Historical highlights: How Rockshoes became Trailmix Trading
Rockshoes was one of the many successful footwear factories in Pinetown in the 1960s through to the early 2000s. Its successor, Trailmix Trading, has repeated that success, as an importer and wholesaler. Here’s how it unfolded.
Directors in the 1970s…Mike Pengelly, Max Schiller, Mike Schiller.
Rockshoes (Pty) Ltd was founded by George Rocker and Max Schiller in 1960. In 1966 George left to go solo.
Max brought out Dave Berry from John Berry & Sons, England, in 1967 to run the factory which he did until 1970 before moving on to other manufacturing opportunities within the region.
In 1971 Mike Pengelly, Bata trained, bought shares in the business and became a 50/50 partner with Max. Max’s son, Michael Schiller, educated at Kearsney College, joined the business and later became a co-director with Mike and Max.
Dave rejoined Rock in 1982 to assist with restructuring the manufacturing plant, a turning point in the success of the factory, producing up to 5 000 pairs of quality leather sandals per day.
In 1985, Max passed away. The property was sold and a new updated, state of the art factory was built in New Germany.
In 1989 Brett Pengelly joined the business where he was taken under Dave’s wing to be fully trained in all spheres of factory management, production, etc. ready to take over upon Dave’s proposed retirement in 1999, a plan brought to fruition.
In the meantime, Paradise Footwear Wholesalers had been running parallel to Rock, both importing and buying from local manufacturers. It was a very successful operation, well known for the 1 million plus pairs of Californian lasted ladies’ comfort shoes and 1 million plus pairs of Kung Fu canvas Baby Dolls, among many other Winners.
In 2005 Rockshoes was deregistered and closed, and Trailmix Trading cc was registered as a wholesaler and importer. with Brett Pengelly being the sole member of the new business.
Dave, living in Underberg, has just finished his autobiography, which promises to be a very interesting read.
Mike Pengelly and Michael Schiller are enjoying retirement.
May Max Schiller, a mentor and doyen of the industry, RIP.
As they are now…Mike Pengelly, Trailmix Trading sales manager Fayzal Ally, Dave Berry, and Trailmex Trading member Brett Pengelly.
Footwear Industry Articles
- Ken Riches: Reflections on an extraordinary life: Those who can, do – those who can do it even better, teach
It’s been 18 years this month since Ken Riches died. Here is a glimpse into what lay under that fairly protective exterior.Ken Riches, one of our country’s true footwear experts, passed peacefully on to that final production line in the sky on 11 August 2008. He had lived through the rapidly changing times from just after the ...moreGrey Street – memories of an 80s GenX cool dude
Jonathan Commons, our webmaster, grew up in the Durban of the 1980s. He has a great affection for the Grey Street outfitters of the era, and he wrote these recollections.Oddly enough the news item about the closure of Jay's Outfitters triggered a bit of nostalgia for the good old days when, as a teenager in the 80s, one could hitchhike do ...moreShlobo Designs: Foreign consumers appreciate handwork and the story behind the brand
Durban, KZN, SA – I’m a native of Umlazi’s K section, but I’ve called Seaview home since 1994.My life has been a tapestry of experiences, woven with threads of resilience, creativity, and unwavering determination. My journey took an unexpected turn when I was retrenched while working for the bank with a wealth expe ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Sam Setter's 'Pills': You have to be very clever to understand this document, but hopefully it will do some goodIn June, UNIDO launched an impressive document called “Guideline”. It is a very detailed, environment oriented, technical and scientific document where the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCP) play a prominent role. The document, peer reviewed, has been developed for UNIDO with the main contributor ...moreFifteen million sheep in the UK to share among shearersAccording to the UK government, its sheep population decreased over the past year by 1.7% but that still leaves a flock of over 30 million. For comparison, the domestic flock in South Africa numbers about 21 million and New Zealand has some 23 million. Australia, with more than 70 million, has a wool clip of approximately 325,000 tonnes. ...moreLuxury or notWe hear from all sides that the leather industry is not doing too well and the conflict in the Middle East is definitely not improving the situation. The present wars have a huge impact on inflation and hence on the buying power of consumers with negative consequences for the luxury industry whose shares we have seen tumbling at the vario ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Obituary: Colin Battle, agent (17/04/1957-27/07/2026): Our sales trips were a whole life experience
Dearest Lee, Greg & Sammy,I send my sincerest condolences & wishes of long and healthy lives to all of you, after the passing of your beloved Colin. I’ve no doubt that once the pain of losing an adored husband and father starts to subside, you will be left the glorious memories of your lives together with a most wonderful an ...moreMore precise fire extinguishing from the air using simulation and sensor data
Wildfires are becoming more frequent and more intense worldwide. Fires often become infernos due to heat, drought and wind, especially in the summer. The problem is compounded by the climate crisis. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM and the startup CAURUS Technologies GmbH are responding to this growi ...moreSAPEMA demands action against retailer Curve Gear over selling noncompliant safety footwearThe Southern African Protective Equipment Marketing Association (SAPEMA) has reported retailer Curve Gear to the National Regulator for Compulsory Standards (NRCS) for selling “possibly noncompliant” safety footwear.The allegation is because Curve Gear’s safety footwear doesn’t carry mandatory marking: Its NRCS app ...more
