Steeping into every aspect of Dilmah’s business is a genuine commitment to give back. It’s a sentiment established by Merrill J. Fernando when he founded Dilmah 30 years ago, and a passion inherited by his two sons — the brand’s name a neologism of theirs — Dilhan and Malik Fernando.
After witnessing the exploitative, colonial economic system governing the international tea trade in the 1950s, Merrill set out to disrupt this ancient industry by building a truly ethical business. For the first time in history, tea was grown, artisanally made, packed and branded at the source by the tea growers, then shared with the rest of the world.
Such disruption had an overflow effect into neighbouring industries, such as coffee and cocoa, and provided a clearly demarcated business model for others to follow. The social, economic and environmental impacts were enormous — the change benefited tea workers and their families, the local economy, and the industry as a whole.
“The philosophy of making business a matter of human service wasn’t part of a business model but the reason for the Dilmah business,” says Dilhan Fernando, who was appointed by his father as Dilmah’s CEO, adding that the brand was firmly founded on a desire to see workers and the industry have a fairer deal.
This compassion for people motivated Merrill to establish the MJF Charitable Foundation in 2003, a non-profit organisation that utilises the revenue from the sales of Dilmah Tea to elevate the lives of less privileged people in Sri Lanka. This form of corporate social responsibility is more than simply a marketing-led initiative, rather the MJF Charitable Foundation seeks to empower the local community and promote sustainable development.
There are now several MJF Centres around Sri Lanka, including the MJF Centre for Dignified and Sustainable Empowerment in Moratuwa, western Sri Lanka. Each centre supports underprivileged or disabled members of the local community, and empowers them to harness their own abilities.
“Our focus is on understanding that every individual has an inherent ability and is blessed in some way. Our emphasis is to overlook whatever disability society may perceive each person to have, and to find and nurture their ability,” Dilhan explains.
Programmes like the Empower Culinary and Hospitality School provide students with opportunities in Sri Lanka's booming gastronomic industry, while the Small Entrepreneurs Programme aids beneficiaries with training and mentorship to develop their own abilities. These initiatives are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to providing the local community with a hand up, not a hand out.
According to Rehana Wettasinghe, centre manager at the MJF Centre for Dignified and Sustainable Empowerment in Moratuwa, western Sri Lanka, the positive impact on the lives of the disabled, and socially and economically marginalised, makes all the hard work worth it.
Her eight-year tenure has seen Rehana work with a diverse range of individuals who have gone on to excel in their respective fields. “I always feel like a mother to an extended family, ensuring that everybody who walks into the centre leaves with a sense of hope, knowing there is a possibility of achieving their dreams. But, she adds: “It is not always the big moments that make me happy. Seeing a child in a wheelchair smile or a kid with Cerebral Palsy utter their first word after months of therapy are the moments I treasure most.”
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Advertise with NZME.Rehana has seen children with Down Syndrome be awarded in martial arts, young men rising through the ranks to become chefs at top Colombo hotels, and young women leading the charge in the male-dominated construction industry.
No two days are the same, Rehana explains, and the positivity is palpable when walking off the busy, suburban street and into the quiet serenity of the centre. Beneficiaries partake in a raft of physical and non-physical activities for the mind, body and soul.
New for 2018, the MJF Centre for Dignified Empowerment and Sustainable Development in Kalkudah, eastern Sri Lanka, is a 23-acre centre for empowerment, inspiration, community development and climate change.
The eastern arm of the charity is the result of 12 years of development. And while efforts to empower individuals in Moratuwa will continue, Rehana hopes a similar model will be replicated in the east — an area recovering from war.
"That's why we listen to the needs of communities in the area, identifying their needs and helping share knowledge and skills that will guide the beneficiaries and align with available opportunities,"
she says.
Unveiling the centre in September this year was a career highlight, says Dilhan, where he was joined by his father and brother to declare the MJF Centre East open. “It genuinely demonstrates the potency of the philosophy of making business a matter of human service,” he says.
The MJF Centre East will offer welcome relief to farmers in the area, who have suffered as a result of climate change. “To be able to fill that void and help ease the hardship of farmers and their families, as well as their communities and customers is enormously inspiring,” Dilhan says.
“The facility cost in excess of 1 billion rupees, but we are truly happy that our efforts have been able to generate something tangible that will impact the community and the environment for generations. It is a sense of satisfaction that exceeds anything that commercial success could ever offer.”
Located in one of the poorest, least developed parts of Sri Lanka, the new centre will offer vocational training for youth with disabilities. Created with the idea of unlocking potential for teenagers and young adults with disabilities, Rehana says this extension of the centre will see these students contribute to their communities and offer hope to families.
Sharing this message of hope is the crux of Merrill’s philosophy, Dilhan adds.
The last 30 years has seen Dilmah flourish in more ways than one. Sustainability remains at the heart of the business, with the establishment of Dilmah Conservation centres for Climate Change Research and Adaptation. Here, education is offered to farmers and tea producers around more sustainable agricultural practices. Dilmah also plans to eliminate non-biodegradable filter material from its teabags by 2020.
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Advertise with NZME.So, next time you take a sip of tea, think about the people you’re helping by doing so.
“When you drink a cup of Dilmah Tea, you are contributing to an effort to change the lives of the disabled, socially and economically marginalised individuals and vulnerable communities.
“It really is a different cup of tea,” Rehana says.
For more information about the MJF Centres in Sri Lanka, visit Mjffoundation.org.
