Maverick Trading, a Brackenfell company which manufactures manhole covers, frames and other products from polymer concrete, was named last night as the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Exporter of the year.

Maverick Trading also received the Design Award which is sponsored by the S A Maritime Safety Association (SAMSA).

“This is an incredible achievement for a company that started 14 years ago with a staff of just six and has grown into one of our best local producers and exporters,” said Ms Janine Myburgh, President of the Chamber.

Maverick Trading's products, which include gully grates and grids for storm water drains, are being widely used to replace steel grates and covers that are regularly stolen for sale to the scrap metal industry. They are lighter, stronger and cheaper than the steel products they are replacing, as they have no scrap value and are thus ignored by thieves.

“Maverick Trading is a remarkable example of a company that solved a major problem and turned it into a profitable exporting business, creating more than a 100 jobs in the process.”

The other big winner was Nautic Africa which scooped the Transnet Port Terminals Award for the best Manufacturing exporter of the year and the Cape Chamber’s award for innovation.

Nautic Africa makes fast launches and patrol boats, mainly for West African countries and the oil industry. Most of them are used to protect and service oil rigs and deal with piracy. The company is expanding rapidly and orders are coming in so fast that it is building a second factory.

Previous winners, Macadams International, a 100-year old Cape Town company which manufactures equipment for bakeries, won the Gerald Wolman Award for Excellence in doing Business in Africa.

Abagold, the pioneering Hermanus mariculture company which farms Abalone for export, was the judge’s choice for the Transnet National Ports Authority  for the best non-manufacturing exporter.

The Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s prize for transformation went to Diemersfontein/Thokozani Winelands, where farmworkers are now proud shareholders in the company.

The Credit Guarantee Award for the best Small Exporter went to Oh Lief Natural Products, a cosmetic firm started by two sisters.  Their products are made from 100% natural and organic, raw ingredients, which are all sourced locally.

It was a close finish this year and the judges included two honorable mentions.

Triggerfish Animations Studios, a company that makes animated feature films which have been translated into 27 languages, screened in 40 countries and sold half a million DVDs, narrowly missed out on an award this year. Tralac, an organisation developing trade-related capacity in east and southern Africa, also earned an honorable mention.

“This year’s finalists are an excellent indication of potential within the Western Cape. They serve as fine examples to companies who are looking to take the next step in their global expansion,” Ms Myburgh concluded.