The founder of Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company Merrill. J Fernando has died at the age of 93 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Fernando passed away surrounded by his sons and grandchildren.
Dilmah is a Sri Lankan brand of Ceylon tea, sold internationally. The story of my Dilmah began in 1985 but the company was founded in 1988 by Merrill J Fernando.
The name Dilmah was chosen by combining the first names of Fernando’s sons Dilhan and Malik.
Fernando pioneered the brand’s signature Single Origin Tea in 1988, going against industry trends at the time to create unblended, “real” tea.
New Zealanders were among the first to embrace Dilmah and since then, it’s become a household name here and around the world, according to a press release, and added Fernando worked daily until the age of 91 and leaves behind two generations of his family to continue his work.
In 2019, Fernando was awarded an honorary doctorate by Massey University in New Zealand as Fernando’s commitment to the New Zealand food industry and tea.
He was nominated for the honour by the pro vice-chancellor of the College of Sciences, Professor Ray Geor, together with Distinguished Professor Paul Moughan, director of the university’s Riddet Institute, the release said.
The release went on to pay tribute to Fernando’s “invincible faith, his integrity and love for tea and family” who is also remembered for his charitable work, founding the Merrill J. Fernando Charitable Foundation to work with the wider Sri Lankan community, focused on youth, first-time entrepreneurs, community organisations, incarcerated people and war widows.
