Who owns KFC (Sri Lanka)?
KFC (Sri Lanka) is operated by Cargills (Sri Lanka, CSE: CARG.N0000) under licence, an arrangement in place since 1996; Cargills does not own the name.[1] The KFC name is owned by Yum! Brands, Inc.
Evidence: Cargills (Ceylon) PLC Integrated Annual Report 2025/26. Last checked .
Key facts
- Licensed to
- Cargills (Ceylon) PLC reported
- Since
- Headquarters
- 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka, Colombo
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Category
- Restaurants & foodservice › Quick-service restaurants › Burger & chicken chains
- Parent ticker
- CSE: CARG.N0000
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About KFC (Sri Lanka)
Cargills brought KFC to Sri Lanka in 1996 as the exclusive local franchisee and now runs 91 restaurants after opening twelve in the year to March 2026, making it the leader of the country's quick service market. It was the first KFC franchisee anywhere to put a rice dish on the menu, with KFC Biryani, and it added KFC Kottu for the same reason. Over 90 per cent of the raw materials for the business are sourced locally. The name itself is not Cargills': the KFC brand belongs to Yum! Brands, and Cargills operates it under franchise.
Ownership timeline of KFC (Sri Lanka)
Where KFC (Sri Lanka) sits in Cargills
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Cargills ownership tree →
See the full Cargills brand portfolio (9) →
Other brands owned by Cargills
Cargills controls 10 brands on Brandtree.
Other brands in burger & chicken chains, and who owns them
The 39 brands in burger & chicken chains on Brandtree belong to 24 owners. The largest is Jollibee Group, with 5.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Chowking | Jollibee Group | 🇵🇭 Philippines |
| Arby's | Inspire Brands | 🇺🇸 United States |
| KFC | Yum! Brands | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Chester's | CP Foods | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| Burger King | Restaurant Brands International | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| Papa Murphy's | MTY Group | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| Wimpy (Middle East) | Americana Restaurants | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates |
| Steak n Shake | Biglari Holdings | 🇺🇸 United States |
About the owner: Cargills
Cargills is a publicly listed company headquartered in Colombo, Sri Lanka, founded in 1844.
Cargills is Sri Lanka's largest food company, which began in 1844 as a general warehouse, import and wholesale business and until 1983 ran only four upmarket department stores. It now spans supermarkets, dairy, beverages, processed meats, confectionery and restaurants, and reported group revenue of Rs. 272.7 billion and profit after tax of Rs. 10.8 billion for the year ended 31 March 2026. Its distinguishing feature is the agricultural supply chain it built after 1999, buying fruit and vegetables directly from smallholders through collection centres rather than through middlemen, which makes it the single largest collector of produce in the country.
🇺🇸 KFC (Sri Lanka) and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,570 brands that began in the United States. 501 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, KFC (Sri Lanka) among them.
- Applebee's — Dine Brands 🇺🇸
- Arby's — Inspire Brands 🇺🇸
- Baja Fresh — MTY Group 🇨🇦
- Bonefish Grill — Bloomin' Brands 🇺🇸
- Burger King — Restaurant Brands International 🇨🇦
- Caribou Coffee — Panera Brands 🇺🇸
Frequently asked questions
Who makes KFC (Sri Lanka)?
Cargills makes and sells KFC (Sri Lanka) under a licensing agreement that has been in place since 1996.
Does Cargills own KFC (Sri Lanka)?
No. Cargills holds a licence to make and sell KFC (Sri Lanka), which is not the same as owning it.
Where did KFC (Sri Lanka) come from?
KFC (Sri Lanka) originated in the United States.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Cargills (Ceylon) PLC Integrated Annual Report 2025/26 — Cargills (Ceylon) PLC, Annual report; retrieved 23 September 2026.
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