News & Events
Dilmah Tea: A Most Admired Company in Sri Lanka – 2021

Family Tea company Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company PLC, has been selected – for the fourth consecutive year – as one of the 10 Most Admired Companies in Sri Lanka, for performance beyond convention and creating value for shareholders, customers, employees and the wider community, a Dilmah news release said.
The award is jointly made by the International Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (ICCSL), the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the Daily FT and assurance partner – KPMG.Selection follows comprehensive, independent evaluation by a panel of judges chaired by Ravi Abeysuriya, consisted of Hajar Alafifi, Rolf Blaser, Sunil Dissanayake, Varuni Amunugama Fernando, Santosh Menon, Faizal Salieh, Dr. Sulochana Sigera, and Deepal Sooriyaarachchi.
Following initial financial evaluation by CIMA, a shortlist of the best performing 20 organisations was considered by the judges for their performance across multiple parameters including human relationships, teamwork, innovation, product integrity & value, ethics & sustainability as well as a progressive attitude, the release said.
Dilmah Tea was formed by Merrill J. Fernando with the pledge to serve humanity through business. The fulfillment of that philosophy is underpinned by a commitment to sharing earnings from Dilmah Tea with the less fortunate. With over Rs. 5 billion already spent by the Merrill J. Fernando Foundation, on disability, gender equality, nutrition, education, entrepreneurship development, vocational training, Dilmah additionally funds Dilmah Conservation to promote conservation, restoration and environmental education, it added.
Amidst the pandemic related challenges in the past year the company has maintained its commitment to its people and purpose, with enhanced welfare, medical, nutrition and education initiatives amongst the tea plantation community and a stronger commitment to environmental sustainability. The emphasis the company maintains on sincerely fulfilling its commitment to serving humanity was lauded by the judges, the release said.
Dilmah CEO, Dilhan C. Fernando explained, “Our faith determines our values and our values determine our actions … it was important for us therefore to protect our people and escalate our welfare and health initiatives in the community. The scale of the humanitarian and environmental challenges is unprecedented. Recognizing that the purpose of business is unequivocally changed by these circumstances, we make every effort to honour my father’s commitment to make our business a matter of human service.” Dilmah has been voted ‘Most Trusted Brand’ by consumers in Australia, New Zealand and Asia. The company was also selected as one of Forbes Asia’s Best Under a Billion in 2020. A minimum 15% of the company’s pretax profits is used to support direct humanitarian and environmental initiatives through the work of the MJF Foundation and Dilmah Conservation.
This article was originally published in The Island.
Latest News
Dilmah launches The Genesis Project
Dilmah’s ‘The Genesis Project’ recently launched at the birthplace of Dilmah Tea in Maligawatte – will be an innovation hub and centre of excellence for Nature-based solutions. It will be an incubator that births and nurtures agripreneurs to reach their fullest potential and conquer international markets. And a home for industry experts and food and agri entrepreneurs to gather, share knowledge and inspire each other.
A Cup Of Kindness Goes A Long Way
With the help of your cuppa the Dilmah MJF Charitable Foundation and Kahawatte Plantations have joined hands to support the Suwa Seriya Ambulance Service. We have pledged our commitment to allocating 7 ambulances to 7 District Hospitals across the country, including DGH Nawalapitiya, Base Hospital Kahawatte, Glencairn District Hospital Dickoya, Teaching Hospital Nuwara Eliya, Kiribathgoda, Point Pedro and Teaching Hospital Batticaloa. Staying true to our Founder Merrill J. Fernando's purpose, with every cup of Dilmah you sip, 15% of the profits go towards serving humanity with kindness to people & nature!