Cinnamon Sticks | Wild Ceylon
50 grams, sticks
The cinnamon first tastes sweet, then fresh, almost citrusy, followed by that recognizable cinnamon flavour. Ultimately, this results in a warming, woody taste.
The flavor component cinnamaldehyde needs time to be fully released. You can certainly eat cinnamon unprocessed (just a spoonful in your yogurt), but if you want more complex flavors to be released, it needs heat.
Therefore, add a cinnamon stick at the beginning of the cooking process when making a stew or sauce. Fat and alcohol also help release the flavors, as does steam. So cook your dish with a lid on the pan to generate plenty of steam.
Cinnamon can be found in spice mixes such as Speculaaskruiden, pumpkin spice, mole mix, and Jamaican jerk rub. The cinnamon flavor pairs well with various fruits, for example, peaches, apples, plums, figs, pears, and cherries. It's also delicious when combined in a savory dish with tomatoes and eggplants. Red meat, such as lamb (for instance, in a tagine) also pairs well with Ceylon cinnamon.
The warm, sweet, and earthy taste of this cinnamon is truly something special.
These beautiful, raw cinnamon sticks come from Ceylon cinnamon trees. Because the trees are allowed to grow to full maturity, the bark is thicker, and the sticks cannot be rolled like the thin varieties you usually see in stores.
We secretly think these sticks are much more impressive: you can still see a piece of nature in each stick.
The cinnamon trees from which our cinnamon is harvested grow on the land of small-scale farmers within the Eko Land community.
Eko Land was founded by father and son: Nihal and Remon. Two completely different characters who complement each other perfectly. A few years ago, they returned to their family land to realize their dream: an eco-lodge and sustainable spice production together with the local community. They facilitate the drying of the spices, share their knowledge, and seek new markets for the products.
How is this chain structured?
All our supply chains have their own story. Their own piece of land, their own farmer. It is grown and processed in a specific way. Join us on a journey into the story behind this taste.
This Ceylon cinnamon (also known as 'true cinnamon') grows in Eko Land's food forest. The trees grow wild there (and not on a plantation) and are relatively old, which means the bark of the tree is thick and contains extra flavor.
Ceylon cinnamon originates from Sri Lanka – the colonial name for Sri Lanka is Ceylon. The cinnamon is harvested from individual trees growing on the land of small-scale tea and coffee farmers in the heart of the island.
The trees grow in a traditional food forest: Kandyan Forest Garden. In these forests, 50% is pure nature, 40% is mixed nature with trees and shrubs that yield agricultural products, and 10% is for humans only, often vegetables.
This method of cultivation is naturally organic and provides habitat for a wide range of wild animals.
Cinnamon can be harvested year-round.
Let's make an impact!
Each supply chain has its own story, as well as its own challenges. We would be happy to tell you what impact we make per supply chain and how we deal with specific challenges.
Eko Land buys cinnamon from small-scale local farmers at a price 33% higher than the market price. We, in turn, pay Ekoland 50% more than the market price for the processed product.
The community is supported by Eko Land providing employment and by paying a fair price for local spices and forest products;
The Kandyan Forest Gardens maintain biodiversity
In Sri Lanka, there are tensions between population groups, exacerbated by economic challenges, which sometimes lead to severe shortages in the country. Both create challenges for Eko Land.
There is a labor shortage because young people are less interested in agricultural work due to its low social status, strenuous physical labor, and limited income.
Frequently asked questions
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Air, light, and moisture are detrimental to the quality of your spices. Therefore, store them in a tightly sealed jar or tin that is opaque (or in a dark kitchen cupboard or drawer). Also, do not store them above your stove, as cooking fumes can reach them there. Always ensure that you transfer spices from a repack into a well-sealing jar or tin as quickly as possible.
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The shelf life of spices is primarily determined by the loss of flavour that occurs over time, as otherwise, they generally don't go bad. We use a shelf life of 2.5 - 3 years after harvest. This depends partly on the time of filling and also whether they are whole spices that you grind yourself or pre-ground powder.
Spices in supermarkets have often been on their way for 2-3 years before they are even filled, and then receive a best-before date of another 3-5 years. Above all, use your senses to assess whether it's still good. At some point, there's simply no flavour left, which is a shame for that lovely meal!
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We do not have organic certification, even though our spices meet these standards. All farmers work in harmony with nature and without pesticides, but the certification process is unfortunately very expensive. For small farmers, it's practically unaffordable. And we want to show them that it is worthwhile to grow spices sustainably. That there are people willing to pay for a quality natural product and that they don't have to make a huge, impossible investment in the form of certification first.
Some of our farmers do have the certificate, by the way. Cooperatives, for example, can apply for the certification process jointly, which makes it much more affordable. But to be allowed to put this on the packaging, our entire chain would also have to be certified, including the sheltered workshop where the spices are packed. This is currently not possible because they also work for other non-organic producers. So, in short: no, we are not officially certified, but the quality and way of working are at least just as good.
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Single Origin means that a product comes from one specific place. Often, harvests from different places, sometimes even from different countries and different years, are mixed together. Traders do this to develop the cheapest possible product with a consistent taste. With us, you know exactly where your spices come from, right down to the name of the farmer. This also means that the quality can sometimes vary, as it is a natural product. For example, one year may be drier than another, which can lead to a change in taste. But our farmers always strive for the highest possible taste experience, and you can taste it!
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We strive to always purchase the latest harvest. Of course, it can sometimes happen that we still have some of the previous harvest in stock while the new harvest is already ready. So, we cannot always guarantee that you will receive the very latest harvest, but we do strive for that as much as possible. On the packaging, you will find a QR code leading to a page where you can find out exactly when your spices were harvested and when they were filled into the tins/pouches. With this, we aim for complete transparency in our process.
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We ship to most European countries, but this, of course, entails higher shipping costs. Would you like to order from a country, but it's not possible? Please contact us so we can explore the options.
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At the Siza Social Workshop, they do their utmost to pack orders the day after they are placed. If it's busy, it might take an extra day. They don't work on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, so if you order on a Thursday, for example, it will take a bit longer for your package to be shipped.
Once the packages are ready, they are picked up by the Groene Rijders and delivered by their bicycle couriers in the areas they serve, or outsourced to PostNL. Depending on how busy they are, they also aim to deliver within 1 business day.