Preserving the flavour of 'Ceylon' tea

He is probably the world's only chief executive who makes his own tea - from collecting the fresh leaves right down to the finished product. Merrill Fernando, chairman of the MJF group, which owns one of the finest brands of Ceylon tea, Dilmah, has come a long way in his career from a tea taster, then a supplier of raw tea to wholesalers and brand owners, and thence to become owner of the largest Sri Lankan tea brand.

Born in 1930, Fernando has spent over half a century in the business, starting off as a teenager. "After schooling, I was looking for a career. The government at that time urged locals to join the tea business, as it used to be controlled by foreigners. At 17, I joined the business as a tea taster and developed the first basic skill to differentiate quality, by just smelling the dust.

"Then I entered the real tea business by supplying tea to different companies with Rs10,000, borrowed from my father. I continued this during the 1950s and 1960s. "Sri Lanka became independent in 1948 and we began to take control of the tea gardens. But over the years, I found that the foreign companies, who source tea from different parts of the world, mix them together.

"This way, the flavour of Ceylon tea was fast disappearing. Consumers used to buy it thinking it was Ceylon tea, but what was contained in the pack was not pure Ceylon tea. "As a tea taster, I could easily smell and taste the difference.

It was like cheating the consumers, who paid a higher price for 'Ceylon' brands, while receiving the impure stuff. I began to realise, day by day, a vicious circle active in the same practice, and they would destroy anyone coming in their way.

"I tried to stop them, but found they were coming down heavy on me. I was not big enough to fight this out alone. "Then, I decided to develop my own brand, to offer consumers a real taste of pure Ceylon tea. Again, it was difficult as most multinationals were trying to crush me in the initial days.

"In 1974, we registered the brand Dilmah with the government and gradually began to develop the identity. It was hard and we faced tough times. "But the advantage I had, no one else did. We had our own plantation, garden, human resources and an industry.

So, from watering the plant to serving the tea, we do everything in-house. We are also in a better position to offer quality tea as everything is under one roof. There is no chance of getting substandard tea mixed with the best leaves.

"I have two sons, both are in my business. Tea is like my third son. I take care of every pack that we market. It is our family business and we do take care of what we produce and market. "Today, our brand is sold in 87 countries and we are penetrating many new territories. Today, Dilmah is the fastest growing brand in the world. It is very strong in Australia and we are making our presence felt in the West.

"Ours is now a Rs50 billion company." Dilmah grows its tea on a 50,000 acre plantation, where 37,000 workers work. Many people do not know how to make tea the right way. Thus, Fernando said, they do not get the right taste.

His recipe for the best tea is: "Choose single garden fresh unblended tea. Boil spring or cold water. Do not reboil hot water. Pour 200 millilitres of water in a fine ceramic cup, for a spoonful of tea or tea-bag. Stir, and after 3-4 minutes, drink the hot tea.

"Add hot milk if you have to, but not cold milk. Add sugar according to taste. That is the best way to make the best tea." Fernando is quite vocal on the North-South divide and the WTO. "We do not need foreign aid for our development. What we need is a level playing field with fair competition. We want a fair price for our own commodities."