New iced tea range allows Dilmah family to thank NZ for support.
Whenever Dilmah founder Merrill J. Fernando visited New Zealand, his familiar visage and voice meant people regularly approached him on the street, requesting one of the most well-known catchphrases in the world: “Do try it.”
It is a gentle, sincere yet confident invitation, which matches the character of the man himself, his son Dilhan Fernando says. When news of 93-year-old Merrill’s death broke in July, devastated New Zealanders unleashed a flood of messages and support – so many that it wowed Dilhan and his brother Malik.
“Gosh, it was incredible,” Dilhan says. “There were thousands of messages.”
Dilhan recently visited New Zealand with his son Amrit to launch Dilmah’s new iced tea line and to thank Kiwis for their love and support. The team at Wellington’s t-Lounge, Dilmah’s elegant tea experience, told him they’d poured many pots of hot tea for Kiwis who wished to sip a quiet tribute.
“I think that all connects to my family’s values of humanity,” Dilhan says. “For us, this isn’t a business that is just a source of profit, and certainly it isn’t a business that is built on entitlement. We love what we do. We are in tea because we love tea.”
Both Dilhan and Malik – now chief executives of different arms in Dilmah’s parent company – are determined to carry on their father’s legacy. Dilmah, one of the world’s largest tea brands, is named after the two brothers, and Dilhan says it’s a powerful responsibility to carry the Sri Lankan company into the future.
“My father devoted his life to tea, and it was in every sense his vision and his mission,” he says. “And so what he would undoubtedly want is for us is pick ourselves up and get on with the job. For us, there’s no greater privilege than to be continuing his mission, and this is what we’ve committed ourselves to.”
Fifteen per cent of pre-tax earnings last year went to its philanthropic MJF Foundation, and since 1997 Dilmah has donated tea to every Hospice throughout NZ. So far, that’s about 11 million cups of comfort for those in hospice care and their loved ones.
“As a family business it is wonderful to be able to positively impact the lives of the less fortunate and make a real difference to so many, which was my father’s constant encouragement,” Dilhan says. “That led to a situation where today we have 300 people in our business dedicated solely to fulfilling his philosophy of serving humanity with kindness to people and nature.”
Dilmah is so popular with tea drinkers that it’s been voted the Reader’s Digest Most Trusted tea brand every year from 2016 to 2023.
That strength should hold it in good stead as the company launches its new range of Iced Teas, Low-Sugar carbonated Tea Sodas and Premium Tea Mixers in October. New Zealand will be the first place in the world to try them.
It has been an interesting development process, Dilhan says. The method results in the highest levels of brewed tea concentrate out there – 8 per cent, which he says is more than double the equivalent on the market.
“Although ‘iced tea’ sounds like it should have a high tea content, in most cases you have a tea flavour or a very nominal amount of tea,” he says. “Whereas for us, the reason we took so long to come to market with an iced tea product is that we wanted to get it just right. We have to maintain my father’s philosophy of authenticity.”
That has meant extracting real brewed tea at one of the family-owned Sri Lankan tea plantations, Rilhena Estate, making the product here in New Zealand using New Zealand water, focusing on natural flavours, keeping the sugar levels as low as possible and absolutely no stevia.
“We’ve been travelling around New Zealand sampling and the response has been phenomenal,” he says. “New Zealanders are very discerning in their tea preference. They appreciate single origin tea and like intensity and strength. With iced tea they want the same attributes balanced with refreshing natural flavours.”
The antioxidants and other health benefits of tea are another aspect important to Kiwis, and Dilmah has strong links in tea research here. Merrill J. Fernando spent time at Massey University’s Riddet Institute researching the antioxidant and health properties of Dilmah tea, and in 2019 the university awarded him an honorary Doctor of Science degree in recognition of his leadership in ethical business in the food and beverage industry.
Dilhan says tea’s health benefits, such as those studied at Massey, are increasingly important to tea-drinkers from every generation. People are also seeking tea experiences such as mixology and gastronomy, extending from hospitality into the home.
“We have seen an incredible growth in that,” he says. “People are attuned to wellness and tea varietals, pairing tea with different foods to bring out flavors and textures to dignify food.”
And the rest of the time? Kiwis simply love a good cup of tea.
For more information: Dilmah.co.nz