SRI LANKA Merril J. Fernando, founder of ‘Dilmah’, the Sri Lankan tea giant, has died

It had created Sri Lanka’s largest global brand, whose products are sold in more than 100 countries and is one of the top 10 tea brands in the world. Fernando was born in 1930 into a Catholic family and built his company from scratch. In recent years he had created a foundation for the protection of forests.

Colombo (Asia News) – Merrill J. Fernando, founder of Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company and Pure Ceylon Tea, has passed away at the age of 93. He had built his tea empire after working as a clerk for a British-owned export company. In 1985 he launched the “Dilmah” brand in Australia. The turning point came when he landed a contract to package Farmland tea bags for GJ, the international Coles supermarket chain.

The current CEO of “Dilmah”, his son Dilhan Fernando, said that his father’s legacy will be “eternal”, adding that “his extraordinary career and unwavering passion have left an indelible mark on the world of tea. His spirit will forever inspire us to strive for excellence and positively influence the lives of others.” The company performs about 85% of their retail sales in the Australian marketwhile 15% of its income comes from the management of hotels and catering services.

Condolences were also expressed by the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung, who wrote on Twitter: “My condolences on the passing of Merrill J. Fernando. He was a pioneer who brought Ceylon tea to the world with great passion and inspired generations of entrepreneurs.” He made Sri Lankan tea famous which today, thanks to his company, is present and sold in more than 100 countries and is among the top 10 tea brands in the world.

Merrill J. Fernando was born in Negombo, one of the main cities of Sri Lanka located about 30 km from Colombo, on May 6, 1930, into a Catholic family. He started his career in the tea field when he was 20 years old. In 1954 he began working as a tea clerk with Arthur Frederick Jones and his sons Dennis and Alan Jones at AF Jones & Co. Four years later he was appointed general manager by the family that owned AF Jones & Co. In 1962, he resigned from AF Jones and founded the Ceylon Tea Services Company and in the same year created the Merrill J. Fernando Company and began exporting tea in bulk to Russia, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Libya , Egypt and Saudi Arabia. In 1982, Merrill J. Fernando created Ceylon Tea Services Ltd., which he listed as a public company at the request of the government to support the newly created Colombo Stock Exchange. The launch of Sri Lanka’s first value-added Ceylon tea brand “Dilmah” with Mauri Foods took place in 1985.

Over the years, “Dilmah” has earned numerous local and international awards under the direction of Merrill J. Fernando, who will also be remembered for his humanity and concern for environmental protection. In 2007 he had created Dilmah Conservation with the aim of protecting the forests of his country.