The Perfect Brew

Merrill J Fernando, founder of the Dilmah Tea company, speaks to The Peak about the values that drives his business and propels him to give back to his home country.

- Neda Al-Asedi

Tell us more about how the Dilmah tea company started back in 1988.

Ceylon tea has always been known as the finest tea in the world and when I first realized the future of the Ceylon tea industry was huge, I had a dream to build my own brand and business. Hence, in 1988 I launched Dilmah Tea. All of the brand building and branding initiatives were held in Sri Lanka itself. Kickstarting a brand from scratch was one of the most challenging parts of growing the business. When thinking of a brand name for my tea, I wanted to name it Dilmah after my two sons Dilhan and Malik; it is a family-owned business after all.

Why did you choose to start a business in tea, and how was the process like building your company into a household name as it is now?

Growing up, I would spend time in my friends’ tea estates. I would enjoy the cool air and the view of acres of absolutely green tea fields. I had witnessed myself how estate workers were very diligent, hardworking and committed. Although it was nearly six decades ago, the contribution of the estate workers to the tea industry was and still is enormous.

After completing high school, I spent some time in London’s Mincing Lane for a tea tasting training, which was also their World Tea Centre – 10,000 miles away from the nearest tea plantation. That particular visit to London was what brought me to this position in life.