The Umtha story

Small beginnings in 1992
Best Beads was started in 1992 by Dave Milligan, who was unemployed. The idea started with a visit to a bead shop in Hermanus where Dave bought some beads. Doodling turned to a necklace for his wife, Cheryl, who liked the created design. Together they recognised the potential of beaded jewellery and Dave began to experiment with a limited range. The jewellery was sold at craft markets and directly to consumers in their homes. Later that year Dave also began to sell his jewellery to a small number of shops in Cape Town.  A year later , Dave's wife Cheryl joined him in a full-time capacity.

Compassion and hope in 1996
The vision to empower women from disadvantaged circumstances was born in 1996, when Dave and Cheryl met Jostina Dubase.
Jostina was living at St Ann’s in Woodstock (an NGO which provides shelter and care for women in difficult circumstances). Dave and Cheryl found out about Jostina’s need for employment and offered her a job. To reflect the new direction the business was taking, the name changed from ‘Best Beads’ to ‘Umtha’. Umtha is a Xhosa word which means ‘ray of light’. The business continued to expand in 1996, with new employees from the townships joining Umtha.

Growth and blessing
Two years later Dave and Cheryl, with Jostina and Nokuzola Gobodo, exhibited and sold Umtha jewellery at an international conference in the UK. With excellent sales to over 20 000 people, this was a significant time for Umtha, as we began a strategic relationship with Tearcraft. Tearcraft is a fair trade NPO who sells products from developing countries in their catalogue each year, recently celebrating 40 years of business. Umtha honours Tearcraft for their ethical trading and skills they have shared with Umtha for over 10 years.

Umtha gradually expanded and increased the number of stores it supplied locally. In addition, Umtha gained new international market access through the fair trade network and began to export to new fair trade customers in Australia, France and Germany. The business experienced incredible blessing and breakthrough in 2006 and as sales increased, Umtha was able to employ even more low skilled, previously disadvantaged women.

By early 2009, Umtha was supplying more than 50 major tourist outlets throughout Southern Africa with contemporary African jewellery. International sales expanded to customers in Switzerland, Japan, Slovakia, Norway, Canada and East Africa. To make beautiful jewellery for all these new customers, we have had over 50 people working at Umtha.

Umtha's commitment to fair trade and ethically-trading principles has been recognised, and we are now members of COFTA (Co-operation for fair trade in Africa) and WFTO (World Fair trade Organisation).

Umtha has had many highs and low over the last 16 years. We continue to progress and develop towards the achievement of our vision: to be an excellent business handcrafting quality, innovative jewellery and empowering people from historically disadvantaged communities.