Cassandra Fernando (Holt, Australian Labor Party) | Hansard source

Merrill J Fernando was many things, and he was a visionary tea maker who made single-origin Ceylon tea a household name in the world. Merrill was a committed environmentalist, philanthropist, and iconic personality whose catchphrase 'do try it' became popular in Australia. This extraordinary person breathed his last breath at the age of 93 less than a fortnight ago in Colombo after having dedicated most of his life to tea, an essential beverage in every corner of the world.

When Merrill retired, the tea industry was vastly different from when he began his career. He was among the first Sri Lankans to be trained as a tea taster, a profession closely guarded by the previous colonial administration. In London, he noticed that the industry was exploitative, with Sri Lankan producers receiving a tiny fraction of the profits, whilst middlemen—mainly a handful of large corporations—benefitted excessively. After 30 years in the business, Dilmah, the first producer owned tea brand, was founded—and the rest is history. He also ensured that a minimum of 15 per cent of Dilmah's profits went to charitable and environmental causes. I extend my condolences to his family and to the employees of Dilmah. I thank the House.

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