 | This article contains content that is written like an advertisement .(November 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) |
Merrill Joseph Fernando (born 1930) in Negombo, in the North-west of Sri Lanka. He came from a middle-class family of many children and had a comfortable childhood. When he was 18 he joined the Ceylon tea industry as a taster.
Fernando was one of the first Sri Lankan tea tasters to be selected to learn about tea in Mincing Lane, London. Up until this time, the prevailing colonial system did not believe Sri Lankans were capable of assessing tea as they felt they ate too much curry which would affect their assessment of the taste. However, Fernando was one of five who were selected and trained in London. [1]
It was in London that Fernando witnessed a system of colonial exploitation that treated producing countries as raw material suppliers whereas branding and value addition were done overseas and all profits accrued never reached the producers. [2] This greatly disturbed Fernando, who dreamed that someday he would create his own brand of tea where the producing country would receive all profits from value addition and thereby get their due recognition. [3] He wanted to bring integrity back into tea. [4] [5] With this intention he became, quite literally, the “face” of his brand, his smiling persona emblazoned on tea packets around the world as he urged people: “Do try it.” He wanted to bring quality, authenticity and ethics back to tea. Fresh tea is rich in antioxidants and so he wanted to offer his consumers tea that was garden fresh picked and packed at its origin. Fernando strongly believed that consumers had the right to know exactly what they were drinking and so he pioneered the concept of single origin tea. [6]
Fernando believes in the philosophy of seeing business as a matter of human service. 10% of all Dilmah profits are channeled to the MJF Charitable Foundation [7] which is working towards the dignified empowerment of underprivileged people around Sri Lanka. [8] Each year, the foundation cares for over 5,000 children in its Child Development Centres, nurtures over 1000 children through the MJF Kids, empowers women, and has created over 600 entrepreneurs through the Small Entrepreneur Programme – SEP– and uplifted the lives of countless plantation workers. These are only a few of over 100 projects the MJF Foundation implements each year. [9] [10]
In 2007, Fernando extended his commitment to human service by establishing Dilmah Conservation www.dilmahconservation.org which focuses on working towards a more sustainable use of the environment in partnership with IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The Dilmah Conservation initiative aims to foster respect for the environment and ensure its protection by encouraging a harmonious co-existence of man and nature. [11] In 2010, Fernando made a Declaration of a Core Commitment to Sustainability which expanded the Dilmah Conservation scope and scale to include initiatives in the areas of Habitat & Species Conservation – both terrestrial and marine, Ecosystems Restoration, Environmental Education and Culture & Indigenous Communities. [12] In 2016, The Merrill J. Fernando Eco Innovation Awards was initiated calling for breakthrough, purposeful proposals of well-developed concepts and working prototypes that seek to solve current national and global environmental issues in the areas of Waste, Water, Energy, Blue Economy and Biodiversity. [13] “I want to prevent the hardship of young entrepreneurs of today when I compare myself with the hardship that I went through in launching Dilmah Tea,” Fernando said at the awards ceremony. [14]
Dilmah is the first producer owned tea brand in the world and is among the top ten tea brands. Merrill with over 60 years of expertise in tea has the distinction of being the most experienced teamaker in the world today. In 2005, Dilmah received an award from the Medinge Group for its work as a Brand with a Conscience and also received a Presidential Merit Award for contribution to the preservation of the environment in the same year. On the 6th of May 2015, Fernando received the Business for Peace Award in Oslo, Norway. [15] The Business for Peace Foundation annually names honourees for the Oslo Business for Peace Award in recognition of business persons who, through their own actions and commitments truly are business worthy, promoting socially responsible and ethical business practice in an outstanding way, and standing out as examples to the world. [16] In September 2016 Merrill was honoured with the Global Businessman Award at the Ada Derana Sri Lankan of the Year 2016. The award seeks to honour and celebrate the outstanding achievements of individuals/groups whose efforts have far-reaching influence on the country, positively impacting the local community and thereby help place Sri Lanka on the international limelight.
On November 30, 2016 Fernando was honoured with the FIRST Award for Responsible Capitalism and the award was presented by Philip Hammond MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, at the Royal Automobile Club, London. The Award recognises business ethics, emphasising his unique philosophy of making business a matter of human service. Fernando is the only Sri Lankan to have received this Award. The previous award winners include Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi the enormously respected CEO of PepsiCo, the Prince of Wales, and Prof. John Kay of the London School of Economics, to name a few. [17] [18] [19]
1930 - Merrill J. Fernando is born in Negombo
1954 -Merrill J. Fernando starts work with AF Jones Spends 12 months in London with Joseph Travers & Sons Ltd
1958 -MJF is appointed a director of AF Jones, and buys AF Jones with 2 partners when the company owners decide to return to England
1959 -MJF appointed Managing Director of AF Jones
1982 -MJF establishes Ceylon Tea Services Ltd
1985 -Merrill J Fernando is asked to supply pre-packed teas to Russia
1988 -Dilmah Tea launched in Australia
1994 -Dilmah establishes state of the art Tea packaging facility at 111, Negombo Road, Peliyagoda, Colombo
2002 -The MJF Charitable Foundation is officially inaugurated
2005 -Dilmah receives award from Medinge Group for its work as a Brand with a Conscience. Dilmah receives Presidential Merit Award for its contribution to the preservation of the environment
2007 -Official inauguration of Dilmah Conservation
2009 -Dilmah celebrates its 21st Anniversary and the Founder's 60th Year in Tea Dilmah School of Tea inaugurated in Colombo First International Tea School established at the Institut Paul Bocuse in France
2010 -Dilmah pledges a core commitment to sustainability Merrill J Fernando celebrates his 80th birthday
2013 -Dilmah celebrates 25 years as a brand
2015 - Merrill receives the Business for Peace Award in Oslo, Norway
2016 - Merrill J. Fernando was honoured with FIRST Award for Responsible Capitalism for improving the lives of underprivileged children and deprived communities.
2017 - Merrill J. Fernando successfully fulfilled the pledge he made in 2014 to make Dilmah Sri Lanka a Carbon Neutral facility.
2019 - MJF awarded honorary doctorate by Massey University of Wellington, New Zealand.
The Cup of Kindness (2012). Dilmah Publication
The Story Behind Your Cup of Tea (2013). Dilmah Publication [20]
The Teamaker(2009). Dilmah Publication [21]
Yan, Jack (2016). Business is a matter of human service, in Brands with a Conscience, Sandra Holdings and Nicholas Ind (Eds) London, Kogan Page. ISBN 978 07494 7544 4.
Dilmah is a Sri Lankan brand of tea, sold internationally. The company was founded in 1988 by Merrill J Fernando. The name Dilmah was chosen by combining the first names of Fernando's sons Dilhan and Malik. It is available in over 100 countries, including Estonia, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Lithuania, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Hungary, Canada, Chile, South Africa, Australia, Indonesia, Japan, the United States and New Zealand. In 2009 it was considered that Dilmah was the sixth-largest tea brand in the world.
Siyatha FMis a radio channel based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is owned by Voice of Asia (Pvt) Ltd., which also runs its sister television channel Siyatha TV. Siyatha FM is available on 98.2 MHz,98.4 MHz Islandwide in Sri Lanka.
Dushyanth Weeraman is a Sri Lankan, singer, dancer and actor who gained attention as the winner of the reality talent show "Sirasa Dancing Stars" in 2008. He is a winner of the "Ten Outstanding Young Persons of Sri Lanka award in 2013. He is also the younger brother of Santhush Weeraman who is one half of the Sri Lankan pop-duo, Bathiya and Santhush
Jaliya Wickramasuriya is a Sri Lankan businessmen. A close relative of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, he was the Sri Lankan Ambassador to the United States from 2008 to 2014. He has been accused of financial crimes during his tenure.
Deshamanya Mahesh Amalean is a Sri Lankan engineer and industrialist. He is the current Chairman of MAS Holdings.
Basil Rohana Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan politician and was a member of parliament from 2007 to 2015.During the period of 2005–2010 he served as a presidential senior advisor for then President Mahinda Rajapaksa and in 2007 he was appointed as a member of parliament from the national list. He was the Cabinet minister for Economic Development in President Mahinda Rajapaksa's second term (2010–2015). In the 2010 parliamentary election he was elected from Gampaha district by obtaining the highest number of preferential votes in Sri Lanka.
Dr. Amal Uthum Herat born in Colombo, Sri Lanka was Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and Alternate Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund.
Daintee is a company based in Sri Lanka that produces confectionery and other food products. It is the market leader in confectionery in Sri Lanka.
Punya Heendeniya is a Sri Lankan cinema actress who currently resides in England.
Dinesh Subasinghe is a Sri Lankan composer, violinist, and music producer. He composed Karuna Nadee, a Buddhist oratorio, and re-introduced a lost, ancient musical instrument known as the ravanahatha to Sri Lanka. He is also a film and television composer whose works integrate western and eastern classical music with electronic music, Buddhist music, folk music, traditional orchestral arrangements, and world music genres. From 2002 to 2009 he led the pop classical band, Dee R Cee Members.
Sri Lanka Ecotourism Foundation is a national association of Sri Lanka that aims to create a wide network of ecotourism actors throughout the country. The organization focuses on developing the economic and social development of rural communities through tourism. SLEF supports local communities to take part in community based tourism and conservation projects. The organization has been founded in 1998 by Palitha Gurusinghe, who is a member of Advisory Board of The International Ecotourism Society and a famous presenter in Ecotourism and Community Based Tourism.
The Stitch Movement, also commonly referred to as STITCH, is a youth volunteer group based in Sri Lanka that strives to 'stitch' together two communities: citizens who need help and those who want to help. STITCH has a registered volunteer count of over 300 but is run with an initial core team of 4 people, which has now grown to 8. Their tagline is 'sensitise|inspire|empower|mobilise'. They strive to inspire, sensitize, empower & mobilize youth to be agents of social transformation in their respective communities through activism and volunteerism in Sri Lanka. It is a not-for-profit and runs entirely on a volunteer basis. It has no political, religious, or racial ties or bias.
Ho Gana Pokuna is a 2015 Sri Lankan children's musical drama film written and directed by Indika Ferdinando. It depicts a teacher in a remote village, Uma, teaching her students to focus on something they have never seen before.
Israel–Sri Lanka relations are the official relations between Israel and Sri Lanka. Relations between Israel and Sri Lanka were bitter during the rule of left wing leader Mrs Sirimavo Bandaranaike; several Zionist lobbies threatened to boycott Sri Lankan tea after she expelled Israeli diplomats from Sri Lanka. Relations between Sri Lanka and Israel started warming up after the right wing president J.R. Jayewardene re-established ties with Israel. Diplomatic ties with Israel got suspended again under president Ranasingha Premadasa. Sri Lankan government announced that they will resume diplomatic relations with Israel once it recognizes the Palestine Liberation Organization as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. Diplomatic ties between the two nations got restored in 2000. Sri Lanka supports a two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict and the Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena has assured the support for Palestinian independence.
The Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka, is a professional body offering qualification in management accountancy in Sri Lanka.
St. Peter’s College is a Roman Catholic school in Negombo, Sri Lanka with a history of over a century.
Shivani Vasagam Wedanayake is a Sri Lankan model, beauty queen and entrepreneur. Wedanayake is the daughter of the acclaimed cinematographer A. V. M. Vasagam whose films Shri 293, Chandiya, Dupathega Putha, Dheewarayo and Vaadai Kaatru were box office hits in the 1960s. His early education in cinematography was at the University of Mysoor, Karnataka, India and he was given a scholarship by the French government to study film direction in the 1960s. Wedanayake forayed into the fashion and beauty industry encouraged by her father to follow the tradition in the entertainment and field of arts. She is also a published poet with the National Library of North American poets.
Kasturi Angela Chellaraja Wilson is a Sri Lankan activist, accountant, financial expert, businesswoman and a former professional national basketball player. She is also the current Managing Director of the Hemas Pharmaceuticals and Logistics, which is a subsidiary of the Hemas Holdings. She also serves as the current President of Sri Lanka Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry and previously served as the Senior Vice President of the Chamber of the Pharmaceutical industry. In March 2019, she was named as one of the most powerful influential women and was also listed among women change-makers in Sri Lanka by the Parliament of Sri Lanka coinciding with the International Women's Day.
Dr. Gothamie Weerakoon is a Sri Lankan based botanist, lichenologist and environmentalist who currently resides in London. She is the first South Asian woman scientist to hold the Annual Grantee award from the National Geographic Society. She currently works as a senior curator at the Natural History Museum of London and also with tea brand, Dilmah.