Dilmah Tea is celebrating 40 years on Australian shelves, since first coming to Coles in 1985. In that time, Australians have consumed more than 28 billion cups of Dilmah Single Origin Ceylon Tea – that's 700 million cups per year, or nearly 2 million every day.
To mark the occasion, Dilmah conducted an exclusive DiversiTEA survey, which revealed 70 per cent of Australians learnt to make tea from their mothers or grandmothers, 66 per cent still make tea the same way they were taught, and 65 per cent had their first cup by the age of 15.
Dilmah Tea CEO, Dilhan Fernando, said tea is deeply embedded in family tradition, and it was the same in his family.
“I learnt it from my father and now my son is learning it from me. We now have the third generation joining us, and they’re more committed than my brother and I ever were,” said Fernando.
The survey found that 53 per cent of Australians prefer sharing tea with family members, while 45 per cent identify as “The Purist” – wanting nothing but good tea, no additives or enhancements.
It’s a philosophy that the company stated aligns with Dilmah’s single-origin approach, pioneering the concept of Single Origin Tea in 1988, going against industry trends to declare its commitment to authenticity.
With Dilmah’s commitment to dedicating 15 per cent of pre-tax profits to life-changing projects, every one of those 28 billion cups has poured kindness into communities across Sri Lanka, Australia, and beyond.
Dilmah’s 40 years of impact facts:
- 100,000 lives impacted globally through Dilmah’s MJF Charitable Foundation
- Life-saving healthcare provided to 500,000 residents in tea plantation regions in Sri Lanka via the High Dependency Care Facility at the District General Hospital funded by Dilmah’s MJF Foundation
- 352 chefs educated through the Dilmah-funded Empower Culinary & Hospitality Schools
- Daily meals for up to 400 school children at Hunuwella estates in Opanaike in Sri Lanka's Ratnapura District
- Over 6800 youths supported in vocational training
- Three baby elephants adopted and returned to the wild through Dilmah Conservation
- Support for Australians with cancer by partnering with the Cancer Council and My Room charities
- Australian communities empowered by partnering with the Salvos and serving over one million cups of tea per year through Salvation Army Centres
- At least 2000 people engaged in Dilmah Conservation education programs each year
- Some 210 novel species of plants and 40 species of wildlife and lichen previously unknown to science discovered in Sri Lanka, thanks to Dilmah
Every second, 22 people around the world are drinking a cup of Dilmah Single Origin Ceylon Tea, and the impact of Australian consumption has been profound.
Fernando will be visiting Australia for the celebration, marking 40 years with an event at the Opera House in Sydney on 19 June – featuring new product releases, information sessions, and insights of celebrity chefs and distillers.
