IMPACT. Family business serving humanity through kindness to People & Nature.

IMPACT

Family business serving humanity through kindness to People & Nature

Tea with Integrity, made with Kindness to people and nature without ever compromising Quality.

He named his tea after his sons and travelled the world inviting people, to “Do try it!”.

He gave hope to producers around the world and as God blessed him with success, he fulfilled his promise of kindness.

At the time of his passing, his Dilmah Tea had generated over Rs. 7 billion of humanitarian aid for education, livelihoods, people with disability, less fortunate women, children and youth.

MJF Charitable Foundation

The Merrill J. Fernando Foundation was formed to fulfill our Founder’s desire to make his business a matter of human service. One of the region’s largest private charitable Foundations, it focuses on directly, efficiently and effectively delivering transformational impact to less fortunate communities, differently abled children and youth, while empowering women, youth and men with dignity through free education, vocational training, entrepreneurship, nutrition, provision of medical infrastructure, caring for the elderly and advocacy. Together with Dilmah Conservation the MJF Foundation connects with our belief that success is a blessing that must be shared. Merrill J. Fernando disrupted a tea industry that was captive to a colonial economic system. He devoted his life to tea, and overcame the obstacles to realizing his dream of a genuinely ethical tea, with faith in God and His Grace. A minimum 15% of the pretax profits of Dilmah Tea and our associate businesses funds the work of the Foundation.

In the past decade, we’ve invested 7 billion rupees towards bringing kindness to both humanity and nature.

Over 6600 + children from less fortunate communities strengthened in child development programmes on our tea gardens

2000+ Entrepreneurs created through Small Entrepreneur Programme

240 Individuals supported through community-based organizations

Changing Lives

At the Diriya Centre , 350 women are being empowered with new skills for employment, entrepreneurship , and achieving financial independence.

Empowering 1400+ women with dignity

Rasika Nilanthi, President of the Walawa Kantha Ekamuthuwa Samantha Rajapakshe, President of the Gami Aruna

3500 boys and girls from less fortunate plantation and rural communities strengthened with educational support through our MJF Kids programme

MJF kids programme now operates in 10 centres around the island , supporting children from troubled social backgrounds

MJF kids annual concert at the Cape Weligama MJF Kids at the Pelmadulla Centre

Anjali Aham a new study space for kids in Point Pedro, with an investment of 12 million rupees

Gami Aruna

A community-based organization empowering farmers in cultivation and selfemployment

Sada Sarana

Home for the elders . A loving home for more than 50 women with no support in their final years.

New 90-bed ward block valued at 110 million rupees funded by Dilmah Founder Merrill J. Fernando and friends

Ian & Barbara Karan was donated to the

Construction of a fully equipped Outpatient and Administration unit for the Kayts Base Hospital with an investment of 65 million rupees

Point Pedro Hospital

Uplifting healthcare facilities for 50,000+ individuals across

Dilmah and Kahawatte Plantations donated a High Dependency Care Unit to Nawalapitiya Hospital in 2021 High Dependency Care Facility was inaugurated at the, Nawalapitiya District General Hospital Estate medical assistant S Nadanasabapathi attending to medical requirement of the staff at Dunkeld Estate

Sri Lanka

Through the 1990 Suwa Seriya Service, 07 ambulances are strategically stationed nationwide, to provide free pre-hospital emergency care, encompassing the Central and Sabaragamuwa plantations, the North and Eastern provinces, as well as Colombo North, with an annual expenditure of 35 million rupees

In partnership with the Indira Cancer Trust, we have contributed 60 million to fully fund an entire floor of the Suwa Arana Pediatric Palliative Care Centre to offer cost-free support to children battling cancer.

Donated equipment valued at 64 million rupees strengthening the healthcare sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dry rations to over 72,000 households including families of the staff in Peliyagoda, plantations and general public during the Covid-19 pandemic.

MJF East Centre manger Mark Patterson distributing dry rations

Meeting the needs & demands of

over 15,000 families through updated infrastructure & facilities

Plantation Communities

Restored 84 Child Development Centres for the welfare of over 6,600 Children in tea gardens

MJF Child Development Centre at Kataboola Estate

Construction of 150 toilets and field restrooms to upgrade sanitation facilities of plantation workers.

Introducing ergonomic baskets to improve the physical support of our tea harvesters.

49 Families in plantations supported with new housing facilities with an investment of 66 million rupees

554 children supported through MJF Scholarship Programme 309 students entered universities

Nearly 250 young chefs trained from Dilmah’s Empower schools in the East and the West

MJF Charitable Foundation and Cricket Live (CLF) New Zealand has enriched the lives of over 1000 boys & girls in Sri Lanka

Youth

Vocational training provided for nearly 7000 youth in carpentry, dress making, IT and Graphics

Stephen Fleming and Former Minister of Primary Industries of New Zealand Nathan Guy Dinesh from the Kahawatte Estate a graduate from ECHS, represented Sri Lanka at the Bocuse d’Or Regional Challenge Dr K Kanageswari, MJF scholarship recipient from Dunsinnane

For over two decades, we have collaborated with Aidex to create a platform empowering individuals with different abilities to pursue their aspirations and enjoy moments of joy.

Celebrating Differences

disABILITY YouTube Channel & App

- Sri Lanka’s only trilingual channel on disability to support special needs children and their families

Faaz concentrating on his learning at Dilmah’s National Centre for Children with Cerebral Palsy & Other Developmental Disorders

Supporting 3500 + differently abled children with therapy and education

Launch

cashew processing facility at MJF Centre East, to empower marginalized communities with new skills & livelihood support

9700 – 9850 Children have benefitted through the distribution of school bags and other accessories .

of a new

Dilmah founder inspecting the cashew processing facility

Over 5100 students trained in Information Technology through Curtiss Institute at MJF Charitable Foundation.

1325 kids from 6 months to 5 years in 84 Child Development Centres (CDC) were provided with daily meals

Empowering over 150 small entrepreneurs from across Sri Lanka to showcase their products and services at the People’s Market Dilmah pledges to be Carbon Negative by 2030 (Zero emissions for the entire manufacturing process) 2017: Peliyagoda factory and head office certified as Carbon Neutral ISO 14064-1: 2006 2018: Dilmah achieves carbon neutrality for all products and factories ISO 14064-1: 2006 2019: Dilmah achieves carbon neutrality for the facility and all products up to Australia shelf ISO 14067: 2018 ISO 14064-1: 2018 2020: Dilmah achieves carbon neutrality for the event School of Tea 2020: Dilmah achieves carbon neutrality for the facility and all products up to the destination ports of all overseas markets ISO 14067: 2018 ISO 14064-1: 2018 2020: Carbon Footprint Calculation mode was digitised Dilmah’s Journey to Carbon Neutrality

Dilmah Conservation

“We have only one planet, it is important that we do not only take out what we can, but we must put back more than what we take.”

MERRILL J FERNANDO Founder of Dilmah Tea

benefiting over 12,000 cashew growers Generating 814.8MwH

Hydropower Sri Lanka’s first climate change research station initiated and managed by a corporate Kataboola Estate Hydroelectric power plant

Planted 1,000,000 cashew trees in the East

of

One Earth Climate Change Centre, Queensberry Estate, Nawalapitiya

04 solar power plants in operation at head-office

Co-founded

Biodiversity

Sri Lanka to foster strong engagement for biodiversity and environmental conservation in the corporate sector.

Signatory to the UN Global compact advocating for responsible business practices in human rights, labour, environment and accountability.

Enabling 15 Climate Change Researches at the One Earth Centre in Nawalapitiya

Sri Lanka’s first urban arboretum established by a corporate housing over 500 trees and plants

Dilmah’s One Earth Urban Arboretum

Solar power plant at Dilmah

Founded by Dilmah Founder Merrill J Fernando, to elevate the significance of nature and its ecosystem services, concurrently fostering sustainable agricultural entrepreneurship to enhance social, economic, and gender equality.

Identified untapped Sri Lankan ingredients including green jackfruit, seaweed, and Centella asiatica, and empowered manufacturing companies to enhance the production of these ingredients.

Over 20 sites were surveyed across Sri Lanka and More than 2000 specimens from 300 species of amphibians, reptiles and organisms were collected.

Supporting elephant research , improving Human-elephant conflict awareness and caring for orphaned elephants at the Dilmah funded Elephant Information Centre in Udawalawe

Model Butterfly Garden to over 1/3 of butterfly species found in Sri Lanka.

Creating an ecological wealth of US$ 382,362 through the Endana Nature Corridor

Protecting 70 km of Sri Lanka’s coastline

Empowering 75 individuals through Beach Caretaker Programme

Baby Dilmah at the Elephant Transit Home Coastal clean up team supported by Dilmah

Educating over 250 individuals daily through the Dilmah Conservation Information Centre at the Elephant Transit Home in Udawalawe

Played a key role in the declaration of Kayankerni Reef as a marine protected site

Restoring 16 acres of degraded mangrove forest at biodiversity hotspot, Anawilundawa and 26 acres of mangrove forests in Kalpitiya.

Educating over 300 individuals on beekeeping

Cultivating seaweed in 10 acres of Sri Lanka’s continental shelf

Supporting Sri Lanka’s major indigenous groups

by preserving their traditional knowledge, strengthening their community and adaptation to the 21st Century.

The indigenous Veddha Community

The Ahikuntaka Community

Supported the Indigenous Veddha community’s Varigasabha in 2011 and 2014

Youth performance at the first Ahikuntika community gathering in 40 years

Mentoring and empowering 16 eco-innovators through the Merrill J. Fernando Innovation Awards 2021

15 publications including field guides on Sri Lanka’s flora and fauna, and books on culture and heritage, Ayurveda, and organic home gardening

Educating over 3000 individuals annually through webinars, workshops and training programmes

02 E-certificate courses on Beekeeping and Organic Home Gardening

Over 100 e-certificate recipients

The winner of ECOVATION 2021: Team comprising Professor Rangika Halwatura and Himahansi Galkanda, affiliated to the University of Moratuwa

EXTENDING KINDNESS BEYOND SRI LANKA

In partnership with Hospice, New Zealand

Over a 16 million teabags have been donated to those in the care of the Hospice, and to their families, friends, visitors, staff and volunteers.

25 cents of every Premium Ceylon Tea 50 Tea bag pack sold through selected outlets fund families, medical equipment, clinical care, research , and trials at MyRoom Children’s Cancer Charity, Australia.

Dilmah in cooperation with the HieuVe Ttai Tim Fund in Vietnam supported children from underprivileged families suffering from heart disease.

10% of online sales in Chile contribute to the “App Edudown,” A platform for knowledge and activities that enhance early stimulation in children with Down Syndrome