MJF Foundation

MJF Foundation Charitable arm of Dilmah Ceylon Tea, founded by the late Merrill J. Fernando to transform lives through kindness.

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Play is important! Yesterday we celebrated the International Day of Play at our Moratuwa center's Preschool Unit, with p...
12/06/2026

Play is important! Yesterday we celebrated the International Day of Play at our Moratuwa center's Preschool Unit, with parents joining their children to enjoy a number of fun and engaging games and activities designed to promote learning through play. The event was a meaningful space for strengthening parent-child bonds and highlighted the importance of play in children's overall development.

07/06/2026

In 2016, a vision took root in Moratuwa. It wasn't just about teaching young people how to cook; it was about nurturing futures.

Dilmah Founder; Merrill J. Fernando opened the Empower Culinary and Hospitality School (ECHS) with a powerful, singular mission: to provide youth from vulnerable and low-income backgrounds with a plate at the table of opportunity. By 2018, that mission expanded to the East, turning raw talent into refined skill.

Today, as a Worldchefs accredited facility, ECHS has graduated over 350 young chefs and culinary professionals. But the numbers don’t tell the whole story. The people do.

From the mountainous Kahawatte plantations to the global stage, their alumni include a Bocuse d' Or Sri Lanka gold medalist, incredible chefs with disabilities breaking barriers in the kitchen, and award-winning culinary professionals performing across the world.

This isn't just culinary school. This is where passion meets purpose.

This is the recipe for change.



What happens when a shared passion for community and the planet brings two worlds together?When Dilmah’s Chairman/CEO, D...
02/06/2026

What happens when a shared passion for community and the planet brings two worlds together?

When Dilmah’s Chairman/CEO, Dilhan C. Fernando, met Shaun Christie-David , founder of the Australian-Sri Lankan social enterprise Plate It Forward, a beautiful friendship built on kindness was born – Harvest2.

It is a perfect, living circle that connects the land, the farmer, and the child.

Sri Lanka’s beautiful East is a cultural paradise, but it faces deep economic and educational challenges. Through Harvest2 we are creating a direct, transparent loop. It begins in small, local farms, ensuring small agri entrepreneurs are guaranteed a stable income. This fresh produce goes straight to parent-led school societies in 23 rural schools, where daily midday meals are cooked for over 2,700 students. We’re even raising the next generation of eco warriors – teaching schools how to grow and care for their own sustainable gardens, clean biogas energy units, and more!

Driving Impact at the ! 🌟Here’s a memory from our recent People’s Market on the beautiful eastern coastline of Kalkudah...
25/05/2026

Driving Impact at the ! 🌟

Here’s a memory from our recent People’s Market on the beautiful eastern coastline of Kalkudah in Sri Lanka’s east. It wasn’t just a regional event, it was a powerful masterclass in community resilience, sustainable development, and local entrepreneurship.
Our local communities showed up in full force to support budding entrepreneurs. A record-breaking 2,553 visitors flooded the market grounds, creating an electric atmosphere of public engagement and community solidarity.

Together, we empowered local artisans, first-time micro-entrepreneurs, and beneficiaries from our Small Entrepreneur Programme (SEP). It’s proof that targeted; long-term livelihood support translates directly into thriving micro-economies.
Through initiatives like the MJF Foundation's People's Market, Dilmah continues to foster sustainable tourism, livelihood development, and social impact across Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province, transforming small-scale vendors into self-reliant, market-ready business owners.

Welcome to the MJF Foundation Centres!Across Sri Lanka, our MJF Foundation Centres act as community resource hubs for to...
17/05/2026

Welcome to the MJF Foundation Centres!

Across Sri Lanka, our MJF Foundation Centres act as community resource hubs for toddlers, children, youth and adults. Our 11 locations around Sri Lanka provide a variety of educational programmes for kids of all ages, special education for children and youth with developmental disabilities, and vocational training for young people on the cusp of their dreams. But it’s not just for young people, the MJF Foundation Centres also host empowerment programmes for adults – including inclusive training for women and persons with disabilities.

All this is possible thanks to your purchase of Dilmah tea. A minimum of 15 pre-tax profit from Dilmah tea is directed towards keeping these Centres pulsing with activity, hope and real impact.

Thank you for joining us on this continuing journey to


Change is rolling into the streets of Sri Lanka, and it’s inclusive! Sri Lanka has officially launched its first phase o...
13/05/2026

Change is rolling into the streets of Sri Lanka, and it’s inclusive!

Sri Lanka has officially launched its first phase of low-floor priority buses, bringing ten modern, air-conditioned vehicles to the roadways of Colombo. These aren't just your standard commute; with a capacity for 80 passengers and specialized stability features, they are purpose-built to ensure wheelchair users can travel with the dignity and safety they deserve.

However, a bus is only as accessible as the person operating it. That is why the MJF Foundation is stepping in to ensure the "human" side of this technology works perfectly.

Our very own Subhani, a dedicated disability instructor and coordinator, was invited by the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) to lead specialized sensitization sessions for the drivers and conductors. From mastering the technical accessibility features to understanding the nuances of assisting passengers with disabilities, the MJF Foundation is proud to help steer this project toward a future where everyone has a seat, or a space, on the move.

Image via - Sri Lanka Transport Board

For our Dilmah family, the 6th of May is a reminder of the power of kindness – the birthday of our beloved Founder Merri...
06/05/2026

For our Dilmah family, the 6th of May is a reminder of the power of kindness – the birthday of our beloved Founder Merrill J. Fernando. Across Sri Lanka we celebrate our Founder’s legacy of doing what he loved – helping people and the planet. ❤️🫱🏽‍🫲🏽🌍

Through his Dilmah Tea, Kahawatte Plantations , Resplendent Ceylon and his charitable initiatives – the MJF Foundation and Dilmah Conservation, we have transformed the 6th of May into a special day in our calendar – “Kindness Day”. ✨

We spent the morning embracing the joy and different abilities of over 100 children who are empowered by our Centre for Children with Cerebral Palsy and Other Developmental Disorders (CCCPDD).🌈🙌🏽

We saw over 1,000 packs of essential items travel across the North, East and West of Sri Lanka, in addition to the nourishing meals we shared with the elderly in the East, and the youngest members of the tea gardens🌿. In Kandy, we collaborated with the Centre for Handicapped, to support 10 persons with disabilities receive prosthetic limbs.

On the southern coast🌊🌴, our Resplendent Ceylon family, refurbished a patient ward and sanitary facilities at the Walana Hospital – while also providing a hearty lunch for the patients. They also launched the ‘Resplendent Academy’, a transformative initiative to empower youth from low income and vulnerable background with vocational training. 🙌🏽

And in the heart of our plantations, we gave back to nature with tree planting programmes, echoing our Founder’s passion for conservation and appreciation of the environment that sustains our tea 🌱🪴.

Kindness is contagious. It is what inspires us as part of a legacy that continues to grow and share a cup of kindness with those around us. In the words of our Founder – “Do try It”.

06/05/2026

He believed his Ceylon tea could change the world.

Through kindness… through purpose… through doing things the right way - even when it was the harder way.

Merrill J. Fernando dreamt of sharing the true taste of Ceylon with the world — pure, honest, and untouched by compromise.

But beyond tea, he dreamt of something greater… a business that served people.

He showed us that integrity is not a choice you make once, but a promise you keep every single day.

That success is not measured in numbers, but in the lives you uplift, the communities you nurture, and the hope you create.

Today, every cup of Dilmah carries a message more than tea.
It carries a legacy of purpose.
A legacy of humanity.
A legacy of a man who chose to make the world kinder, one cup at a time.

Address

111 Negombo Road
Peliyagoda

Telephone

+94114822467

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