Dilmah said its founder, Merrill J Fernando, worked every day until the age of 91. (Photos: Facebook/Dilmah)
SINGAPORE: The founder of Ceylon tea brand Dilmah, Merrill J Fernando, died aged 93 on Thursday (Jul 20) morning, the company said in a Facebook post.
Mr Fernando, who founded Dilmah in 1985, died in Sri Lankan capital Colombo surrounded by his sons and grandchildren.
"The visionary founder of Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company’s greatness was in his invincible faith, his integrity and love for tea and family," said the company.
It added that Mr Fernando was a "disrupter whose mission was simply for his passion to make lives better for other people".
Dilhan C Fernando, the founder's son and chief executive officer of Dilmah, said in an interview last year that his father was "in effect, the original disrupter".
"He was the first tea grower to overcome the economic colonialism that we still suffered with because our teas until the 1980s, were shipped in bulk to the United Kingdom, United States and so on," he said.
In its tribute on Thursday, Dilmah said Mr Fernando devoted his life to tea, working every day until he was 91 and maintaining "vigilance" until he died at the age of 93.
The company added that he was relentless in spreading the message of pure Ceylon tea, and fought against efforts at compromise or adulteration.
According to Mr Fernando's business philosophy on the company's website, he decided that Dilmah would "serve humanity" after he saw "so much inequality around the world".
"I wanted my passion for tea to benefit my customers, workers, marginalised people in the community and the environment; I made Dilmah a business that is also a matter of human service."
Dilmah has a philanthropic arm, MJF Charitable Foundation, which was established in 2002. A minimum 10 per cent of the pre-tax profits from Dilmah funded the foundation's work. Mr Fernando later increased this to 15 per cent in 2020.
"We remember Merrill J Fernando for his humanity and his achievement in personally and passionately creating a global family behind the cause he pursued every day of his life for 73 years," said Dilmah.
