Chairman and CEO of Dilmah Tea, Dilhan Fernando, and his son Amrit M. J. Fernando, hosted an afternoon tea at the Dilmah T-Lounge in Wellington, New Zealand today to commemorate the legacy of the late Merrill J. Fernando, the founder of Dilmah Tea, who passed away in 2023.
With the passing of tea-maker and philanthropist Merrill J. Fernando, the business now falls to his sons, Dilhan and Malik, with Dilhan directly succeeding his father in the tea business. Dilhan and Amrit, along with their ad agency’s boss Daron Curtiss, unveiled a tribute by the award-winning artist Stephen Fuller and his wife Dianne Fuller. VIPs attending included Sir Anand Satyanand and Lady Satyanand, Polish ambassador HE Grzegorz Kowal, and former Sri Lankan consul Aruna Abeygoonesekera.
In his address, Dilhan said the artwork aligns his father’s passion for tea with his kindness, both to people and to nature.
The Fullers’ art is a mix of physical and digital techniques, with the original measuring 2 m in width. That will head back to Sri Lanka, while the smaller copy remains in New Zealand.
As a Medinge Group Brands with a Conscience winner, the company continues its corporate social responsibility, with 15 per cent of its pre-tax earnings going to the MJF Charitable Foundation. The Foundation is designed to enable communities, and not give hand-outs, and has a front-line staff of 300.
Guests were served an impressive high tea and premium teas from the Dilmah range.
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