Ethics
BUSINESS AS A MATTER OF HUMAN SERVICE
Dilmah was born of a simple tea grower’s vision. Merrill J. Fernando’s desire to share the pleasure in tea with the world, and to do so ethically by benefiting workers in the exploited tea industry, was the genesis of Dilmah Tea. Nearly four decades of struggle that Merrill invested in making his dream a reality, were rewarded with an unexpectedly powerful welcome from tea drinkers around the world.
Established in 2003, the MJF Charitable Foundation (MJFCF) was the realisation of this dream and the result has been the implementation of numerous initiatives that cover the length and breadth of the island, allowing beneficiaries to live self-sustaining and rewarding lives. The Foundation serves to embody the Founder’s philosophy that ‘Business is a Matter of Human Service’. It is also a tribute and symbol of appreciation to the millions of Dilmah Tea consumers around the world who are stakeholders of the MJF Charitable Foundation. By 2015, the Foundation benefitted the lives of over 100,000 disadvantaged and underprivileged Sri Lankans.