Sri Lanka is one of the world’s foremost tea growers but did you know that, prior to 1869, it was also renowned for its coffee too? 

Dutch colonisers had experimented with growing coffee on the island nation in the 18th century but the first commercial plantations were successfully established under British Colonial rule by George Bird in 1824. By the 1860s, Sri Lanka had become one of the largest coffee-producing countries in the world. 

But then disaster struck. 

A fungal disease, known as ‘coffee rust’, decimated plantations but now, over 150 years later, Sri Lankan coffee is making a comeback – and is being brought to the UK thanks to a new Sheffield-based business.

Badda Bean Coffee is a family affair, set up by siblings Samantha and Sampath Erabadda as well as Samantha’s husband, Samual. After years of research and building relationships, the trio now import single-origin Sri Lankan beans in their raw state where they are then roasted and packaged in Manchester. 

This is very much a passion project for the trio, who all pursue full-time careers. 

“This is where my heart lies if I’m being honest,” says Samantha. “We all enjoy our day jobs but the level of satisfaction we get from this, it’s definitely more amenable as it’s linked to our heritage.”

Samantha and Sampath have an amazing connection with Sri Lanka and would regularly spend their summers there growing up. 

“I’ve got loads of memories, running through the jungle, I’m like Mowgli from the sticks in a way,” laughs Samantha. “It’s a really dense climate, really tropical and is really stunning.”

It was the siblings’ father, Eric, who provided the inspiration for their coffee business. 

“He was drying some green beans on the floor in the sun – we thought they were peanuts,” recalls Samantha. “But they were from the coffee tree. My dad is really green-fingered and grows everything. We decided, a few years later, to bring some of these beans back and get them tested.”

This journey took them to a local speciality roasters who did just that and was suitably impressed with the quality of the beans. So much so, the trio decided to explore the idea of importing coffee beans further. 

Eric’s singular tree wouldn’t provide enough for a regular supply so, over almost six years, Samantha and Sampath explored the area further and met a gentleman called Tharanga who was head of a cooperative and worked with lots of local farms. 

“He’s won awards in Sri Lanka for his coffee and knows the climate, the environment, how to look after the beans also making sure there’s no shortcuts,” explains Samantha. “We just aligned quite nicely.”

Before that first batch of beans arrived in the UK, the trio had a sample examined twice by Q graders, first by the London Coffee Lab and then by Blossom Coffee Roasters in Manchester, who specialise in high-quality coffees, are carbon neutral and only work with one company in each region. The owner, Josh, is also half Sri Lankan, so perhaps it was fate that they worked together!

Coffee is scored between 0 and 100 and anything over 80 is classed as a speciality coffee, this means coffee processed to high quality and often done by hand. Speciality coffee is pure and barely has any defects and there is a real focus on traceability and flavour. 

“Ours was scoring in the high 80s,” explains Samantha. “When we were getting these consistent scores, we knew we were onto something really good.”

Badda Bean Coffee officially launched at the end of 2025 with two varieties both based on arabica beans processed at source. Each variety takes its name from a flower indigenous to the country; Araliya is an emblem of peace and beauty and has significant cultural importance in Sri Lanka whilst Nelum means lotus flower, a sacred symbol of purity and enlightenment in its culture.

“I really wanted to go down the animal route, probably because we had a pet monkey called Rani, but the flowers are symbolic and worked really well,” says Samantha. 

Araliya is a honey-processed coffee which has a citrussy, fruity taste, whilst Nelum is a wet-processed coffee with a nuttier flavour profile. 

“We went with these processes purely because we felt those particular processes with that bean gave the best flavour profile,” adds Samantha. “Two different tastes, two different profiles, but both arabica beans.”

Badda Bean Coffee use recyclable packaging and have worked with a number of Sheffield-based businesses on the packaging design and printing.

Coffee production is only one half of the story for Samantha, Sampath and Samual. The other half will see them re-invest profits back into Sri Lanka, the farms and the local communities. 

“We believe that empowering and supporting farmers and their families helps the community to thrive, and we are proud to work with our partner farm to ensure that our producers and coffee bean crops are treated with the utmost care and respect,” affirms Samantha. 

“With every cup, you’re not just enjoying speciality Sri Lankan coffee, you’re becoming part of a movement that values the planet, people, and a better future for the communities that make it all possible.”

Part of the reason why Badda Bean chose Tharanga’s farm as a partner was because as well as working in cooperation with other farms, he regularly donates coffee plants to local families so they can too benefit from the increased coffee production in the area. 

The trio were due to go back to Sri Lanka in March of this year to give their first donation to a children’s orphanage on the south coast of the island but Trump’s war in Iran curtailed these plans but is something they are hoping to rearrange later in the year. 

Although Sri Lanka will always be in the hearts of the family, Sheffield has become very much their home. 

Eric Erabadda moved to the UK in the late 1970s after studying physiotherapy at the University of Colombo, eventually settling in Watford, Hertfordshire. After both attending university in Sheffield, Samantha and Sampath both settled in the city and only recently tempted their parents north. 

“I said ‘Dad, they’ve got really nice golf courses up here, but it’s three degrees colder’,” explains Samantha. “That ended up being the carrot that made him come up and my mum moved up last summer.”

The rest of the family soon moved up afterwards and now they all live within ten minutes of each other on the west-side of the city.

“My dad worked really hard to get where he is and if we can help others in Sri Lanka, I’m all for that,” says Samantha. “The ethical and sustainability side is very important to us but ultimately it’s about making great coffee for a good cause.”

At present the coffee is sold in a whole bean variety as this retains freshness  for longer and customers are encouraged to grind as you go. Coffee can be purchased from Badda Bean Coffee’s website but they have started to branch out into markets and hope to expand even further. Bags start at £16.95 for a 250g but larger quantities are also available and they deliver for free to Sheffield-based customers.

Click here to find out more.