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Early in the 1980s entrepreneur Brett Sher headed off into remote parts of Southern Africa in his pick-up truck with requests from museums, galleries and private collectors. On his return to Johannesburg he sold African art and artefacts to collectors, museums and galleries.
Over time, art and artefacts collecting evolved into a textile manufacturing business. Prospective customers would pick up beautiful textiles and ask if it would be possible to make cushion covers or throws. There was a need to produce high-quality finished textile products.
The demand grew until it became necessary to start a production facility specialising in hand-made textiles. The scope of regions evolved to cover larger parts of Africa. Product offerings increased and led to the creation of a workshop of highly skilled artisans and specialized craftspeople.
HOW WE GOT OUR NAME
“Mjita” is South African slang that loosely translates as “a streetwise guy” or “dude”. Whenever founder Brett Sher travelled to out-of-the way hotspots, his staff jokingly referred to him as “Mjita”. Hard to Pronounce? we’ll make it easy for you. First is Mmmmm (as in delicious) Gee (as in wow!) Ta (as in Thank you).
Today Mjita Trading Company is a family-run business; founder and owner Brett handles the creative workshop and sales, and his wife Tamiko assists with marketing and product development. The company has up to eight full-time employees, and works with many other small independent businesses in the manufacture of specialized items.
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