Dilmah chairman Dilhan C Fernando on following tradition to the ‘tea’
Dilhan C Fernando shares insights on the legacy of the globally loved tea brand and its commitment to quality, sustainability and the future of tea
19 February, 2025
TT
16
Dilmah Tea, a global tea company founded by Merrill J Fernando, has been a pioneer in the tea industry for decades.
In an exclusive interview, his son and now Dilmah chairman Dilhan C Fernando shares insights into the company’s commitment to quality, sustainability, and innovation.
Fernando discusses the challenges and opportunities in the evolving tea market, the importance of ethical sourcing, and the company’s efforts to promote tea culture globally. He also sheds light on Dilmah’s unique approach to tea production, its focus on sustainability, and its plans for the future.
The global tea market has seen significant changes in recent years. How has Dilmah adapted to evolving consumer preferences, particularly regarding sustainability and ethical sourcing?
My father – Dilmah Founder, Merrill J Fernando – set out in 1985 to make the world a better tea. He devoted his life to tea and, wishing to make Dilmah a business that is also a matter of human service, he formed our family company on a foundation of quality and integrity, with a heart of kindness.
He passed away last year at the age of 93, although we honour the inspiring legacy of kindness he leaves, with a minimum of 15 per cent of the pretax profits used to build schools, and hospitals, fund scholarships and vocational training for the less fortunate, nutrition, welfare, healthcare and housing for plantation workers.
A further 5 per cent is used by our Dilmah Conservation for biodiversity conservation and restoration, environmental education and awareness, and climate action. That emphasis on kindness to people and nature is our greatest resilience today.
With the rise of speciality teas and artisanal blends, how does Dilmah maintain its position in the premium tea segment while staying true to its Ceylon roots?
We are tea growers, driven by a passion for tea. Maintaining the perspective of a tea grower in a tea category corroded by discounts and compromise is difficult, but we believe that where quality – taste and goodness – are concerned, we must always focus on doing what is right, and not what is profitable. When we do that, the profit will find us, because quality will always triumph.
Having our tea gardens, amongst our greatest joys is the expression of the art of teamaking, and our Uva Seasonal Flush is an example of that.
Each month we produce single estate teas in our luxury collection, including our 85 Reserve, t-Series Designer Gourmet Teas, and others.
Dilmah Tea hosted an exclusive event in Dubai in November last year, featuring the Uva Seasonal Flush tea. Could you elaborate on what makes this particular tea unique and why it was chosen for this event?
Ceylon Tea acquired its desirability as a result of our emphasis on high-quality teas made in the traditional, orthodox way, blessed with significant natural diversity of aroma and taste. From among the seven tea-growing regions of Ceylon, teas grown in the remote Uva region were known for their pleasantly mellow character.
During the autumnal, southwest monsoon, however, they are transformed for a brief moment – dry and desiccating winds barrel through the mountainous region, causing a natural seasonal, wintergreen character in the teas. This rare and exotic seasonal character expresses the fingerprint of nature in teas — handpicked and handmade in the artisanal, orthodox style.
A changing climate meant that we haven’t had a Uva Seasonal Flush Tea for five years, and that makes this one very special. Bright, with complex minty, eucalyptus merging with floral notes and soft astringency – it’s an exceptional tea.
As the parent company of Resplendent Ceylon, which operates luxury resorts in Sri Lanka, how does Dilmah integrate its tea heritage into the guest experience at these properties?
Tea is hospitality in Sri Lanka, and as a boutique, luxury resort company our Relais & Chateaux resorts are imbued with tea inspiration. Ceylon Tea Trails was the first of our resorts, where tea-inspired cuisine is complemented by fine teas, in the extraordinary setting of Ceylon’s most historic tea-growing region.
Adding to the allure of our Cape Weligama and Wild Coast resorts is a tea experience where the taste of the goodness of nature’s healing herb is presented in its purest form as well as in tea-inspired gastronomy and mixology.
Tea is elegant, and natural serenity, and that is what we invite our guests to experience.
Dilmah has been a pioneer in promoting tea and food pairings. Could you share insights into how this concept has been received globally and its impact on tea appreciation?
Tea has a very special relationship with food, in that it can dignify food by pushing and pulling flavour and texture, unlike any other beverage.
In partnership with fine food, chefs can deliver inspiring gastronomic experiences by using well-paired teas to highlight the texture of perfectly roasted Chilean Seabass, or the flavour in Ecuadorian cacao, even illuminating something as mundane as a salad Nicoise. It is a complex relationship, although with expertise, fine food pairs perfectly with fine tea.
We have shared the concept in Masterclasses from Santiago to Sydney and with over 6,000 hospitality professionals at our Dilmah School of Tea, and the appreciation of the combination has been phenomenal. That is accelerating now, with the global no-low trend for non-alcoholic or low-alcohol experiences. Tea offers the elegance of fine beverages, with beautiful stories behind each artisanal tea.
The Middle East, especially Dubai, is a significant market for luxury brands. What strategies has Dilmah employed to cater to the tastes and preferences of consumers in this region?
We recently celebrated a relationship of 33 years with Emirates Airlines, where our collaboration has produced exceptional inflight and lounge tea experiences designed to complement Emirates’ hospitality. In the same way, the work we have done with ICCA (International Centre for Culinary Arts) has helped us to share our passion for tea, framed in the unique perspective of tea growers.
We work with some of Dubai’s finest hospitality operators to offer tea-inspired experiences, tea gastronomy, and tea mixology, extending to signature, single estate, and seasonal teas. Our focus is on sharing our passion for tea, and that starts with education. We have educated thousands of hospitality professionals in the region and building on that we offer teas that are picked, perfected, and packed garden fresh at source. Where tea is concerned, freshness delivers better flavour and natural antioxidant goodness.
Beyond traditional tea offerings, how is Dilmah innovating in areas like wellness teas or functional beverages to meet contemporary health trends?
Tea is uniquely rich in natural, antioxidant goodness. The herb was first discovered as a medicine, and modern science has proven the ancient wisdom shared by Lu Yu, who first discovered tea. Adding the cognitive health benefits of L-theanine, tea is said to offer wellness ranging from reduced risk of heart disease, and stroke, protection from cancer, reduction of the impact of stress, reduced risk of dementia, improved gut health, and a host of other benefits.
Having expanded our offering to include tea extract — our Elixir of Ceylon Tea — and Iced Tea, we also offer ayurveda infusions, linked to the 3,000-year tradition of holistic health that is inspired by Sri Lanka’s extraordinary biodiversity. We grow many of the herbs and spices that are prized for their health benefits, and in addition to our Uva Seasonal Flush, also present our Dilmah Finest Ceylon Cinnamon.
True Ceylon Cinnamon is said to have potent health benefits including the effect of cinnamaldehyde in preventing the initiating and development of cancers and protecting from type 2 diabetes and dementia.
Looking ahead, what are Dilmah’s plans for expanding its global footprint, and how does the company envision the future of tea culture worldwide?
For many years, the tea category was commoditised by the discount culture in mainstream retail. We have a new generation of consumers – Gen Z – that are conscious consumers, mindful of the welfare of people and nature in making their choices, motivated by natural wellness, and desiring taste adventure framed in nature and heritage.
Tea offers all that, and so our vision for the future is a fresh perspective on the past. Loose-leaf tea, artisanal and single estate teas, high-quality iced teas, and quality linked to ethics and wellness.
This bodes well for artisans, and as tea growers these trends are validation of the uncompromising focus we maintained on the mission my father embarked upon in 1950 — to offer the world better tea.
