What is the SPARK Project at Hambu Café?

SPARK is a social initiative connecting Hambu Café with rural pottery artisans in Lulnawa, Anuradhapura, where elder potters train rural youth to keep a 1000-year-old craft alive. Hambu purchases handmade clay pieces from these artisans for use at the café.

Why is the clay piece with my meal at Hambu Café handmade?

It's a cultural gift, handmade by a young or elderly artisan in Lulnawa, Anuradhapura, and purchased by Hambu Café as part of the SPARK Project — a way of supporting the artisans keeping Sri Lanka's pottery heritage alive.

SPARK

Hambu Café & SPARK

Meet the Hands Behind Your Gift

A bridge between past and future — the clay piece served with your meal today is a small part of something bigger.

An elder artisan in Lulnawa, Anuradhapura training a child on the pottery wheel, passing down a 1000-year-old craft

An artisan's hands shaping a clay bowl on the pottery wheel as part of the SPARK Project

A young artisan in Lulnawa, Anuradhapura proudly holding a handmade clay piece, surrounded by stacks of pottery

A Bridge Between Past & Future

Why This Matters

Sri Lanka's pottery heritage is fading — this is our small part in keeping it alive.

A Fading Craft

Sri Lanka's traditional pottery-making is a centuries-old art, and it's fading — fewer young people are staying in the village trades that shaped it.

Elders Teaching Youth

In Lulnawa, Anuradhapura, elder artisans are training rural youth at the wheel, passing down a 1000-year-old craft to a new generation.

Your Meal, Their Craft

The clay piece your meal is served in is purchased directly from these artisans as part of the SPARK Project — young or elderly, every piece supports a livelihood.