Publicity-shy Dilmah Tea giant Merrill Fernando discusses sharing and caring, values learnt in childhood, that flavour his business

By Feizal Samath, Pic by J. Weerasekera

During an occasional visit to his family home at Pallansena, a village six miles off Negombo, Merrill J. Fernando found his aged mother quietly wrapping the tea - he had sent earlier from his company - into smaller packs. “Why are you doing this?” he asked. “I want to give the villagers,” she said.

Fast-forward several years to two months ago (in 2008) and Merrill, founder of Dilmah, the country’s biggest tea brand in international markets, finds himself at the opening of a child-care centre at a tea estate co-owned by the company. A young man walks up and says with tears welling up in his eyes, “Sir, I am going to Medical College,” adding, “that’s all because of the MJF Charitable Foundation.” Merrill’s officials say that this is the first time the child of a tea plucker is on the way to

This kind of profound thanks is nothing new to Merrill who has seen many people over the years, thanking the Dilmah founder for his generosity, conscience and responsibility to the communities the company works closely with. However, this recent incident is etched in the veteran tea man’s mind as he recalls how the company has helped hundreds of children, through scholarships, to further their basic and high school education.