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.

Once that had been ticked off the “to-do” list, Gers longed for more palpable creative expression, so he tried his hand at home renovation. Gers, who has an exacting eye for detail, had agonised over the dearth of quality vases for his clients, so he opted to make them himself instead of settling for inferior imports. 

With a few short courses in ceramics already behind him, Gers operated out of his garage for a while, with the help of three staff members, but then happened upon a ceramic factory in Paarden Eiland, which was about to be mothballed. 

“It used to belong to a family, but by the third generation they had stopped producing hand-made 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. 

With the help of eight employees, Gers launched Mervyn Gers Ceramics in 2011, at the age of 50. Over the years, business has flourished, thanks to a commitment to quality, developing their own clay mixes and hiring key people, including the recent appointment of Jean-Dré Crouse, a chemical engineer whose work has proved critical in the development of durable glazes and colour palettes.

Sales manager Shireen Ridgway explained creating a bespoke glaze can cost us up to R100,000: With Crouse, their “magician” and also their MD, they have their own in-house chemical engineer, who can make that happen.

“It’s been a winning formula for us because often it means to get something that we wouldn’t have normally 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, not just the shapes and it can also be a glaze colour.”

Mervyn Gers and Shireen Ridgway. (Photo: Supplied)

Mervyn Gers launched Mervyn Gers Ceramics in 2011, at the age of 50. (Photo: Supplied)

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Customers can choose their colours, transfers and glazes, which can be as plain as black or white, or as elaborate as Dutch Delft designs. Customised glazes include Fynbos, Ostrich Egg, Churchhaven and Harbour, inspired by the South African landscape.

With some initial assistance from the Department of Trade and Industry, Gers was able to increase his staff numbers and purchase more equipment.

Covid nearly killed the business, Gers says, as orders dried up, and now Eskom is further bedevilling oper­­ations. But he has much to be proud of: a growing business that has survived the pandemic, and he has kept all 48 members of his staff.

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.

Then there’s Dutch womenswear label Bernadette, whose feminine designs are coupled with exclusive Gers ranges.

Gers offers a bespoke design service for discerning interior design enthusiasts and trendsetters.

Ridgway explains: “The bespoke ranges are guided by the client. They can give us any design and specification and we make it. So, for example, if they want a special plate or bowl, Mervyn makes the prototype. I then get it approved by the customer and we make it in the studio. Mervyn’s the creative person behind every single shape that we have in our studio.”

In South Africa, 60% of business comes from the hospitality sector, which is driving sales. “People go to restaurants, like what they see, turn their plates upside down and they go, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s a Mervyn Gers’. That’s how it happens. And, as a result of that popularity, we supply Yuppiechef, which sells … highly coveted items, which fits in perfectly with our brand.”

Controlling the quality of the glazes and clay has been transformative for the business, says Gers. “When we say handmade, we truly mean handmade. Twenty-two pairs of hands work on one item and each piece is unique.”

Truly handmade ceramics have slight variations in colour and size, which add an interesting dimension to the products.

It’s an incredibly creative space to work in, Ridgway added, because having done the prototype of each and every item, Gers is “quite a taskmaster”.

“Even though our items are imperfectly perfect and organic in shape and style, he’s a perfectionist,” she explains. “He really needs that look and feel to come across and he really needs to be happy with that item, even if it’s a bit expensive and time-consuming to ourselves.” DM168

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R25.