Welcome to Dilmah
‘I DEVOTED MY LIFE TO TEA’
The story of my Dilmah began in 1988. I was then a small tea grower with big dreams, I wanted to bring my country’s tea – the finest in the world – garden fresh and ethically produced, direct to tea lovers around the world. I had to compete with giant multinational brands; many said that mine was an impossible dream. But loyal tea drinkers around the world have made my dream a reality.
1988
Dilmah Founder Merrill J. Fernando
Our Black Tea Selection
Family of Passionate Tea Makers
Merrill J. Fernando is joined in his passion for tea by his sons, Malik and Dilhan, whose names from the Dilmah brand.
We are Tea Growers
A small tea grower with big dreams: bringing Ceylon tea - the finest in the world - direct to tea lovers.
For Lovers of Tea
Bringing a luxury tea experience to tea drinkers, with a value addition reaching producers and helping sustain the tea community.
We Believe Integrity & Ethics
We maintain our founding commitment to integrity & ethics. Dilmah is a truly local and 100% carbon neutral product.
What is Dilmah?
Explore the World of Dilmah
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 commoditisation 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 commoditisation.
It took him nearly four decades and in 1988 he launched his own brand – Dilmah. Dilmah tea company 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 making it one of the finest teas of the world.
