It all began in July 1964 when entrepreneur Roland Maurel, with the help of a handful of Mauritian Investors, launched a small paint-manufacturing unit in Pailles, south of Port-Louis. Called Mauvilac & Co. Ltd, the small unit initially employed merely ten people and manufactured only one type of paint, known as emulsion paint.

Four years later, in 1968, the company went one step further and launched itself into the production of oil paints. However, the early period was difficult and the 70’s were marked by a “slow and laborious” growth, states Roland Maurel.

“As from the inception, we had to work hard and intelligently as otherwise there would have been nothing to share today with the 600 employees of the group”, he explains. From the beginning, Mr. Maurel unrelentingly devoted himself to his company. Although progressing slowly, he kept his distinctive taste for independence.  As from the 80’s, Mauvilac launched itself into the manufacturing of paints for boats, automobiles, as well as the production of printing inks and synthetic resins.

Considered today to be a diversified industrial group, Mauvilac is made up of a central production unit, a marketing department, a contracting division, a research department and it also has a major distribution network. Nowadays Mauvilac offers a range of 250 different products manufactured by the various units of the company and which are marketed through 850 sales outlets spread all over the country.

Nearly half a century since it’s creation, the Mauvilac group is firmly established in Mauritius as well as in the Indian Ocean region. Mauvilac was established in Reunion as early as 1970, and also set a foothold in the Seychelles, in South Africa, in Kenya, and in the Persian Gulf, more particularly in Oman since year 2000.  Furthermore, Mauvilac has even crossed the oceans by forming partnerships in France and in the United States.

The years of good service and work have given this company the opportunity to be where it stands today, have allowed the group to diversify itself in areas such as hypermarkets, ethanol production, tourism and land development, and have made the life of Roland Maurel’s enterprise, become the enterprise of his lifetime…