Iconic Dilmah Tea founder Merrill J. Fernando dies, age 93

The man behind one of Australia’s most-loved brands has died, age 93, and is being remembered as a “visionary” of his industry.

The founder of the Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company Merill J. Fernando has died at the age of 93.

Fernando, the man known for his “do try it” catchphrase, died in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Thursday morning surrounded by his sons and grandchildren.

In a statement to social media, Dilmah Tea paid tribute to the iconic “teamaker, disrupter and servant”, saying Fernando “devoted his life to tea”.

“The visionary founder of Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company’s greatness was in his invincible faith, his integrity and love for tea & family,” the statement reads.

Dilmah Tea founder Merrill J Fernando has died, aged 93.

“With devotion and urgency he pursued his desire for integrity and quality with humility and kindness.”

The company said Fernando was a disruptor “whose mission was simply for his passion for tea to make lives better for others”.

It heralded his impact on the “exploitative colonial industry” as changing the lives of producers around the world and pursuing a shift toward “ethical and sustainable business before it acquired the prominence it has now”.

“His humble, rural beginnings and the Christian family values with which he was brought up, defined his 93 years,” the company wrote.

“We remember our Founder, Merrill J. Fernando for his humanity & his achievement in personally & passionately creating a global family rallied behind the cause he pursued every day of his life: Ceylon Tea with Taste, Goodness, Ethical Purpose.”

A memorial website has been created to document Fernando’s life and career, and offers the public a change to send their condolences.

Fernando was born on May 6, 1930 in Negombo, a village north of Colombo. In 1950 he was among the first six Sri Lankans (then known as Ceylonese) to learn tea tasting – a skill that locals were barred from because the industry was under British control.

After 35 years. Fernando launched the first Ceylon tea brand “Dilma” with Mauri Foods. In 1988 the brand was relaunched as “Dilmah” and released its signature Single Origin Tea.

The tea pioneer worked as CEO of Dilmah until he was 91 years old. Picture: Mark Cranitch.

The brand broke industry trends at the time by offering an unblended “pure” brew.

Its launch also made Fernando the first native tea grower from any tea producing country to launch a “genuinely ethical, farmer owned brand”, according to Dilmah.

Fernando became a cultural icon in 1990 after starring in the first “Do Try It!” campaign, directed by a New Zealand agency. He would utter the famous words and raise a tea cup for decades to come.

He served as Dilmah CEO until 2019, stepping down at the age of 91 to be succeeded by his son Dilhan Fernando.

Dilhan and his older brother Malik led tributes to their late father on Thursday morning.

Dilhan (pictured, left) and his brother Malik led tributes to their late father (right). Picture: Aaron Francis/The Australian

“My father, mentor and inspiration passed this morning,” Dilhan posted on Facebook.

“Merrill J Fernando’s greatness was in his humility, his love for family and for less fortunate people; his uniqueness was in the impact he created in each with genuine sincerity.

“He made his passion for tea a quest for better lives for so many, and his wish to share his passion for the taste and goodness in Ceylon Tea, utterly uncompromising.”

He said there was “no greater privilege or responsibility than stewarding his vision as he rests in the arms of our Precious Lord”.

Younger Fernando brother, Malik, vowed that the family would continue the legacy of his “darling Thathie”.

“He was such a towering figure in our lives; we never thought he would leave us,” he wrote.

“He is surely in the arms of the Lord today. My brother and I, and our children, pledge to strengthen his legacy and further his mission. RIP darling Thathie (father).”

The father and son trio (Dilhan, Merrill, and Malik) starred in one of the many “Do Try It!” commercials. Picture: Suppplied.

As well as building a world-famous tea brand, Fernando founded the Merrill J. Fernando Charitable Foundation in 2022, focused on supporting youth, first-time entrepreneurs, community organisations, incarcerated people and war widows in Sri Lanka.

A minimum 10 per cent of the pre-tax profits from Dilmah funded the foundation’s work, which Fernando increased to 15 per cent in 2020.

In 2019, at age 89, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Massey University in New Zealand, an acknowledgment of his commitment to ethical business, the New Zealand food industry, and tea, according to the NZ Herald.

A private ceremony for the tea-maker will be held on Saturday in Negombo, Sri Lanka.