Dilmah Founder Merrill J. Fernando made history when – in 1985 – he launched the world’s first genuinely ethical tea, grown, picked and perfected by growers for the benefit of their communities and industry. Connecting his love for fine tea, his desire for better lives & livelihoods for workers, and his quest for a more sustainable tea industry, he built his tea on a foundation of family values, with a heart of kindness.
40 years on, we celebrate the legacy of our late Founder, reaffirming our uncompromising commitment to the Quality, Integrity and Purpose that defined his lifetime of devotion to tea. We are honoured to share our refreshed Dilmah emblem with you. It features our Founder, and a figure representing the artisans to whose welfare he dedicated himself. Four quadrants depict nature, biodiversity, kindness, and the tea that gave him strength and was his life’s devotion.
The shield symbolises the various battles he had on his journey, and the faith and determination with which he fought to overturn a colonial economic system. It also conveys the elements in his arsenal – respect for Nature, nature’s influence upon Taste and Goodness, the Kindness that he embedded at the heart of Dilmah, and his passion for Tea. Above the shield is a Kandyan crown, adding our Founder’s love for Sri Lanka, and his entirely authentic mission to take our tea to the world. The royal crown is inspired by that worn by Sri Lanka’s last King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe and signifies the family brand’s emphasis on quality framed in authenticity, tradition, and a commitment to ethics aimed at addressing poverty and inequality in most tea growing countries.
Merrill J. Fernando’s pledge of kindness to people and nature and his emphasis on quality and integrity contrary to a prevailing culture of discounting, underline the ethical, sustainable economic model he advocated in preference to the exploitative colonial model he fought against. With its focus on the dignity of artisans, advocacy of respect for livelihoods, and sustainable, equitable growth, the Dilmah story offers encouragement to producers around the world in adding value to their produce, to derive fair and deserved benefit from the fruits of their passion and labour.
Unveiled on 6th May, our Founder’s birth anniversary, the refreshed emblem provides fresh appreciation and understanding of the Dilmah brand and philosophy.
