Press Releases

Dilmah Tea

01 Sep 2011

Return to Real Tea

RETURN TO REAL TEA AT THE SPECIALITY & FINE FOOD FAIR

Tea with pleasure and integrity from family tea company, Dilmah

Family tea company Dilmah will be exhibiting for the first time at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair which takes place at the London Olympia in September.

Established by Merrill J. Fernando, a Ceylon Teaman known as the most experienced tea taster in the industry, Dilmah sought to bring authentic and ethical Single Origin Ceylon Tea, garden fresh and unblended, to tea drinkers around the world. His Dilmah Tea brand was the first to brand, package and therefore ‘add value’ to tea at origin, making Dilmah a genuinely ethical tea brand.

Merrill J. Fernando’s intention was to bring a smile to the faces of workers in the famous Ceylon Tea industry and to the underprivileged in the community, whilst offering consumers quality, authenticity and natural goodness in their cup of tea.

Dilmah is recognised as an innovator in the multinational dominated tea category, emphasizing tradition and authenticity at the same time. Whilst the once revered herb has been debilitated by growing commoditisation linked to the acquisition of the quality aligned tea brands of the last century by major corporations, Dilmah insists that there is only one way to make good tea. The traditional method of handpicking, withering, rolling, fermenting and firing tea is one that has been perfected over centuries. It is a method that has been abandoned by virtually every major tea brand as it is expensive, though it protects quality and nurtures the prized aspect of terroir in tea.

Dilmah maintains its commitment to Tea made in the Traditional manner that is Single Origin and packed Garden Fresh, at Source.

• Traditional Tea ensures that the tea is made in the traditional, orthodox way perfected over centuries. It is a gentle process, which starts with the handpicked two leaves and bud and continues with respect for the character, strength and flavour of tea subject to different natural influences – terroir.
• Single Origin, a term coined by Merrill J. Fernando, is a commitment to respecting the identity of tea and to Pure Ceylon tea. Dilmah rejects as deceit, the industry standard of blending tea from many origins, mainly for reasons of cost and therefore profit.
• Garden Fresh packed at Source ensures that Dilmah is packed within days of harvesting right where it is grown in Sri Lanka. Fresher teas are significantly richer in flavour and health giving antioxidants. Packing at source means that contrary to the industry standard of packing tea wherever manufacturing is cheap, Dilmah honours its commitment to ethics and ensures that the benefits of branding and value addition stay in Sri Lanka, to benefit the tea industry and its 3.5 million dependants.

Dilmah offers a range of teas, chais and herbal infusions including traditional Speciality Gourmet and Premium Tea, Herbal Infusions, pure Green Tea and Fun flavoured Teas, Spiced Chais, Organic Tea, the Dilmah Exceptional range with its contemporary selection of teas and the boutique Watte Single Region Teas and t-Series designer gourmet teas.

Dilmah has led innovation in a global tea category that has suffered decline as a result of commoditisation and multinational dominance. Dilmah’s signature commitment to tea gastronomy as an expression of the beauty and variety in teas has produced Dilmah Thé Culinaire, Dilmah Tea Sommelier, Chefs & the Teamaker, Tea in Five Senses and the Dilmah Real High Tea Challenge. These are innovations in the tea category that seek to educate and inspire hospitality professionals to understand the versatility of tea, quality and thereby also offer their guests an inspired tea experience.

Reaffirming Dilmah’s claim to being the first genuinely ethical tea brand is the fact that earnings from Dilmah Tea sales support the work of the Fernando family’s MJF Charitable Foundation and Dilmah Conservation. A minimum commitment of 10% of gross profits of Dilmah funds the work of the two organisations which are designed to fulfil the Dilmah Founder’s commitment to making his business a matter of human service.

The MJF Charitable Foundation has changed the lives of over 50,000 underprivileged people through its commitment to empowering the poor through its entrepreneurship programmes, with vocational training, care and education for the differently abled, support for abused women and provision of healthcare. A parallel commitment, through Dilmah Conservation, promotes sustainable co-existence of man and nature with growing breaking initiatives like sustainable agriculture, habitat and species conservation. Please visit The MJF Charitable Foundation at www.mjffoundation.org and Dilmah Conservation at www.dilmahconservation.org to see how Dilmah fulfils its founding pledges.

Representing Dilmah at the Speciality & Fine Food Fair will be Dilhan C. Fernando, son of Dilmah Founder Merrill J. Fernando. Please visit the Dilmah stand which will be located at 910.

Press Contacts:
Dilhan C. Fernando
email DilhanF@dilmahtea.com
Spencer Manuelpillai
email SpencerM@dilmahtea.com
telephone +94 112 933070 or 933092 address P O Box 1938, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Dilmah Press Room online http://pressroom.dilmahtea.com/
More details online at:
www.mydilmah.com a portal to Dilmah’s online presence
www.teagastronomy.com a portal to Dilmah’s tea culinary and mixology initiatives
www.facebook.com/dilmah Dilmah, the official tea club on Facebook
www.mjffoundation.org Merrill J. Fernando’s MJF Charitable Foundation online
www.dilmahconservation.org Dilmah Conservation online