Since the 1990s
Hansa Ceylon Coffee
Pure Arabica, Gold Blend, House Blend, Dark Arabica and Espresso. 100% Sri Lankan coffee, roasted in Ragala.
Ragala · since the 1990s
Coffee came back to Ceylon. It started here.
For almost 30 years we have roasted Sri Lankan coffee in the hills, from forest gardens that once lost their coffee to tea. Today our roastery also makes bean-to-bar chocolate, and our neighbours at Sunrise Organic Farm make small-batch salves and marmalade up in the hills.
The story in a sip
Sri Lanka once led the world in coffee. Then it lost it. This is how it came back.
1870
A coffee island
Ceylon is one of the world's biggest coffee producers, with around 273,000 acres planted.
1880s
The blight
Coffee leaf rust wipes out almost every estate. Planters switch to tea, and coffee is forgotten.
1990s
A garage roaster
Two friends find wild coffee in the hills and start roasting with a five-kilo roaster in a Nuwara Eliya garage.
Today
Back in the cup
Our Ragala roastery, run largely by women from the area, roasts small batches at over 1,600 metres.
Three makers from the hills
Coffee and chocolate from our roastery in Ragala, and small-batch goods from Sunrise Organic Farm, a separate farm up in the mountains nearby.
Bean to bar
Serendib Chocolate
Sri Lankan cacao, fermented, roasted and made into chocolate by us. Bars, cocoa nibs and a tea from the cacao shell.
Regenerative farm
Sunrise Organic Farm
Herbs, flowers and fruit grown on a small mountain farm and made by hand into salves and marmalade, in small batches.
From tree to cup
No shortcuts and no imported beans. Every step happens in Sri Lanka.
Forest gardens
Beans come straight from smallholder families who grow coffee among shade trees, pepper and cardamom.
Farmer training
We teach selective picking, careful drying and clean processing, so defects are removed at source.
Dried in the cherry
Cherries dry whole in the sun, so the bean takes on the fruit's flavour: deep and chocolaty.
Sorted by hand
Every lot is hand-sorted. Only specialty-grade beans reach the roaster.
Roasted at altitude
Small batches in cool hill air, on a vintage roaster around 50 years old.
Packed fresh
The same small team grinds and packs every order, from 10g sachets to 500g bags.
Pull up a chair
Short clips from the roaster, the chocolate room and the farm.
In the press
We have never been very good at talking about ourselves, so here is what others have said.
The Way to Coffee · first written for StandartOrigin Stories: the rise, fall and return of coffee in Sri LankaThe long history, and how Hansa brought specialty coffee back.The New York Times · 201336 Hours in Colombo, Sri LankaFeatures the former Hansa café on Fife Road.Sydney Morning Herald Traveller · 2014Coffee in Sri Lanka: a brewed awakeningA traveller discovers coffee on a tea island.Fresh Cup Magazine · 2016Ceylon CoffeeWhy Hansa uses only local beans, even when imports would be easier.The Sunday Times Sri Lanka · 2011Hansa brings back the flavour of Lanka's coffee daysAn early profile of the roastery.Filter Stories podcast · 2022Coffee's Ticking Time BombLeaf rust from Ethiopia to Sri Lanka, with Lawrence Goldberg and Harm van Oudenhoven. 45 minutes.The JuggernautThe resurgence of Sri Lankan coffeeHow a forgotten crop is coming back.day9.coffeeHansa Ceylon Coffee roaster profileNewer local roasters credit Hansa as the pioneer of the revival.
For cafés, hotels and shops
We supply hotels, cafés, restaurants and shops across the island. Order in a few taps on our wholesale counter, or ask us about something made for you.
- Bulk coffee, 10g sachets to 500g packs
- Chocolate for bakers and kitchens, up to 1kg
- Private label and custom roasts
- Origin stories for your menu
Visit and contact
We are a small team in a factory far from Colombo. Get in touch for a chat, an order or a visit by arrangement.
Find us
No 3 Nuwara Eliya Road, Ragala Town, Halgranoya
Visits to the roastery and the chocolate room by arrangement.
Open in MapsHours and email
Mon to Fri, 9 am to 5 pm
Closed weekends and public holidays.
hello@hansaceylon.com