From the 6th to the 9th of May 2025, we hosted the 11th Dilmah Global Family Conference, our international partner gathering. It was a homecoming as 150 participants from 51 countries came together, each carrying a piece of the global Dilmah story, bound by one mission: to honour our past, celebrate the present, and shape the future of Ceylon Tea.
Months of meetings, late-night calls across time zones, creative brainstorming sessions, tasting trials, sorting over 100 flags, packing gifts, and box after box of samples — all leading to this moment. On the 6th of May, what would have been our Founder Merrill J. Fernando’s birthday, we began.
We gave a warm cultural welcome to our partners at the home of Dilmah in Peliyagoda. Here, they were taken through our state-of-the-art factory, where they witnessed the remarkable advancements in robotics and infrastructure that now support our craft. One of the most cherished moments was their visit to the tea room, where we proudly taste over 10,000 cups of tea each week to ensure only the finest reaches the world. All our partners — even our participant tea taster — got that slurp just right!
That evening, two commemorative stamps were officially unveiled by Sri Lanka Post. One honoured our beloved Founder, Merrill J. Fernando, the first native Sri Lankan tea grower to launch his own tea brand to the world. The other captured the heart of his mission: ethical tea, a deep respect for nature, and a lifelong service to people.
May 6th will forever be known as Kindness Day, at Dilmah – a day to reflect on the values our Founder lived by. Because to him, kindness was never weakness, but a strength and resilience, and business is — and always will be — a matter of human service.
A new chapter begins
This conference also marked the unveiling of our new Dilmah emblem. Our crest features our Founder and a figure representing the artisans to whose welfare he dedicated himself. The shield symbolises 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, her 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.
We relaunched the tea that first made our taste known around the world – Dilmah Premium and Gourmet selections, now with improved packaging and elegance. For the first time, we introduced the Windsor Forest collection, a symbol of natural luxury for true tea connoisseurs. There was excitement over the rare, radiant Dilmah Ruby Tea, a special tea created for the 40th anniversary.
Conversations Brewed with Heart
There were 39 sessions, each exploring not just tea, but also the world around it. Among many thought-provoking sessions, Prof. Tissa Amarakoon stood out as he shared the science behind tea and health. Alongside hundreds of nods, I too agreed that tea is a protector of the body, a fighter of inflammation, a friend to the gut, and a quiet warrior against diabetes and cancer. Grant Davidson then guided us through emerging market trends — from aesthetic packaging to trending loose leaf rituals.
We toasted to many success stories like Dilmah Malaysia, which grew sixfold in just four years, and Dilmah Australia, now a rising star. Beyond the products and sessions, what truly touched me were the moments in between.
Meeting faces behind familiar emails. Laughing over cups, glasses and plates inspired by tea, as world-class bartender Alberto Pizarro and winner of the Entree Awards 2021- Najade Bijl, served an exclusive tea-inspired menu. Listening to stories told with accents from every corner of the globe, sharing ideas, learning about each other’s cultures, and standing together for a cause greater than any of us alone.
The True Taste of Tea
We stand for kindness and to never compromise. We believe a simple leaf can carry the weight of a nation’s story and how one man’s dream, rooted in love for people and the planet, can grow into a family that spans the world.
And this is what makes Dilmah different. Behind every menu is not just a recipe, but an experience. Not just a product, but a purpose and as we close this chapter of celebration, our hearts are full. We are grateful, we are inspired and we are ready. Because this is not the end of the story, it is just the beginning of our next 40 years together.
Here’s to kindness, to courage, to Ceylon Tea.
Here’s to being Dilmah.
