In the midst of a pandemic that brought the world to a standstill, something began to stir fragrantly. It didn’t begin in a boardroom or with a slick pitch deck, but in a kitchen where Eresha De Zoysa, after a distinguished career in law, found herself reconnecting with a rich familial legacy in the spice trade. That vision became Lord & Lion, a brand that has since carved out a distinctive space in Australia’s food scene through a growing network of boutique stockists and a national par
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In the midst of a pandemic that brought the world to a standstill, something began to stir fragrantly. It didn’t begin in a boardroom or with a slick pitch deck, but in a kitchen where Eresha De Zoysa, after a distinguished career in law, found herself reconnecting with a rich familial legacy in the spice trade.That vision became Lord & Lion, a brand that has since carved out a distinctive space in Australia’s food scene through a growing network of boutique stockists and a national partnership with David Jones. In 2025, the premium spice brand found itself placed upon the shelves of Harrods in Knightsbridge London, one of the world’s most storied department stores.De Zoysa’s family had been in the spice trade for over a century, but she herself had spent decades far from it. With the advent of Covid-19 lockdowns, she took a bold turn in her career and has since emerged as a fourth-generation spice merchant.“I felt like I needed to go back to basics. Going back to basics, for me, was cooking with spices and getting back to the roots of medicine,” De Zoysa told Inside Retail.For De Zoysa, a return to spices was elemental in a world reeling from uncertainty. She went back to what she describes as ‘the original preservative’. What began as a personal project, slow and grounding, soon revealed itself as something more.Story in spiceThere is an apparent elegance and authenticity to Lord & Lion, containing a world of stories and traditions in a jar, its presence is confident and steeped in heritage that cannot be easily replicated.“Spices have always been in the family, but I never thought I’d be involved,” she explained.“My introduction was as a child, going to my grandparents’ house and running around the cinnamon plantations,” she added.To acquire this partnership, De Zoysa didn’t rely on industry contacts or investor backing, she relied on instinct and audacity. Having already been established for two years, De Zoysa had a steady customer base and created a specially designed range just for Harrods. “On LinkedIn I searched for anyone with a Harrods address and messaged them. I got on a plane, took some samples and when I landed I sent a message and said, ‘I’m in the country, heading to Paris—if you’d like to see the range, I’m here’. They responded, ‘Can you be here in an hour?’” De Zoysa explained.And just like that, an idea born in lockdown took its place on one of the most prestigious retail stages in the world.A focus on craftAccording to De Zoysa, spices have always been more than just culinary ingredients but symbols of wealth, power, and history. Lord & Lion’s success didn’t come from rushing to market, however it came from resisting the urge to dilute.“Spices should be given this incredible love and attention and that’s why they should be in the grand food halls of the world. They were once this commodity more valuable than gold,” she explained.In centuries past, the spice trade was one of the original global trade routes, predating even the Silk Road. Spice merchants stored their goods in ornate, gold trimmed jars and spices themselves were worn as jewellery or used in dowries.This deep history contrasts sharply with how we treat spices today, stored in simple, mass-produced containers in supermarket aisles, a far cry from their historical status.De Zoysa ensured Lord & Lion was never going to look like anything else in a typical supermarket aisle. With packaging designed by jeweller and artist Jenny Manik Mercian, the brand presents less like a typical product and more like a carefully curated artefact, aligning naturally with the curated luxury environment of a store like Harrods. At its heart, Lord & Lion is about preservation of culture, quality and flavour. The brand is not mass market, and it doesn’t want to be. This is a brand more at home in fine food grocers and boutiques than on the shelf of a supermarket.At the same time, the ambition is there though just focused differently. Less about market share and more about meaning.The brand is also rooted in its focus on female excellence, with the business consisting almost completely of a female team and supporting educational programs for girls in Sri Lanka and India. The next chapterDe Zoysa continues to travel regularly to Sri Lanka, and while Lord & Lion remains a relatively small operation, it carries a premium reputation with broader cultural weight. Among Lord & Lion’s standout blends are its ‘Curry Roasted’ Sri Lankan curry powder and spicy coconut Kolhapur masala, both carrying centuries of technique and taste. With products now stocked at Harrods and a new ‘One and Only’ range in the works with restaurateur and chef Peter Kuruvita, the brand is growing, on its own terms. Still practicing law in her spare time, De Zoysa has chosen a path that resists mass production. Focusing instead on the idea that heritage can be reawakened through strategic partnerships, Lord & Lion reminds us that some histories are best understood through taste.
