Merrill J. Fernando

Merrill Joseph Fernando{{cite web | title=Founder of Dilmah tea Merrill J. Fernando has passed away | website=Hiru News | date=20 July 2023 | url=https://www.hirunews.lk/english/business/341855/founder-of-dilmah-tea-merrill-j-fernando-has-passed-away | access-date=22 July 2023}}{{cite web | first=M | last=Alaguvelan | title= Merrill Fernando | website=Fresherslive | date=20 July 2023 | url=https://www.fresherslive.com/latest/articles/merrill-fernando-cause-of-death-what-happened-to-merrill-fernando-how-did-merrill-fernando-diewho-was-merrill-fernando-1555149691 | access-date=22 July 2023}} was born into a Catholic family{{cite web | last=Perera | first=Melani Manel | title=Merril J. Fernando, founder of Sri Lankan tea giant 'Dilmah' has died | website=Asia News | date=21 July 2023 | url=https://www.asianews.it/news-en/Merril-J.-Fernando%2C-founder-of-Sri-Lankan-tea-giant-%27Dilmah%27-has-died-58844.html | access-date=26 July 2023}} 6 May 1930 in the village of Pallansena, near Kochchikade,{{cite web|first= Surya |last=Vishwa | title=Review: The story of Ceylon Teamaker, Merrill J. Fernando – Part 1 | website=Daily FT | date=31 May 2023 | url=https://www.ft.lk/business/Review-The-story-of-Ceylon-Teamaker-Merrill-J-Fernando-Part-1/34-748923 | access-date=26 July 2023}} in Negombo, British Ceylon, a village north of Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka.{{cite web | last=Noack | first=Georgina | title=Founder of iconic Aussie tea brand dies | website=news.com | date=21 July 2023 | url=https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/iconic-dilmah-tea-founder-merrill-j-fernando-dies-age-93/news-story/a6820050ddfacee3d006798a71cd2fbc | access-date=22 July 2023}} After beginning at the Pallansena village school, then St Mary's in Negombo, he moved to Colombo, attending Maris Stella College and then St Joseph's College.{{Cite web |title=Merrill J. Fernando: The underdog entrepreneur who challenged the multinationals| date=18 August 2013| first= Feizal |last= Samath |url=https://www.pressreader.com/sri-lanka/sunday-times-sri-lanka/20130818/282595965558778 |access-date=23 July 2023 |publisher= Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)|via=PressReader}}

He also studied for four years to be a priest, at the St. Aloysius seminary in Borella, but was eventually rejected by the brothers there as a candidate.

He then went to London to train as a tea taster at Mincing Lane.{{cite interview | first=Merrill J. |last= Fernando| title=Merrill J. Fernando | website=Harvard Business School | date=26 July 2023 | url=https://www.hbs.edu/creating-emerging-markets/interviews/Pages/profile.aspx?profile=mfernando | access-date=26 July 2023}} While there, he noticed that tea was being mixed and blended but still marketed as pure Ceylon tea. The tea was bought cheaply, with branding and packaging taking place in Europe and the UK, returning small profits to Sri Lankan tea producers while middlemen (wholesalers and resellers, mainly a few large corporations) reaped the lion's share of the profits.{{cite news|url=http://www.indianlink.com.au/people-the-dilmah-story/|title=People: The Dilmah story |publisher=India Link |first=Minnal|last=Khona|date=6 June 2013|access-date=12 October 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314204735/http://www.indianlink.com.au/people-the-dilmah-story| archive-date= 14 March 2017}}

Fernando started his career in tea when he was just 20 years old as a tea assistant with A. F. Jones and Company,{{efn|The company, which was founded in 1912, still exists, branded Jones Tea.{{cite web | title=The finest tea since 1912 | website=AF Jones Tea | url=http://www.jonestea.com/ | access-date=26 July 2023}}}} a tea exporting company run by Arthur Frederick Jones and his sons Dennis and Alan Jones, where he was appointed managing director in 1954. In the mid-1950s, the company was in the business of selling tea in the bulk to international companies for blending and reselling. Fernando is credited with changing the focus of the company from its Anglocentric market to new markets such as Japan and the USSR.{{cite web|first=Rohan |last= Pethiyagoda | title=God's teamaker | website=The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka | date=25 June 2023 | url=https://www.sundaytimes.lk/230625/plus/gods-teamaker-523325.html | access-date=26 July 2023| quote=The story of Ceylon teamaker Merrill J. Fernando; Reviewed by Rohan Pethiyagoda}} In 1956, when a change in government looked to seize control of some foreign-owned estates, the Jones family left the country, and Fernando acquired their estates via a consortium. In 1962 Fernando established Ceylon Tea Services Company and Merrill J. Fernando Company, which exported loose tea to several countries, including North America and Australasia.

Fernando bought his first few tea estates in the 1970s.{{cite web | title=His cup of tea | website=History of Ceylon Tea | date=4 September 2020 | url=https://www.historyofceylontea.com/ceylon-publications/ceylon-tea-articles/his-cup-tea.html | access-date=22 July 2023}} After the nationalisation of the plantations in 1971–72, Fernando stepped down to start MJF Exports, and within a few years most Australian retailers sourced their house brands from MJF.

In 1982, Fernando established Ceylon Tea Services Ltd, which became one of the first companies listed as a public company on the Colombo Stock Exchange. In the mid-1980s, he started negotiations with the Australian supermarket retailer Coles, eventually persuading them to stock his tea. He founded Dilmah in 1985, by introducing single-origin tea as competition to blended commodity tea.{{cite news |last=Rosenfeld |first=Cynthia |date=11 February 2015 |title=Tea in Sri Lanka: Travelers take sips steeped history |publisher=CNN |url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/sri-lanka-tea-experiences/index.html |access-date=12 October 2017}} The tea started with exports to Australia and New Zealand, and in the 1990s to Europe and North America. In 2013, Australia made up 10 percent of Dilmah's global annual retail sales.{{cite web |url=http://www.brw.com.au/p/business/dilmah_founder_draws_on_years_of_g1hQG6vcpiNGvCRgh47ZgM |title=Dilmah founder draws on 25 years of tea business |access-date=8 July 2013 |publisher=BRW. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130706234049/http://www.brw.com.au/p/business/dilmah_founder_draws_on_years_of_g1hQG6vcpiNGvCRgh47ZgM |archive-date=6 July 2013 |url-status=dead }} As of 2016, Dilmah tea was sold in over 100 countries.

Fernando stood down as CEO of Dilmah in 2019 and was succeeded by his son Dilhan Fernando.{{cite news |author= |date=2 July 2019 |title=Dilmah's Family Legacy Is Set To Continue With The Appointment Of A New CEO |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/viva/sponsored/dilmahs-family-legacy-is-set-to-continue-with-the-appointment-of-a-new-ceo/BJLAYTETOM5D26K5Z5AKMXNJEI/ |work= |location=New Zealand Herald |access-date=}}

In 2007, Fernando founded Dilmah Conservation, "to incorporate environmental and wildlife conservation efforts into the work of the MJF Foundation, which primarily focuses on social justice".{{cite web | title=Conservation of Biodiversity and Heritage |website= Dilmah Conservation | url=https://www.dilmahconservation.org/about-us.html | access-date=28 April 2021}} One of its main aims was to protect Sri Lankan forests. The MJF charitable foundation uses 15% of the pre-tax profits of Dilmah and related companies to provide nutritional, educational, and other support to disabled children, the elderly, and youth in marginalised communities. It has also supported Indigenous Indian tribes adjust to the 21st century, and survivors of the 2004 tsunami.

In 2015, Fernando was honoured by an Oslo Business for Peace award.

In 2016, he was chosen as Sri Lankan of the Year and in the same year he was awarded the FIRST Award for Responsible Capitalism for improving the lives of underprivileged children and deprived communities.

Dilmah was recognised by brand think tank Medinge Group as a Brand with a Conscience.

In 2018, Fernando received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Association of Chefs' Societies.

In August 2019, Dilmah's founder was honoured with the second highest Sri Lankan national award, having the title of "Deshamanya" bestowed upon him.{{cite web | title=Iconic Teamaker Merrill J Fernando no more | website=Times Online | date=20 July 2023 | url=https://sundaytimes.lk/online/news-online/Iconic-Teamaker-Merrill-J-Fernando-no-more/2-1142566 | access-date=22 July 2023}}{{cite web | last=Fonseka | first=Ruwani | title=Dilmah tea founder Merill Fernando passes away | website=The Morning | url=https://themorning.lk//articles/B6CEzrcZlP5zYhMLvgxk | access-date=22 July 2023}}

In November 2019, Fernando was awarded an honorary doctorate (Doctor of Science) by Massey University in New Zealand, "in recognition of his leadership in ethical business within the food and beverage industry". He had had an association with the university since the late 1990s, when he worked with Distinguished Professor Paul Moughan at the Riddet Institute.{{cite news |date=29 November 2019 |title=Honorary doctorate for Dilmah Tea founder |url=https://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/about-massey/news/article.cfm?mnarticle_uuid=0542E2A1-B38F-4637-ABBC-A6F393A3B3E4 |work=Massey University |access-date=23 December 2019 }}

Upon his death, Hiru News described Fernando as "a legend in the industry".

Fernando was married and had two sons, Malik and Dilhan, but split from his wife when their sons were four and two years old respectively, and he brought them up as a single parent.

In May 2023, a biography of Fernando was published, entitled The story of Ceylon Teamaker Merrill J. Fernando; Disruptor, Teamaker, Servant, co-written by Anura Gunasekera, and Fernando.{{cite web | last=Rozais | first=Naveed | title=Merrill J. Fernando launches his autobiography to mark 73 years in tea | website=The Morning| url=https://themorning.lk//articles/w12EpMIwkOlqqDFl7eWv | access-date=26 July 2023}}

Fernando became known in New Zealand and Australia for his TV ads in which he urged viewers to "do try it".{{cite web | title=Dilmah tea founder Merrill Fernando dies, aged 93 | website=1 News | date=20 July 2023 | url=https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/07/20/dilmah-tea-founder-merrill-fernando-dies-aged-93/ | access-date=26 July 2023}}

Fernando died in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 20 July 2023, at age 93.{{Cite web |date=21 July 2023 |title=Dilmah Tea founder known for iconic 'do try it' ads dies at 93 |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/dilmah-tea-founder-merrill-j-fernando-known-for-iconic-do-try-it-ads-dies-aged-93/576ZHEEAKBFBFGDFUC6ZBSEZBE/ |access-date=21 July 2023 |website=The New Zealand Herald |language=en-NZ}}

His commitment to maintaining the purity of his product, and educating people about the benefits of drinking single-origin tea, earned him fans around the world, and set a high bar for others in the tea industry.{{cite web | title=Father of modern Ceylon Tea Merrill J. Fernando no more | website=Daily FT | date=21 July 2023 | url=https://www.ft.lk/front-page/Father-of-modern-Ceylon-Tea-Merrill-J-Fernando-no-more/44-750839 | access-date=26 July 2023}}

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{{reflist}}

• {{official website|https://www.mjffoundation.org/|MJF foundation}}
• [https://issuu.com/dilmah Dilmah] on Issuu
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wLJt7etqok "Dilmah founder Merrill J Fernando with Indeewari Amuwatte @Hydepark on Ada Derana 24"] on YouTube

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernando, Merrill J.}}

Category:Deshamanya

Category:Sinhalese people

Category:Sri Lankan businesspeople

Category:Sri Lankan Roman Catholics

Category:1930 births

Category:2023 deaths

Category:Businesspeople in tea

Category:Sri Lankan environmentalists

Category:People from Negombo

Category:Drink company founders