Arts
Coaster road to success
When three friends – Sachini Rathnapala, Amresh Jayawickreme and Uttunga Jayewardene bought an old coaster making machine on a whim, they little envisaged it would lead to a sustainable business contributing to a smaller carbon footprint on the globe.
Contemporary line: A range of Xylo products on different themes - Pix by Priyantha Wickramaarachchi
But that is exactly what happened. Six months later, the co-founders of Xylo were at their little factory at 4 a.m. alongside friends and family hammering out 900 orders overnight.
Recalling that moment, Sachini said, “We have put our heart and soul into this company and it was such a raw moment for all of us, we know where we started from.”
Their main line – their coasters, unlike the cardboard coasters you find in the market, are made of cork that absorbs water and ensures that your furniture is not ruined. Coming in innovative patterns and designs, the coasters which can be customized, are eye-catching. “For local artists as well, it has been a platform to express their art,” added Amresh.
They have also started a line of teak coasters and expanded to providing eco-friendly dinnerware as well including wooden spoons, bamboo straws, cutting boards and charcuterie platters to simple placemats and heat mats.
Material wise, Xylo is very local centric, apart from the cork they import. The wood they use is from teak estates around Sri Lanka – from branches that have been pruned, bark and throwaways. Most of their teak suppliers are clients who by chance happened to mention the estates their families have by chance.
Deft touch: Ms. Perera at work
What makes Xylo stand out is that their products are completely biodegradable right down to their packaging. It is their company policy to refuse clients who want plastic packaging.
“We realised we have a fantastic product and we have a fantastic raw material we can work with. Right now there’s a lot of paper coasters, lots of plastic and paper based products.We can contribute, even though we are small we can dedicate our products to being eco-friendly,” Uttunga says.
Just off Boralesgamuwa is where the magic happens. Their ‘factory’ is no more than an old remodelled house where they create their unique products and dispatch orders. Despite its run-down appearance, it is a happy work environment.
The driving force behind Xylo are four ladies – Ms. Perera, Kamani, Chandra and Geetha who do the sanding, cutting and painting of the products. A friendly quartet, they each have their own responsibility. The carpenter next door, Priyantha albeit not officially part of the company is their ‘fixer’ for any issue they face. They have also commissioned workers who work from home such as ‘Uncle Gunapala’, who carves out their wooden products.
“We didn’t start Xylo, to become this social enterprise. It started with us having this passion to build something and as we were building what made it so much more meaningful was the fact that we had the chance to do something spectacular,” Sachini says.
Their work to uplift the community has been integral to them. Xylo provides a platform for underprivileged young people to feature their art.
Amresh
Sachini
Uttunga
Through Xylo, 21- year-old Nipuna who has Down syndrome has achieved his dream of being a CEO as he sells his branded coasters that feature his elephant drawings.
Part proceeds of Xylo’s elephant range go towards the rehabilitation of Mali, an elephant who is in the care of the Elephant Care Relief Foundation.
For more information about Xylo and their products visit their website www.shopxylo.com or their Instagram page @xylo.coasters and Facebook page Xylo Industries.
