems and compliance with
International Standards have resulted in creating
a demand for private label manufacturing
opportunities from the UK and the US. Not
content with this, Maliban has gone on to
achieve higher levels of excellence by securing
ISO 14000 and ISO 22000 standards.
In 2005, Sri Lanka’s highly regarded business
magazine LMD, in collaboration with ACNielsen,
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his first job was at the canteen of Mackinnon
Mackenzie. Thereafter, he opened his own tea
conducted a survey to select the 50 Most
Respected Sri Lankan Entities. Maliban ranked
number two in the Food & Beverage Sector and
was placed twentieth in the overall rankings.
During 2004 and 2005, Maliban was
recognised as one of the Most Recalled Top 10
Brands by ACNielsen, thanks to the brand’s
effective communications strategy – an
outstanding honour, considering that it was
competing with multinational brands that are
supported by large advertising budgets.
In 2004, at the Sri Lanka Institute of
Marketing Advertising Awards, a Maliban brand
– Gold Marie – won an award. Subsequently, in
2005, this record was bettered when Maliban
won four awards for its Cream Cracker and
Ginger campaigns.
Guided by the ethics of its founder A. G.
Hinni Appuhamy, his successors have continued
to guide Maliban to reach new heights of
excellence by moving with the times. Today, The
House Of Maliban is known both locally and
internationally for its high-quality product range.
History
Founder/Chairman and Managing Director
Angulugaha Gamage Hinni Appuhamy was born
in Akmeemana, in the Galle District. His
education was basic, and at a small rural school
with virtually no resources. He came to
Colombo as a boy of seventeen, in 1921, and
kiosk at First Cross Street. In 1935, this kiosk
was converted into Maliban Hotel, at 62
Maliban Street. It is from such humble
beginnings that the Maliban legend was born.
Today, Maliban is a giant in the biscuit
manufacturing industry in Sri Lanka.
The story of Maliban is not merely the tale of
extraordinary entrepreneurship – it is also a
testament that a person from the humblest
roots can achieve greatness through vision,
discipline and commitment.
In a few years, the business was expanding
rapidly and the founder decided to ask his two
brothers – namely, A. G. Wickramapala and A. G.
Jinadasa, from Galle – to assist him. Hinni
Appuhamy was determined to produce food of
the highest standards in hygiene and quality.
With this ideal in mind, a bakery was launched.
When there were supply shortages during
World War II, Sri Lankans eagerly awaited
shipments of British biscuits. Hinni Appuhamy
wanted to change this culture and manufacture
world-class biscuits in Sri Lanka. He procured
machinery from India; and within six months, the
biscuits had become so popular that demand
outstripped manufacturing capacity. The
company then switched to a mechanised
manufacturing process. In 1954, Hinni Appuhamy
imported Baker Perkins machines from Britain –
and with the assistance of internationally
recognised consultant A. C. Paige, Maliban’s
biscuit manufacturing business entered a new
phase. By 1963, it had grown so dramatically
that its factory had to be relocated to
Ratmalana. Over the years, Maliban consolidated
its position as the undisputed market leader in
biscuit manufacturing in Sri Lanka.
Product
Maliban’s extensive product range includes
unsweetened Health Crackers; semi-sweet
biscuits such as Gold Marie, Nice and
Gingernuts; sweet cream biscuits such as Lemon
Puff; chocolate/custard/orange cream biscuits;
wafers; a savoury range – Krisco, Cheesebits and
Chickbits; and Potato Crackers. Maliban only
uses vegetable oil in its production process. As a
result, its products are Halal certified.
Maliban firmly believes that if any element in
its manufacturing process – be it ingredients,
equipment, control mechanisms, safeguards,
labour, packaging or distribution – is deficient in
any way, then the product does not deserve to
be associated with the term ‘goodness’.
Constant upgrading of every element in the
production and marketing chain is, therefore,
 recent developments in this sphere are as
follows.
Potato Crackers – Sri Lanka’s only potato
biscuit in the market, primarily targeted at kids
and teenagers.
Strawberry Gem – Another first, with
strawberry-tasting centres, appeals to children’s
taste buds.
Water Crackers – A wellness cracker that is
popular among health and figure-conscious
consumers.
Honey & Cinnamon – An authentic cinnamon
biscuit, specially made for export.
Multi-grain Crackers – A nutritious cracker
made of wheat, rice, oats and barley.
Maliban is also in the process of developing
rice biscuits for the Education Department, in
keeping with the government’s vision of using
excess rice meaningfully.

almost an article of faith – this is the key to
Maliban’s success story.
While only approved raw materials are used
by Maliban, frequent and comprehensive testing
is undertaken to ensure that quality is never
compromised. Indeed, testing is done at all
critical junctures of the production process such
as mixing, cutting, baking and packaging. Maliban
is extremely particular about the reliability of its
suppliers. All ingredients are subject to rigorous
testing before being approved for production.
While Maliban has moved with the times,
with its production process keeping pace with
technological advancements, the higher levels of
automation haven’t resulted in complacency.
Metal detectors are in place to ensure that
foreign matter, however minute, does not find its
way into the production process. Regular
maintenance, constant modification and
machinery upgrades ensure consistency and
product quality. And Maliban considers
monitoring to be of utmost importance. Re-
setting standards, raising the bar, so to speak, has
become a defining feature of the company’s
quest for perfection. Nothing is left to chance
and extremely high standards of cleanliness are
maintained in its factory.
As for the future, Maliban plans to move into
an enhanced automation mode in packaging, to
further improve quality, minimise breakage,
retain oven freshness and improve productivity.
The company has also made plans to shift from
electric-powered ovens to gas, to circumvent
the impact of power failures. The move to gas
has also been prompted by the need to obtain
better and more even baking.
The company’s thinking on production, then,
is essentially driven by two objectives: efficiency
and quality. And Maliban drives these elements
in one direction: perfection.
Promotion
Maliban’s new corporate and brand-positioning
campaign, ‘Inspired By Goodness’, which was
aimed at celebrating the company’s 50-year
milestone, gives value back to the community,
rather than ride on claims of corporate valued at Rs. 4.5 million were awarded to 500
achievements. This media campaign is aimed at schoolchildren, to improve their education.
educating the younger generation on cultural Maliban has sponsored school quiz programmes
practices that are timeless in value and provide in sixteen districts, with 300 schools
a strong foundation for family life, in today’s fast- participating, for eight consecutive years.
paced, high-tech society. Through this campaign, At times of national disaster, Maliban has
Maliban has gained a greater brand equity and is stepped forward to help those affected through
renowned for being a truly Sri Lankan company the UN’s World Food Programme and the
that upholds the nation’s heritage, culture and government of Sri Lanka.
identity. Apart from the corporate campaign,
individual brands have also been promoted in Brand Values
recent years. Maliban’s brand value centres around its core
Maliban Gold Marie is the flagship brand, with values of heritage, trust, quality, taste and
a 50-year history. It was reformulated with nutrition. In the periphery are a trio of
added nutrition and promoted with a new attributes – namely, Maliban’s pioneer status, its
brand idea, ‘Another generation of children advertising creations and the variety for which
growing up with Maliban Gold Marie’. Maliban its biscuits are so well known. Supporting the
Lemon Puff was relaunched in November 2003 brand’s core values are the manufacturer’s spirit
with a new biscuit formulation and campaign of innovation, youthfulness and modernity.
based on the advertising idea, ‘Dreamy Creamy
Lemony Biscuit’. Maliban Chocolate Cream www.malibanbiscuit.com
Biscuits, the market leader in its category, was
supported with a new campaign based on the
theme, ‘Kids will do anything for Maliban
Chocolate Biscuits’. Maliban Cream Crackers,
with a new line extension, enhanced packaging
and a new brand identity of being an ‘Anytime
Square Meal’, grew by an unprecedented 38% in
its first year, post its relaunch. It was also
nominated as a Turnaround Brand of the Year by
the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing Brand
Excellence Committee. Maliban Nice was
repositioned as a biscuit for young adults, via
‘Making your life nicer with Maliban Nice’.
Maliban Gingernuts is targeted at a younger
audience, with an advertising campaign based on
‘100% Natural Ginger Kick’. Maliban Wafers THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT
were introduced in September 2004 with a new
campaign for kids based on ‘Creamy Crunchy
Wafer’. The brand rose to number one position Maliban ®

Recent Developments
Maliban knows that its uncompromising policy
on quality alone will not satisfy the consumer.
Given its long history in the business of
manufacturing biscuits, Maliban is well aware
that consumer preference is not guaranteed
indefinitely. For this reason, it places great
emphasis on product development. Constant
experimentation, production trials, trial sales and
so on are carried out to improve its products
and develop new products to cater to the
changing and varying needs of all sectors of the
market. In this scenario, the Maliban Research
and Development team relentlessly pursues
innovation based on changing consumer needs,
as well creating new ones. Some of the more
within six months of its launch. And Maliban
Potato Crackers were introduced to the market
in 2005, primarily targeting older kids and
teenagers with a new campaign based on ‘A
Taste for New Generation’.
Maliban recently concluded a 5S productivity
programme, conducted among several schools
across the island. By sponsoring this programme,
Maliban strove not only to produce best-quality
biscuits, but also help produce disciplined and
obedient students who will one day be the
most valuable and productive citizens of Sri
Lanka.
In 2004, the company initiated a scholarship
programme to commemorate the one-
hundredth birth anniversary of its Founder
Chairman A. G. Hinni Appuhamy. Scholarships
Maliban was the first company to export
biscuits from Sri Lanka.
Honoured as the second Most Respected Sri
Lankan Entity in the Food & Beverages Sector,
by LMD in 2005.
Maliban bakes two billion biscuits each year
and at least 80% of Sri Lankans have tasted its
products.
Some three million Gold Marie biscuits are
consumed everyday.
Maliban was the first company to introduce
biscuits with vitamins.
It is the first food-manufacturing company to
receive a National Quality Award.

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