Cinnamon Bark Cinnamon Bark (MadagascarSri Lanka)

Why Sri Lanka & Madagascar?

In the heart of the Indian Ocean, two extraordinary islands—Sri Lanka and Madagascar—offer not only an ideal climate for cinnamon bark but also the opportunity to support resilient, rural communities rooted in tradition.

Sri Lanka, the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, is a land of breathtaking contrasts. From golden beaches where sea turtles nest to misty highlands echoing with ancient Buddhist chants, the island’s natural beauty is matched only by the richness of its ancient culture and history. Cinnamon trees flourish in its subtropical climate, particularly in the island’s rural regions, where generations of farmers have cultivated the land with care and reverence. These communities, though modest in means, are rich in knowledge and dedication—making Sri Lanka not just a source of high-quality cinnamon bark, but a place where sourcing can uplift and empower.

Across the sea, on the eastern coast of Madagascar, cinnamon trees thrive in a similarly lush and mountainous environment, renowned for its rich biodiversity and fertile soil and in a subtropical climate shaped by monsoonal rains and seasonal cyclones. Introduced in the 17th century by sailors, cinnamon has become a vital part of the region’s agricultural identity. Here, the air is fragrant with clove, black pepper, and cinnamon—spices that have long sustained small-scale farmers and shaped the island’s cultural rhythm. In this celebrated spice corridor, doTERRA’s sourcing partner works directly with growers—who are often cultivating their family-owned plots—promoting fair pricing and long-term stability for their way of life. By removing intermediaries and investing in local knowledge, this partnership honors the expertise of those who have tended these trees for generations.

Together, Sri Lanka and Madagascar represent more than ideal growing conditions—they embody a sourcing philosophy rooted in respect, sustainability, and shared prosperity. doTERRA’s Cinnamon Bark essential oil comes from our sourcing partner in Madagascar, and cinnamon essential oil in our OnGuard® blend and MetaPWR® blend are both sourced from Sri Lanka. Through these partnerships, every drop of cinnamon bark oil in doTERRA’s products carries not just purity and potency, but a story of place, people, and purpose.

How does it work?

Cinnamon trees can be harvested to produce multiple products popular in the spice and essential oil markets. While the spice industry has traditionally focused on bark, the essential oil industry values both components. In Sri Lanka, doTERRA sources cinnamon bark oil from thousands of smallholder farmers who harvest the leaves and bark separately.

While the spice industry traditionally values thick bark aged over three years, the essential oil industry benefits from thinner bark, which matures in just six months—making it a more accessible and frequent income source for smallholder farmers.

To maintain productivity, cinnamon trees in Sri Lanka are harvested by coppicing in the spring, a method that encourages regrowth and increases yields. Coppicing involves cutting the tree about one foot from its base. This encourages the growth of new shoots. This method is sustainable and leads to strong vegetative growth. Every coppice leads to three or more new shoots, which grow into harvest-ready trees in three to five years, ensuring a continuous cycle of growth and yield—of both cinnamon bark and leaves.

Once the cinnamon tree is coppiced, the leaves are removed and distilled separately to produce cinnamon leaf oil, while the bark is sun-dried for 2–3 days, then soaked for up to 48 hours to enhance oil yield. Finally, it undergoes steam distillation for 8–10 hours to extract the rich, spicy essential oil.

In Sri Lanka, cinnamon is native and deeply woven into the island’s agricultural heritage. Just outside Colombo, Sri Lanka, doTERRA’s Cinnamon Bark essential oil is produced in a facility that exemplifies both technical excellence and dedication to responsible production. This factory, built exclusively for doTERRA, is led by a sourcing partner with a background in mechanical engineering who seeks not only to honor his grandfather’s legacy of distilling essential oils but also helps farmers and communities through promoting purity of essential oils in their own country and industry. After training with a master distiller in the region, he established a state-of-the-art distillation site that meets rigorous safety and environmental standards.

The Cinnamon Bark oil produced here comes from chips and bark fragments—by-products of the cinnamon quilling and spice industry. These include inner bark, small and large chips, and quillings, all of which must meet doTERRA’s strict quality specifications. The small and large chips of the bark are prepared by locals who take fallen branches from trimmings on the plantations, and take them home to prepare by beating the branches with a wooden tool—like a hammer—to chip off the bark in small fragments. Quillings are thin, curled strips of cinnamon bark that are produced during the process of making cinnamon sticks (also known as quills). Making these quillings involves highly skilled “peelers” who slice layers of the cinnamon tree trunk, pulling back paper thin layers of the trunk, which naturally stay in the form of tight curls, as if remembering its original position hugging the skinny tree trunk. These curled, paper-thin layers of cinnamon trunk are then neatly stacked one inside another to create the cinnamon quills that we see in the market. Sourcing enough high-quality raw material to meet demand can be a challenge, especially when aiming for both purity and volume. However, the team’s commitment to excellence ensures that every batch reflects the highest standards of essential oil production.

The raw bark material is collected through a network of regional collectors, each working with up to 50 individual chippers—many of whom are women. This model not only supports local livelihoods but also empowers women in rural communities by providing them with a reliable source of income.

On the southeast coast of Madagascar, cinnamon trees grow on small family farms—many passed down through generations. Each farmer typically manages around 0.1 to 1 hectare of land, often blending cinnamon with other crops like clove. These groves are more than just farmland—they are a legacy. Distillation is not a simple task in Madagascar; the terrain is rugged—accessible only by foot, motorcycle, or boat. In some regions, cinnamon bark is transported via canals to reach distilleries nestled deep in the countryside. These distilleries are often family-run, like one near the coast where a small family also operates a nursery to propagate cinnamon and clove seedlings.

Following a devastating cyclone that impacted over 5,000 farmers, doTERRA’s sourcing partner stepped in to support recovery efforts—providing seedlings and helping farmers rebuild their livelihoods.

Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil | doTERRA Behind the Bottle: Episode 7

Supporting Environmental Stewardship In the southern part of Sri Lanka, multiple sustainable sourcing practices are followed. Every part of the tree is utilized—from leaves and bark to branches—for spice and oil production. Cinnamon trees naturally re-coppice after harvesting, requiring no active management. Harvesting involves leaving the root intact, and bark peeling is done at various scales, from small farms to larger operations.
Sustainability is woven into every step of the process. The factory uses rubber wood from a sustainable supply as its primary energy source. No irrigation is needed, and water is recycled throughout the distillation process, and spent biomass—the material left after distillation—is repurposed by local industries, including incense making. These practices reduce waste and minimize the environmental footprint of production.

To operate legally and responsibly, all distilleries in Sri Lanka must hold an Environment Protection Law (ELP) certificate, issued by the government. This certification requires annual audits and compliance with a comprehensive set of environmental and operational standards. In Sri Lanka, to sustain the plantations, trees are coppiced in spring to encourage regrowth, and new seedlings are regularly planted.

Every drop of doTERRA Cinnamon Bark essential oil carries the story of resilience, tradition, and care. Whether it’s the hands of a farmer in Madagascar stripping bark under the sun or a Sri Lankan distiller – extracting oil in a biomass-powered distillation unit, this oil is a testament to the power of responsible sourcing and sustainable agriculture.

Building a Positive Work Culture doTERRA’s sourcing partner for Cinnamon Bark and Cinnamon Leaf oils in Sri Lanka is valued for their dedication to producing pure, natural essential oils that reflect the integrity of their origins. The partner supports community initiatives such as education scholarships and temple restorations. Mahogany and teak seedlings are also distributed to help farmers diversify their income sources.

Cinnamon Bark sourcing in Madagascar

Building Supplier Capacity & Supporting Safe Practices
In June 2024, our partner proposed a Challenge Fund project that empowered producers with practical education through a carefully designed calendar, offering guidance on health and safety measures, seasonal best practices in cinnamon cultivation —a practical and visual guide that continues to educate and inspire. In addition to this grant, doTERRA contributes by providing prepayments to the supplier, in an effort to support timely payment to peelers and collectors of cinnamon bark. These types of initiatives reflect more than training and policy—they represent a shared commitment from our partner, supply chain members, and doTERRA of excellence, dignity, and long-term impact for the communities at the heart of doTERRA’s sourcing story.

Educational Support for Sri Lankan Farming Communities Through the doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation, around 100 children from the cinnamon farming community in Sri Lanka received backpacks, shoes, and school supplies. In a rural cinnamon-farming community, the simple act of placing a backpack on a child’s shoulders can offer a renewed sense of dignity and belonging. Many families cannot afford basic school items, leading to low school attendance. With these essential tools in hand, classrooms once marked by empty seats began to fill. Throughout the time of the school’s focused commitment to improving their educational experience—including seeking partnership with our sourcing partner and doTERRA to fund backpacks, shoes and supplies, and other factors—the principal reported the school saw a 30% increase in attendance. Sri Lankan children came to school in uniforms to better learning conditions—but the true transformation was less about numbers and more about presence—of minds engaged, of futures strengthened.
Among them was a boy whose father carefully peels cinnamon bark by hand. The morning the school supplies were distributed, the father’s labor met its purpose not in profit, but in possibility—etched in the careful handwriting of his son’s schoolwork.

By removing barriers to education and investing in the well-being of farming families, doTERRA and the Healing Hands Foundation are hoping to cultivate not only cinnamon, but also confidence, opportunity, and hope in the next generation.