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Under a picturesque marquee, people sipped on tea cocktails, and indulged in macaroons to celebrate the third year of Dilmah tea at the Tremains Art Deco Festival. Since 2015 Dilmah founder Merrill J. Fernando has been returning to Napier for the festival, to engage with the public and share the ethical mission of his product. The festival's international ambassador said while he had never heard of Art Deco before initially being invited, Mr Fernando said he now "enjoyed this event very much". "They are getting more and more people here. I'm amazed at the way people treat me and talk to me, they treat me as a long-lost friend," the Sri Lankan native said. In previous years, Mr Fernando has been joined in Napier by his son Dilhan and Malik - the renowned tea brand was named using the first syllables of their names.

For Merrill J Fernando, founder of tea company Dilmah, age is just a number. This 86-year-old is still growing, innovating and fighting pessimism, he tells Mrinal Shekar. Merrill J Fernando is tall - towering in fact. I had expected the 86-year-old to be stooping, frail even, but when I walked into Dilmah's recently launched tea lounge in Ibn Battuta Mall and saw Merrill unfold his 1.8m (5ft 11in( frame out of the sofa, coming to stand absolutely upright in front of me, I suddenly felt short, and all the more small for my assumption. The handshake was firm, the gait sharp and there was no visible slouch - a stalwart who looks the part. He even has a full head of hair, I note as Merrill takes his seat after ensuring I was comfortable. 'It's Ceylon Supreme, a black tea from Craighead Estate. One of my favourites,' he says as he catches me staring at the steaming cup in front of him. Is that the secret to his youthful appearance, I ask, before assumption raises its ugly head again. 'That and the fact that my mother raised me well. She taught me to care for the community and share with the poor.
I firmly believe there is a certain joy in giving and that pure joy, I think, is the secret to my health,' explains Merrill. But you cannot ignore the fact that this philanthropist helms a tea company that has an annual turnover of $800 million (Dh2.9 billion(, which proves that he is a successful businessman too.

The newest addition to Waters Edge, the 'Tea Lounge at the Edge' embraces the Dilmah Tea revolution in offering the finest Ceylon tea to the tea connoisseur of Sri Lanka. The beautifully designed and tastefully decorated lounge is the ideal place to hang out, relax and have a snack.

Dilmah, one of the top 10 tea brands in the world, is now eyeing expansion across the GCC region with its new lounge concept, according to a senior official at the company.

Located within the Egypt Court at the Ibn Battuta Mall, the t-lounge will offer artisanal teas served hot, chilled, sparkling or pulled & paired with crepes, ice creams & more.

Tea pioneer presents tea with style at the first Dilmah t-lounge in Dubai , the t-lounge offers artisanal teas served hot, chilled, sparkling or pulled & paired with crepes, ice creams & more.

Sri Lankan tea brand Dilmah has opened a new tea lounge in Dubai’s Ibn Battuta Mall as part of plans to expand in the Middle East market.Located in the mall’s Egypt Court, the venue – called t-Lounge – is the brand’s first in the UAE. Currently Dilmah runs two t-lounges in Kuwait, with a third under construction, and also has outlets in Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia.

He is the founder of one of the 10th largest specialty tea brands in the world and hotelier with several resorts and growing, the epitome of a man born to wealth and privilege, with all the advantages and connections. No, the story of Merril J. Fernando is not about a man born into wealth, privilege or connections, but the story of a man with a dream, good motives, a love of tea and his country, and the intense passion to share the wealth with his workers and countrymen.

We are a family of tea makers who became accidental hoteliers, born of our commitment to ethical tea production and a genuine pride in sharing our country with interested visitors from abroad. Sri Lanka's tea has been acclaimed for centuries, but much of it was bulk-exported abroad and the serene beauty of the tea region was not widely explored by tourists.