In 1913 young Anthony Silva arrived in Giriulla, and little did he know that he will start one of the oldest coconut companies in the world. As a young entrepreneur, he started his first venture, a shop in Giriulla town with the Rs.2000 loaned by his Uncle. As luck would have it, the same year a great flood hit Giriulla town and destroyed most of the shops including his own. However, being the resilient individual he was, he used the remaining Rs. 750 he had, to start a trading business. By 1916, he divested from trading and started a fibre factory in Giriulla. In 1918 his entrepreneurial venture paid off, and he purchased the 150 acre “Babara Watte” which would later become the family estate. Once again, seeing a good business opportunity to produce DC, Oil and Copra he started a new venture by the name of Giriulla Mills, thus starting the legacy which would become Silvermill Group over the years.