When Olympic cyclist Dan Craven retired from professional racing, it was time to make a move. But where to? Having spent much of his career in Europe and only a few months a year back home in Namibia, the latter didn’t seem like the obvious choice. Back in 2009, Dan developed a deep appreciation for steel-frame bicycles and the craft required to build them. Years later, when he saw the collaborations Rapha, a cycling apparel brand, was doing with bicycle frame builders, his future and past finally aligned.
He “absolutely loved” the work of a particular frame builder, so he went on a deep dive. “This guy had been building bikes for only five years at that point. He had been a bicycle mechanic and messenger, and here he was doing collaborations with this cycling company.” Dan realised that if that guy could do it, then he could do it, and if he could do it, why not other people in Namibia?
“My one belief or starting point is that Namibia, specifically, and Africa in general, is a land of makers. So many people, because they don’t have a lot, are very dependent on their skills. They have to be creative. But normally, these people don’t have much education, they don’t have access to amazing tools and ingredients, and they also don’t have access to a market. The one thing they do have is amazing skill with their hands.”
Dan had specific hands in mind for Onguza – Petrus and Sakaria had been working on Dan’s family’s farm for at least 15 years by then, and he knew how good they were at anything they put their minds to. Even though Dan had taken a few bicycle-building courses, he realised he wasn’t a good enough teacher to train them, so he called upon an award-winning frame builder from the UK – one of many experts who have helped Onguza along the way. Petrus and Sakaria now have equity in the company and are the two senior builders in the workshop, supported by two juniors.
Once they had perfected the product, it was 2021, and time to launch. Dan knew that most bicycle companies are based where the majority of their customers live, with something of a ready-made community. Onguza is not. So, how do you get people worldwide to buy into what is being made in Namibia? You tell the story, and you tell it really well.
There is no doubt what Onguza’s (very tongue-in-cheek) brand voice is, and Dan gives his wife, Onguza’s Creative Director, full credit. It also ties in with a mindset that usually comes standard if you’re from Africa. Dan explains: “If you come from a place that is on the edge of the desert, and it’s really harsh, dry and hot, and everything is far apart, then you really depend on other people, and you really depend on a sense of humour. You can’t come from a place like Omaruru and have no sense of humour. We take the work that we do very seriously and the quality of the bicycles, but I don’t necessarily always take myself that seriously, and we want to portray that lightness.”
Their efforts were noticed, and Onguza’s launch video was awarded a Loerie. “The reason we put so much effort into that is because everything you do is everything you do. If we put that amount of effort into our branding, storytelling, videos and photos, imagine how much effort we put into building our bicycles.”
Although all the bicycles have been custom-made until now, Dan and the team are launching Africanis, a ready-to-buy range in three sizes and a few colour options that will allow them to produce more efficiently and scale the business.
Despite the many challenges of running a company in Africa, the Onguza team have tapped into the humour, grit, and ingenuity that make Africans and the continent so unique. Stay tuned; their ride is only beginning.
Onguza ships worldwide.
For more details, visit: onguza.com, @onguzabicycles on Instagram, @onguzabicycles on YouTube
