Merrill J. Fernando dedicated his life to tea when in the 1950s, he saw the concentration of ownership in the tea industry in the hands of a few large corporations. This was leading to the commoditization of tea. He decided that in the interest of tea drinkers around the world, and the crop that his country produced with so much care and artistry, he would fight this process of commoditization.
Dilmah was the first producer owned tea brand, and offered tea ‘picked, perfected and packed’ at origin. Unlike the multi-origin blends that monopolised supermarket shelves, Dilmah brought tea that is freshly packed at source and therefore rich in flavour and natural goodness.
This is what makes Dilmah the first ethically produced tea. In 2005, Merrill and his sons Dilhan and Malik, pledged to follow the principles dictated by the 12 Principles of Dilmah in every aspect of their business and in the conduct of their workers, staff and management.
That pledge is fulfilled in our commitment to garden fresh, unblended tea of the finest quality. Our Founder’s intention to make his tea ethical, is honoured in the work of his MJF Charitable Foundation and Dilmah Conservation.
The promise our father gave consumers when offering the first genuinely ethical tea that was packed garden fresh at source, is what Dilmah offers today, twenty-eight years later.
Simply visit our Online Store for shop your favorite tea without visiting our places securely.Dilmah is a distinct, Single Origin, authentic and ethical Ceylon tea, manufactured according to traditional methods that maintain its quality and freshness.
Ceylon tea is a popular type of black tea that is also known as Sri Lankan tea. In Ceylon, we value a tradition of tea making that gave Ceylon Tea the reputation of being the finest in the world and nurturing the artisanal style that makes the finest Ceylon Teas indisputably the best in the world.
It was also one of the world’s leading brands, familiar to consumers from Virginia to Vladivostok – a brand the industry had been actively promoting and investing in since the early 1930s. Abandoning it would deliver a setback from which there could be no easy recovery. And the cost of promoting and establishing an unfamiliar new brand – ‘Sri Lanka Tea’.
Though opposed by some who demanded a complete break with the colonial past and a new start for the country, industry leaders managed to persuade the socialist government then in power to permit the continued use of the name Ceylon to refer to the country’s most famous product. Tea from Sri Lanka would still be marketed as Ceylon Tea, a priceless world brand had been saved.
It has made all arrangement to celebrate 150th anniversary of Sri Lanka Tea Industry. There are many events such as Global Tea Party, book launch, regional level exhibitions have been organized to mark the above celebration. Parallel to 150th anniversary the Educational & Trade exhibitions have been organized at regional level.
The tale begins in the early 1820s, barely five years after the surrender of Kandy, the last surviving indigenously-ruled state in Ceylon, to the British crown. By then, the rest of the island had already been a British colony for more than a generation.