Mervyn Gers had a successful career in broadcast media, with the crowning achievement of transforming a small “platteland” radio station, Radio Good Hope Kontrei, into the knockout success that is KFM94.5.
“It used to belong to a family, but by the third generation they had stopped producing handmade ceramics. They started shipping in goods from China and just printed transfers onto the mugs, which they sold to retailers. There were already two kilns, printing machines and five members of staff, so I bought the business. We kept the staff, of course,” Gers explains.
“It’s been a winning formula for us because often it means to get something that we wouldn’t … normally [have] got in terms of business. Our clients obviously appreciate the bespoke style and doing something that is absolutely unique to them. That’s part of our customised offering.”Mervyn Gers launched Mervyn Gers Ceramics in 2011, at the age of 50. Customers can choose their colours, transfers and glazes, which can be as plain as black or white, or as elaborate as Dutch Delft designs.
He now supplies to Yuppiechef, exclusive hotels, wine estates, lodges and restaurants in South Africa, and exports to Australia, New Zealand, the US and Europe. He counts local artist Richard Scott and the Walter Battiss Company among his biggest collaborators for limited edition ranges.