Merrill Joseph Fernando

Merrill Joseph Fernando (born 1930) is a Sri Lankan business owner, known for founding the Dilmah tea company. He was born in Negombo, in the North-west of Sri Lanka. He came from a middle class family of many children and had a comfortable childhood. When he was 18 he joined the Ceylon tea industry as a taster.^[1]

Career

Fernando was one of the first Sri Lankan tea tasters to be selected to learn about tea in Mincing Lane, London. Up until this time, the prevailing colonial system did not believe Sri Lankans were capable of assessing tea as they felt they ate too much curry which would affect their assessment of the taste. However, Fernando was one of five who were selected and trained in London.^[2]

It was here that Fernando witnessed a system of colonial exploitation that treated producing countries as raw material suppliers whereas branding and value addition were done overseas and all profits accrued never reached the producers. This greatly disturbed Fernando, who dreamed that someday he would create his own brand of tea where the producing country would receive all profits from value addition and thereby get their due recognition.^[3]

Charity Work

Fernando believes in the philosophy of seeing business as a matter of human service. 10% of all Dilmah profits are channelled to the MJF Charitable Foundation, which is working towards the dignified empowerment of underprivileged people around Sri Lanka.^[4]

Each year, the Foundation cares for over 5,000 children in its Child Development Centres, nurtures over 1000 children through the MJF Kids, empowers women, and has created over 600 entrepreneurs through the Small Entrepreneur Programme – SEP– and uplifted the lives of countless plantation workers. These are only a few of over 100 projects the MJF Foundation implements each year.^[5]

Sustainability

In 2007, Fernando extended his commitment to human service by establishing Dilmah Conservation, which focuses on working towards a more sustainable use of the environment in partnership with IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The Dilmah Conservation initiative aims to foster respect for the environment and ensure its protection by encouraging a harmonious co-existence of man and nature. In 2010, Fernando made a Declaration of a Core Commitment to Sustainability which expanded the Dilmah Conservation scope and scale to include initiatives in the areas of Habitat & Species Conservation – both terrestrial and marine, Ecosystems Restoration, Environmental Education and Culture & Indigenous Communities.^[6]

Awards & Achievements

Dilmah is the first producer owned tea brand in the world and is among the top ten tea brands. Fernando with over 60 years of expertise in tea has the distinction of being the most experienced teamaker in the world today. In 2005, Dilmah received an award from the Medinge Group for its work as a Brand with a Conscience and also received a Presidential Merit Award for contribution to the preservation of the environment in the same year. On 6 May 2015, Fernando received the Business for Peace Award in Oslo, Norway.^[7] The Business for Peace Foundation annually names honourees for the Oslo Business for Peace Award in recognition of business persons who, through their own actions and commitments truly are business worthy, promoting socially responsible and ethical business practice in an outstanding way, and standing out as examples to the world.^[8]

Timeline

1930 - Merrill J. Fernando is born in Negombo

1954 -Merrill J. Fernando starts work with AF Jones

Spends 12 months in London with Joseph Travers & Sons Ltd

1958 -MJF is appointed a director of AF Jones, and buys AF Jones with 2 partners when the company owners decide to return to England

1959 -MJF appointed Managing Director of AF Jones

1982 -MJF establishes Ceylon Tea Services Ltd

1985 -Merrill J Fernando is asked to supply pre-packed teas to Russia

1988 -Dilmah Tea launched in Australia

1994 -Dilmah establishes state of the art Tea packaging facility at 111, Negombo Road, Peliyagoda, Colombo

2002 -The MJF Charitable Foundation is officially inaugurated

2005 -Dilmah receives award from Medinge Group for its work as a Brand with a Conscience

Dilmah receives Presidential Merit Award for its contribution to the preservation of the environment

2007 -Official inauguration of Dilmah Conservation

2009 -Dilmah celebrates its 21st Anniversary and the Founder’s 60th Year in Tea

Dilmah School of Tea inaugurated in Colombo

First International Tea School established at the Institut Paul Bocuse in France

2010 -Dilmah pledges a core commitment to sustainability

Merrill J Fernando celebrates his 80th birthday

2013 -Dilmah celebrates 25 years as a brand

2015 - Merrill receives the Business for Peace Award in Oslo, Norway

See also

• The Cup of Kindness (2012). Dilmah Publication
• The Story Behind Your Cup of Tea (2013). Dilmah Publication ^[9]
• The Teamaker (2009). Dilmah Publication ^[10]

References

External links

• MJF Charitable Foundation
• Dilmah Conservation