Ricardo and Stefan met in Karibib in 2022, where Ricardo was completing training as a gemstone cutter. The training is funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs in order to give more young people access to the labor market through qualification. The unemployment rate among Namibians under the age of 24 is very high, currently around 38%. Unfortunately, there is still a lack of appropriate jobs for qualified young people. 

Namibia is rich in raw materials, but unfortunately these are often exported without any local added value.

Our common dream is to be able to offer more people a job so that they can have a future in their own country and support their families. This led to the founding of VriesSchmitz Manufacturing And Investment CC in 2023. Now in 2025 we can finally start and hope for the worldwide support of as many people as possible who share our vision and support us by purchasing our products.
We are ready to sell textiles and wood art at the moment. We only employ local workers and manufacture everything in Namibia.

Since one of the founders is an engineer, we also offer electrical services and electrical drive systems as well as a patented oil filter that helps to save money and the environment. 

But our dream is to produce beautiful gemstones. In the future we intend to support local licensed gem hunters and small mines. We want to process the gemstones exclusively by hand in Namibia, which requires investment in maschinery.