Merril J. Fernando, founder of Sri Lankan tea giant 'Dilmah' has died

He had created Sri Lanka's largest global brand, with products sold in more than 100 countries and among the top 10 tea brands in the world. Born into a Catholic family in 1930, Fernando had created his company from scratch. In recent years he had set up a foundation for the protection of forests.

Colombo (Asia News) - The founder of Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company, but also of Pure Ceylon Tea, Merrill J. Fernando, has died at the age of 93. He had built his tea empire after spending four decades working as an employee of a British-owned export company.

Fernando had launched the Dilmah brand in Australia in 1985. The breakthrough came when he landed a contract to make Farmland tea bags for G.J. the international supermarket chain Coles.

Dilmah's current chief executive, son Dilhan Fernando, said his father's legacy will be "everlasting" and added that "his remarkable journey 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 impact the lives of others."

The company derives around 85% of its retail sales from the Australian market, while it draws 15% of its revenue from management of hotels and catering services.

The United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung also joined in the condolences who wrote on Twitter: “My deepest 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 ”.

A pioneering entrepreneur, he made Sri Lankan tea famous which today thanks to his company is present and sold in over 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. In 1954 he began working as a tea assistant with Arthur Frederick Jones and his sons Dennis and Alan Jones at AF Jones & Co.

He began his tea career when he was 20 years old. Four years later, he was appointed managing director by the owning family of AF Jones & Co. In 1962, he resigned from AF Jones and established Ceylon Tea Services Company, that same year he established Merrill J. Fernando Company and exported loose tea to Russia, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Libya, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

In 1982 Merrill J. Fernando formed Ceylon Tea Services Ltd., which was listed as a public company at the request of the government to support the newly formed 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 gained numerous local and international recognitions under the leadership of Merrill J. Fernando, who will also be remembered for his humanity and concern for environmental protection. For this purpose, he established the Dilmah Conservation in 2007 with the aim of protecting the forests of his country.

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