Welcome to my website

Els Kemper

This is where the story of the Birds of Zimbabwe (BOZ) begins all the way from oil-drums to garden decorations. Because almost every visitor wants to know some background information, I’ve had an interview taken. This way you will get a clear picture of the entrepreneur with a passion for Africa.

When did you first get the idea, and how?

In 2005 I was asked to take over the import rights of a Dutch couple who brought “the Birds” to the Netherlands. I was asked to do this since my husband and I where involved in the concept development. We where excited to further promote it in Holland.
We had some prior experience with the products of BOZ since my husband at the time controlled the largest retailer in the Netherlands, so this felt like a natural evolution.

How and why did you acquire the business?

I feel attracted to the state of mind behind the product. Around 15 craftsman in Zimbabwe who express themselves creatively with the making of the Birds and get rewarded in doing so. In 2005 I personally went to Harare to meet Joy, the exporter and a few of the craftsman. Since I’ve been there myself I knew that what I wanted to do would be beneficial for all party’s involved. This Fair Trade approach appeals to me. Fair Trade will always be important and it serves as a big motivation.

What appealed to you?

After we’ve been there to see with our own eyes, we knew how professionally the company was constructed and that the ‘welders’ had fun doing their jobs. Besides this we also saw the economical state the country resides in. Its not at all comparable to Holland, its in a very deplorable state and it has only gotten worse over time. So it boils down to a combination of wanting to do good, whilst getting involved as a business.

What made you decide to go for it?

A combination between the enthusiastic craftsman and the uniqueness of the product.
I want to further convey this in the Netherlands while making sure the product will remain attractive and sustainable in the long run, so its not a freak of fashion. I want to make this a contemporary product, full of continuity. This is why each purchase is provided with a "Certificate of Authenticity", so you can be sure that you're the owner of a unique African product!

What obstacles did you have to overcome?

Distance; if we want to order something, we have to do this well in advance because it takes a very long time before it arrives in Holland. Combining manual packaging and sea-trafficking this takes about 8 weeks. I have to “overcome Zimbabwe”, not the people living there, but the situation overall gives us a lot of problems we encounter. For example the supply of quality materials. I try to go there personally once a year, I combine this with my job as a stewardess. I also keep in touch using the telephone every month as well as using email regularly.

What challenges still lay ahead of you?

To give this beautiful product more awareness as well as refining the assortment and expanding upon it. Besides this we want to make the website more interactive, but we’ll do so next year. For now the visitors to our site are mostly impressed with the imagery of the gorgeous bird sculptures.

What do you enjoy most at the moment?

I enjoy the enthusiasm of the buyers and sellers as well as the stories I receive from Joy (my contact in Zimbabwe) about the high spirits and amount of talent shown by the craftsman. Also the fact that after three years we keep getting more motivated resellers who every year joyfully collect their orders from distribution.