The Korea Herald

How Sri Lanka produces 90% of the world's pure cinnamon

By Business Insider

Published : Feb. 10, 2024 - 11:19

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Sri Lanka produces around 22 metric tons of cinnamon every year. However, it isn’t the same cinnamon found on most people’s spice racks. It’s over 10 times as expensive and requires long, backbreaking work to harvest and process. Known as Ceylon cinnamon, it’s referred to by many as “true” cinnamon. But Ceylon’s cheaper, inferior alternative, called cassia cinnamon, dominates the world market, as it’s easily grown throughout Southeast Asia. We visited one of Sri Lanka’s largest Ceylon cinnamon producers to learn what it takes to make one of the world’s most valuable spices.