AVIN's Story

We wish we could start this story off by telling you that building our brand has always been absolute magic. However , our success is far from a perfect novel that you would expect to read.

Seeing as we believe in the absolute bond of family and friends, honesty and transparency in all our dealings, it would only deem fit to ensure that when you get in contact with us, that we allow you to understand what our brand means to us and maybe even connect at some level, knowing how we have had to fight to get to where we are today.

Challenges such as having a founder that sadly had to greet his father goodbye in a business he managed for many years, so that he can walk his own path. For anyone who has been in business with family, you can only imagine this type of scenario would create tension, confusion, even fights, as now a Son and Father that has been in business for years, had to bid farewell in order for AVIN to move forward. It can be trying at times, as your vision will always be your own and it can be hard for people to see it the same way, if at all. At the same time, as much as it wasn’t a easy transition, the support from his father and life partner, was still present, and to this day, still strongly remains. Allowing our founder to use the same workshop, getting a boost with material to build our very first ovens, joining and assisting us in our first  physical marketing opportunity and in so many other ways, until we were able to stand on our own feet. This is something our founder will always be grateful for. Needless to say, though rocky in the beginning, now a solid relationship of mutual respect, understanding and support. The 22 years of experience our founder has gained through the years managing his father’s company has added value and experience that has build his character and business mindset in order to move forward.

Some of the other challenges we have been faced with is a reseller and even an AVIN client of ours, trying to pick an AVIN apart and have it re manufactured by another company without our knowledge.
We have had other manufacturers trying to enter our premises, by means of sending “clients” to see what we do and how we do it, till this day.

“It is truly shocking to think the extent to what people would go to, to try take what is rightfully yours. What really hurts is that I have invested everything I have into AVIN. And I mean everything. I have done the work, I have grinded and I grind every single day, nothing is done half way, I have ensured nothing but the best is given from myself and my team and to have someone just try and take something from you is beyond disappointing. It shows lack of character, good morals and values, to say the least. I will continue to invest my energy  in my company and my brand, where it matters, God will take care of the rest and he has always taken care of us. Somewhere along the line, you will unfortunately have to pay for what you have done and that is a Universal fact. Yes it might seem that I am way to emotionally invested in what I do, but that is because I am.

“AVIN is personal and very dear to me. I have big dreams for our brand”
Etienne Terblanche

When the founder designed AVIN, he did so by spending most of his time at a workshop which happened to consist of wooden boards – the size of a 6 metre container in the back of his father’s workshop yard. This container, which is our very first “workshop” has been disassembled and reassembled at every new workshop we have moved into, the bigger we grew and now serves as a staff canteen for our guys.  He spent time working on the AVIN brand, ensuring its ready to be launched in the market, took him around 7 months of constant hard work and very long working hours, spending very little time with his own family.

“I remember getting home at night when my wife was already in bed and leaving her while she was still in bed, to get back to the “workshop”
Etienne Terblanche – Founder

You see, the idea sounded simple, but was it? The idea couldn’t just be like any other.
This was and remains a vision, and a brand, an extraordinary brand, not just a cheap item to sell, or to exploit customers and make quick money.

“In today’s day and age, it is no secret that people don’t easily buy from a South African market as the general consensus out there, is that South Africa cannot produce good quality products, not deliver decent, never mind exceptional service. I experience this daily and I would be absolutely devastated if we ever make our customers feel the way I feel on a daily basis with any type of liaison in the service industry, so this in itself I knew would be a challenge and I can appreciate the fact why some people would often be sceptical to buy from a local company and much rather import”
Etienne Terblanche

In his experience, high quality and standards have always been the foundation of anything he has done, and so all the products that AVIN would produce, would be no different, even if it took a bit longer to launch, which was the Blaauwklippen market in Stellenbosch, a few years ago.

As much as the “birth” of AVIN was a grim and trying one, we saw it through and we take absolute pride in our story, most importantly in what we do and why we do it.

You can’t fake passion, and you most definitely cannot fake customer care.

“Some people are still shocked to this day, when they come to realize that we build these ovens, some people truly believe I am just a reseller or that we import. It’s always nice being able to exceed the expectation”
Etienne Terblanche

“Daily, we work hard to ensure we create a truly amazing customer experience and even more so, ensure that we dispatch a high- end quality product that delivers the promise of remarkable value”
Etienne Terblanche

So, with an eye on serving customers, the products that AVIN offers, is created to be cost effective, ads value, lasts and is able to fit the unique “taste” of any customer or company in society.

The AVIN name represents the iconic backbone of what we do. While the specific products we make today are different than in years past, what we make and why we do it are no less important.

Food, family and friend surrounds us. It makes daily life special. AVIN believes in gatherings, these are the times that create many special memories.

We are proud of the products we’ve made so far, however, we will not be satisfied with just being good at what we’ve got. That’s not good enough. We owe it to each other and our families & friends to be great, ensuring the companies long term success.

Whether you wish to bring in a new idea to boost an already reputable brand or establishment, or looking to create conversation at your next party, AVIN will set you apart from the rest.

Spark new journeys with AVIN. A valuable “cook-and-bake-anything” appliance.
Be it rain or shine, winter or spring, nothing beats gathering around an AVIN and catching up with family and friends.  

The AVIN family has grown tremendously and has undoubtedly become the number one choice of numerous South Africans’ list of favourite activities.
And thanks to ingenious design of AVIN, whether it be indoor or outdoor, you don’t have to change those social plans of yours, never mind load shedding, and we would love to welcome you!

AVIN – Food, Family Friends