Kazuri 2000 Ltd

Ceramic beads, jewellery & pottery, handmade in Kenya

KAZURI - which means small and beautiful in Swahili - began over 25 years ago as a small ceramic workshop experimenting in making hand made beads. It started with two African women, and has grown to a substantial factory with many workers.

When Kazuri began, they discovered that there were many women in the villages around Nairobi who were single mothers, and most were nearly destitute. Kazuri is proud to be able to say that 25 years later the self respect of these ladies has been restored, this being evident in the confidence and appearance of their employees in general, many of whom now include school leavers from disadvantaged sections of the community.

As the company grew, their ambitious ideas of diversifying into other areas of ceramic production were seriously disrupted by the lack of technical ceramic expertise. As a result of the determination of the directors, various sources were approached for technical assistance

Both the Centre for Enterprise Development (CDE) Brussels and the Department for International Development (DfID) - through the British Council Nairobi, responded with programs to assist the company. One mission from CDE and two missions from British Council have resulted in dramatic improvements to all aspects of the company's manufacturing operations. A further mission supported by CDE, is scheduled for year 2003 to increase the technical and manufacturing expertise within the company.

Local clays have been fully utilised and blended to produce a versatile ceramic body to manufacture all their required product ranges. The commissioning of clay processing equipment and the introduction of a hand operated making machine now means that Kazuri can at last produce a very comprehensive range of ceramic goods for sale locally, and to the very substantial tourist market.

Kazuri was formed by Lady Susan Wood (ShuShu in Swahili - meaning Grandmother), wife of the late Sir Michael Wood, founder of the East African Flying Doctor Service, together with Mrs. Linda Garner and Mrs. Alex MacEvoy.

Due to retirement of the principal founders, Kazuri was recently acquired by Mr. Mark Newman and family. As the (retired) Chief Executive of Lonrho East Africa plc, Mr. Newman and his wife Regina bring with them a personal dedication to the founding principles of the company, together with management and financial skills that will serve to ensure the ongoing success of this vibrant enterprise, now re - named Kazuri 2000 Ltd.