"The most selfless person I have ever met in business."

That's how Kiarne describes Dilhan C. Fernando, Chairman and CEO of Dilmah Tea, after sitting down with him for this episode.

Dilhan runs one of the world's best-known tea brands in the world, and by his own admission, he could triple Dilmah's profits tomorrow. Kiarne sits down with him to find out what it actually costs to run a business on purity of origin, ethical growing and a founding promise never to compromise.

Dilhan walks through the value model his father built the company on: social impact first, environmental restoration second, and profit deliberately at the end. They talk about agroforestry that drops yields, twelve years of biochar trials and why they have a single-origin promise. Dilhan teaches us about the family's charitable foundation and conservation arm, the bats now helping grow tea and why three of his children have chosen to join the business too.

You'll hear and learn:
Why Dilhan compares a bag of Dilmah tea to a bottle of wine, and what that says about why they don’t blend tea across regions
How bat research at Dilmah's Genesis Centre is helping them grow tea
The three-part value model behind Dilmah's business, and where profit actually lands on that list
What twelve years of testing one unusual soil technique revealed about growing tea through drought

This episode is a must-listen for anyone who wants to understand what genuine, structural sustainability actually costs, and why one family has chosen it for three generations running.

 

 

MENTIONS:
Dilmah Tea
MJF Charitable Foundation
Dilmah Conservation
Genesis Dilmah Centre for a Sustainable Future
Biodiversity Sri Lanka
UN Global Compact Network Sri Lanka
Conscious Food Systems Summit, Bhutan
Sri Lanka Climate Summit 2026
Sri Lanka's National Export Development Plan

 

LINKS:

Learn more aboutSustainabilityTracker

Learn more aboutThe Sustainable Transformation Podcast

Follow The Sustainability Tracker onLinkedIn,Instagram, andTikTok

Follow Nova Podcasts on Instagram for videos from the podcast and behind-the-scenes content – @novapodcastsofficial

 

CREDITS:

Host:Kiarne Treacy

Guest:Dilhan C Fernando

Guest Company: Dilmah

Find more great podcasts like this at novapodcasts.com.au

Nova Entertainment acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we produced this podcast, the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation.

Seeomnystudio.com/listener for privacy information

"The most selfless person I have ever met in business."
That's how Kiarne describes Dilhan C. Fernando, Chairman and CEO of Dilmah Tea, after sitting down with him for this episode.
Dilhan runs one of the world's best-known tea brands in the world, and by his own admission, he could triple Dilmah's profits tomorrow. Kiarne sits down with him to find out what it actually costs to run a business on purity of origin, ethical growing and a founding promise never to compromise.
Dilhan walks through the value model his father built the company on: social impact first, environmental restoration second, and profit deliberately at the end. They talk about agroforestry that drops yields, twelve years of biochar trials and why they have a single-origin promise. Dilhan teaches us about the family's charitable foundation and conservation arm, the bats now helping grow tea and why three of his children have chosen to join the business too.
You'll hear and learn:
<ul>
<li>Why Dilhan compares a bag of Dilmah tea to a bottle of wine, and what that says about why they don&rsquo;t blend tea across regions</li>
<li>How bat research at Dilmah's Genesis Centre is helping them grow tea</li>
<li>The three-part value model behind Dilmah's business, and where profit actually lands on that list</li>
<li>What twelve years of testing one unusual soil technique revealed about growing tea through drought</li>
</ul>
This episode is a must-listen for anyone who wants to understand what genuine, structural sustainability actually costs, and why one family has chosen it for three generations running.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
MENTIONS:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://shop.dilmahtea.com.au/">Dilmah Tea</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.mjffoundation.org/">MJF Charitable Foundation</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dilmahconservation.org/">Dilmah Conservation</a></li>
<li><a href="https://genesis.dilmahtea.com/">Genesis Dilmah Centre for a Sustainable Future</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.biodiversitysrilanka.org/">Biodiversity Sri Lanka</a></li>
<li><a href="https://unglobalcompact.org.lk/">UN Global Compact Network Sri Lanka</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.consciousfoodsummit.com/">Conscious Food Systems Summit, Bhutan</a></li>
<li><a href="https://shop.dilmahtea.com/blogs/news/climate-summit?srsltid=AfmBOorex3gQ-vISZD-AymXHm-S19sNgsSUcigJUQBmQ8UX1TjCPqxXp">Sri Lanka Climate Summit 2026</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.srilankabusiness.com/national-export-development-plan/">Sri Lanka's National Export Development Plan</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
LINKS:
Learn more about<a href="https://www.sustainabilitytracker.com/about/"> </a><a href="https://www.sustainabilitytracker.com/about/">SustainabilityTracker</a>
Learn more about<a href="https://www.sustainabilitytracker.com/podcasts/"> </a><a href="https://www.sustainabilitytracker.com/podcasts/">The Sustainable Transformation Podcast</a>
Follow The Sustainability Tracker on<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/sustainablechoice/"> </a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/sustainablechoice/">LinkedIn</a>,<a href="https://www.instagram.com/sustainabilitytracker/"> </a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/sustainabilitytracker/">Instagram</a>, and<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@sustainabilitytracker"> </a><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@sustainabilitytracker">TikTok</a>
Follow Nova Podcasts on Instagram for videos from the podcast and behind-the-scenes content &ndash; @novapodcastsofficial
&nbsp;
CREDITS:
Host:<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiarne-treacy/"> </a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiarne-treacy/">Kiarne Treacy</a>
Guest:<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravimandalika/"> </a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dilhanfernando/">Dilhan C Fernando</a>
Guest Company: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/dilmah/">Dilmah</a>
Find more great podcasts like this at novapodcasts.com.au
Nova Entertainment acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we produced this podcast, the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation.
See<a href="https://omnystudio.com/policies/listener"> </a><a href="https://omnystudio.com/policies/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information

In the Sustainable Transformation Podcast, we bring you honest conversations about the challenges and triumphs of sustainability transformations in business. Join us fortnightly as we unpack the ideas that drive change, decode the jargon and meet the visionary leaders reshaping their organisations for the better. 

In the Sustainable Transformation Podcast, we bring you honest conversations about the challenges and triumphs of sustainability transformations in business. Join us fortnightly as we unpack the ideas that drive change, decode the jargon and meet the visionary leaders reshaping their organisations for the better.

In the Sustainable Transformation Podcast, we bring you honest conversations about the challenges and triumphs of sustainability transformations in business.

Sustainable Transformation

Want to know what’s inside Dilmah’s family rule: success vs significance?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/3a93bbe1-66f1-4f66-8b56-b4a4000d4bf7/transcript