More than anything, at Dilmah, we believe in being kind.

Dilmah tea was established by its Founder, Merrill J. Fernando, with the philosophy that business must also be a matter of human service. That foundation is expressed in the uncompromising commitment that the brand maintains to taste, natural goodness and ethical purpose. Emphasised by a commitment to integrity and family values, the purpose of Dilmah is fulfilled in the work of the MJF Charitable Foundation and Dilmah Conservation.

Kindness is at the heart of everything we do. We spread kindness by doing everything with care and respect. This means respecting nature - growing only the finest ingredients and protecting the environment. Respecting our workers, offering good working conditions and fair wages for their efforts. Respecting our consumers - we do not blend our teas. We uphold the highest standards and do not compromise quality to make a profit. We make the best tea in the world and use our profits to support those who need that little bit of kindness the most.

15 % FOR HUMANITY

a minimum 15% of our pretax profits directly benefit people & planet.

Taste

Deliciously authentic, honouring the influence of Nature in our Single Origin Teas and handpicked ingredients. We are tea growers, and our commitment is to great taste with tea that is garden fresh, single origin and of the finest quality.

Goodness

Tea that is grown, handpicked and handmade, and Infusions from ingredients that are authentic, all freshly packed at source, to ensure that natural antioxidant goodness is nurtured and protected for your enjoyment.

Purpose

Formed around our Founder’s sincere wish to make business a matter of human service, earnings from Dilmah Tea are shared with less privileged people and the environment.

Merrill J. Fernando Charitable Foundation fulfills the vision of the Dilmah Founder, Merrill J. Fernando to make business a matter of human service through its multifaceted projects aimed at addressing the foremost challenges faced by the less privileged and marginalised communities.

4740+

TRAINED IN IT

SUPPORTING 3500+

DIFFERENTLY-ABLED

CHILDREN

HEALTH CARE FOR

50000+

INDIVIDUALS

EMPOWERING 1400+

WOMEN

240

INDIVIDUALS SUPPORTED

THROUGH COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS

EARLY EDUCATION FOR 2300+ CHILDREN

AND EDUCATING 3500+

BOYS & GIRLS

EMPOWERING 3900+ YOUTH

500+

SCHOLARSHIPS

2000+

ENTREPRENEURS

CREATED

1M +

UNITS OF HYDROELECTRICITY

15

PUBLICATIONS

ON NATURE AND HERITAGE

3000+

INDIVIDUALS

EDUCATED ON ELEPHANT CONSERVATION

INITIATING PARTNER OF BIODIVERSITY SRI LANKA, A CORPORATE DRIVEN PLATFORM TO INSPIRE SUSTAINABLE CONSERVATION AMONGST 70+

BUSINESSES.

SHARING KNOWLEDGE WITH

2500+

PEOPLE EVERY YEAR

12 FROGS

SPECIES IDENTIFIED FOR THE FIRST TIME

CONSERVATION OF

500+

SPECIES FOUND WITHIN OUR ESTATES

REVIVING SRI LANKA’S

INDIGENOUS MEDICINE

DOCUMENTING

20+

DARK CAVES IN SRI LANKA

SUSTAINABILITY

The environment is central to Dilmah’s business, and Dilmah Conservation was established as an affirmation of this core commitment to environmental sustainability.communities.

GENERATED 2500+ MWH

OF SOLAR ENERGY

THE 1ST URBAN ARBORETUM IN SRI LANKA

SUSTAINABILITY HIGHLIGHTS AT DILMAH

We started our sustainability journey in 2000, since then we have eliminated

421,052Kgs

of plastics. The biodegradability of our tea bags vary from 98% to 100% based on the composition. We established 645kw of hydro & solar plants, saving

2137.63

Tons of

CO2the same as growing

43000

trees A

100%

Carbon Neutral Product since 2017, becoming Carbon Negative from our Tea Gardens to destination port by

2030.

Our beach cleanups have removed 9550 tons

of waste from sensitive ecosystems At our One Earth Centers we

educated 15000+

individuals

on environmental sustainability. We established Sri Lanka’s first corporate owned Climate Change Research & Adaptation Centre in 2017, powering

14 national & international research

initiatives at present.

Our founder increased our commitment to humanity, with a 50%

increase in our investment in people and planet.

A minimum 15% of our pretax profits are used by our MJF Foundation & Dilmah Conservation in fulfillment of the philosophy of making business a matter of human service.

To scale up our initiatives, we joined the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce in forming Biodiversity Sri Lanka. Dilmah is a participant to the UNGC and an active member of the UNGC Sri Lanka Board of Directors.

Our e orts are strengthened by our commitment to making UNGC and its principles a part of our company strategy, culture & day-to-day operations.

At BSL we share best practices, to encourage and support businesses in protecting biodiversity and acting sustainably.

people of the tea gardens

Fulfilling a pledge to care and share

The estates and its people are part of our core. The Foundation and Dilmah Ceylon Tea Services have worked in the Tea Estates since the 1990s ensuring that infrastructure and services are updated to meet the changing needs and demands of the people who are vital to the process of producing Ceylon Tea.

We also recognize the need to adapt; to ensure that we are ready to face the current and future challenges of the tea industry. The ageing worker, skills training and diversification of skills and retraining, new technology, updated infrastructure and climate change all affect the population.

Every year, the foundation for a solid education is laid with the children of the tea gardens as they complete their early childhood education at the estate run Child Development Centres