Episode #510 - From Kitchen Experiments to Award-Winning Curry Kits - with Aliza Ratnayaka

Aug 27, 2025

In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, host Kevin Brent sits down with Aliza Ratnayaka, co-founder of Little Big Flavour Kits — a business that grew from humble beginnings during the pandemic into a multi-award-winning food brand bringing authentic Sri Lankan curry kits to UK kitchens.

Aliza shares how she transformed packaging spices for friends into a niche, sustainable product sourced directly from Sri Lankan farmers, including a long-standing partnership with SDS Spice, a family-run cinnamon plantation. Along the way, she’s tackled the challenges of educating customers on Sri Lankan cuisine, navigating the jump from direct sales to wholesaling, and balancing rapid growth with quality and ethics.

We explore:

1. The Business Journey – how a lockdown side project became an award-winning brand sold in farm shops and beyond.
2. Scaling Up Challenges – from cash flow pressures to shifting sales channels, and Aliza’s thoughts on the ScaleUp Challenges Report.
3. Quickfire Questions – where Aliza shares insights, tips, and a few personal favourites.

Aliza’s story is packed with lessons for food entrepreneurs and small business owners alike — from embracing networking and personal growth to creatively marketing through supper clubs and dinner kit experiences.

The one key thing: Building a business that’s both commercially viable and ethically sustainable takes patience, creativity, and a deep belief in your product.

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For now, continue listening for the full story from Aliza.

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Kevin's Latest Book Is Available!

Drawing on BizSmart’s own research and experiences of working with hundreds of owner-managers, Kevin Brent explores the key reasons why most organisations do not scale and how the challenges change as they reach different milestones on the ScaleUp Journey. He then details a practical step by step guide to successfully navigate between the milestones in the form of ESUS - a proven system for entrepreneurs to scale up.

More on the Book HERE - https://www.esusgroup.co.uk/

 

Aliza can be found here:

[e-mail]

  

Resources:

Simon Sinek - The Optimism Podcast - https://simonsinek.com/podcast/

Diary of a CEO podcast - https://stevenbartlett.com/doac/

Trevor Noah podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@WhatNowPodcast