Paving a road to success

Gwen Finis’ stonehard persistence has lead to a flourishing business. GFG Slasto Supplies which has been in operation for the past 9 years initially started when she took over the simple task of mining natural stone after returning from the Netherlands where she was studying IT. GFG Slasto Supplies sources the stone from registered mining claims on a farm 220km south of Windhoek in Nauklaft Park with the use of haulage truck which transports the stone from the farm to their head office in Khomasdal.

Winner of two Gold Awards for Overall Best SME and for Best Mining Product SME at the Made in Namibia Expo also holder of the Namibia Manufacturers Association’s Silver Award for Manufacturer Of The Year in the SME sector, GFG Slasto Supplies now employees 12 permanent employees with plans to increase to twenty come year end. “We do employ casual workers during the peak periods to make sure we meet customer demands,” she says. Gwen fondly remembers starting out. “The opportunity came that I could buy land on the same farm and I became interested and started growing passion for the farm and the business.” With research she uncovered the opportunity to supply locally manufactured quality tiles and natural stone products at an affordable cost to the Namibian Market. As with many businesses starting out, Finis was not discouraged by limited capital and cost of running a business because of the initial low production. “As a woman trying to establish a business that is unknown brand in a male dominated industry wasn’t easy because I wasn’t taken seriously at times when negotiating with both suppliers and customers.” She however says that the support she received from the Ministry of Trade and Industry has provided tremendous support over the years through its Equipment Aid Scheme by providing equipment and machinery to increase production and making GFG Slasto Supplies gain sustainable growth.