Peralin Paints celebrates

Peralin Paints celebrates six decades in the industry in Namibia this year, and the company has a number of plans to make it a truly memorable event. Yolanda Nel recently caught up with sales manager Marius van Breda to chat about what it takes to remain competitive in the market.
Going back in time, Van Breda says that Peralin Paints was founded by the Pesch and Rattay families in 1962, with Horst Rattay at the helm along with his wife Barbara, together with Charlie Pesch and his wife Elfriede.
At that stage, production took place at the Aris Hotel south of Windhoek, with two products making their debut. “What is interesting is that Pera Shine was like a teroline plaster for walls, while the Terazzo was made with marble found in that area,” Van Breda says.
In 1966, the plant moved to Farm Gocheganas, and in 1970 they began expanding their range by manufacturing Perafix, PeraRoll and PeraRoof, with PVAs and enamels joining the range in 1976.
Horst remained in the role of managing director until 1986, when his son Jan took over. “To this day, the business remains in the family,” Van Breda says. The first retail store opened in Windhoek in May 1980. “In that same year, the Rattay family became the sole owner of Peralin, however we remained located in the same spot.”
In 1987, Peralin moved to their own retail premises in Klein Windhoek.
In 1992, another Rattay son, Mark, took over as MD – a position he held until 1998, and in the ten years thereafter, Jan’s wife Renate took over as General Manager.
Van Breda says that in 2007, Peralin stopped producing enamel paint, due to it being less environmentally friendly. “We are very proud that our paints are environmentally friendly. We also have many steps in place at our factory to ensure that waste water is disposed of correctly and that staff are trained in environmentally friendly products. We even recycle paper, plastic and cartons!” he says.
In 2008 another Rattay heir, Angelika, became Managing Director. She studied in Germany where she became a paint chemist, taking Peralin’s focus on being environmentally friendly to the next level. As a matter of interest, in 2020 Peralin Paints joined the Green Building Council of Namibia, cementing their commitment to applying environment-friendly and sustainable green building methods.
What sets Peralin Paints apart?
“We produce all our paints here in Namibia; we have a specialised laboratory at our factory and Angelika San, as a chemist, is involved in all product production and quality control. Most importantly, our products are made for the Namibian climate. Since Namibia’s UV is very high, our products are tested to withstand this onslaught to ensure they are durable. As an example, our roof paint is made in such a way that it can actually lower your home temperature by up to 7 degrees!”
He adds that the staff is another testament to Peralin being a great company to work for. “If you look at our staff - we number around 32 - the average time a person has worked here is 10 years. This is without a doubt another thing that sets us apart. We don't have a high staff turnover, so everyone – from the cleaner to the owner – has a lot of experience.”
Another feather in the Peralin cap, is that they have branches in Ongwediva and Swakopmund –managed by Namibians with vast experience in the industry. “Given the weather conditions at the coast, we also have a specialised roof paint to serve clients there.”
On the social front, Van Breda says that Peralin is committed to being involved in the community. “We love supporting schools, kindergartens and less fortunate communities. During Covid we were also involved in various projects. Every year we try to see where we can get involved.”

Looking ahead
In terms of their sixty-year celebration, Peralin started with an Easter special and has hosted a number of open days. “We also created our Peralin Paints wall [at their premises in Klein Windhoek] and we unveiled a 60th birthday logo. There are still a number of things planned for the rest of the year. Our big event will probably be in Spring, but we're not letting the cat out of the bag just yet.”
To their loyal clients, Van Breda concludes: “You can always be sure we will bring you the best products, expert advice and the best possible price.”