More than 28 billion cups of Dilmah Tea have been consumed in Australia, consuming more than 700 million cups per year.
In its 40-year history since Dilmah first arrived on its shores, Australians have consumed more than 28 billion cups of Dilmah Single Origin Ceylon Tea, that's 700 million cups per year, or nearly two million every day.
Every cuppa counts and tells a deeper story about Australian culture. Dilmah’s exclusive DiversiTEA survey reveals that tea is deeply embedded in family tradition, with 70 percent of Aussies learning to make tea from their mothers or grandmothers. Remarkably, 66 percent still make tea the same way they were taught, and 65 percent had their first cuppa by the age of 15.
“It’s the same in my family,” said Dilhan Fernando, CEO of Dilmah Tea.
“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.”
The DiversiTEA survey found that 53 percent of Australians prefer sharing tea with family members, while 45 percent identify as “The Purist”, wanting nothing but good tea, no additives or enhancements. It’s a philosophy that aligns with Dilmah’s single-origin approach; Dilmah pioneered the concept of Single Origin Tea in 1988 when the family company went against industry trends to declare its commitment to authenticity.
What started as Australians simply choosing to drink better tea has become something quite extraordinary. With Dilmah’s commitment to dedicating 15 percent 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.
Dilhan Fernando is visiting Australia in June to mark 40 years of the brand’s presence in Australia, after it was first stocked in Coles in 1985.
When Dilhan steps off the plane in Australia this week, he’ll be returning to what his late father, Merrill J Fernando, once called “the birthplace of our global tea empire”. That breakthrough moment four decades ago wasn’t just about securing retail shelf space, Merrill became the first tea grower in history to offer tea “grown, picked, packed and sold direct” to consumers.
Worldwide, every second, 22 people are drinking a cup of Dilmah Single Origin Ceylon Tea, and the impact of Australian consumption has been profound.
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