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When you are seeking fly tying excellence in Kenya, you need to check for quality control, speed of delivery and, more and more, the trustworthiness of your chosen supplier.
That‘s the verdict of John Kayai (above), the owner of Grizzles Flies, who has retained his own reputation as a reliable supplier across 23 years and, over the same period, seen new Kenyan suppliers set up and disappear as they fail to keep their promises.
Kenya has seen a proliferation of fly tying factories thanks to a combination of low costs and a heritage in the sector that stretches back 40 years. But, as far as Kayai is concerned, that is all the more reason to choose wisely.
Much of the business in the fly tying sector is built on trust, says Kayai, with international customers supplying materials, paying in advance and never making the journey to Kenya to check personally on the supplier‘s operation.
“So it pays to work with a factory that has strong credentials, and can prove them,” says Kayai. “And Grizzles Flies can do that. in fact, not only can we prove our quality by inviting clients to visit us and see for themselves, but we can provide testimonials from long-standing and happy customers from all parts of the world.”
Those customers include big names in Canada and Europe, many of which have been using Grizzles Flies for years.
But Kayai is also being modest about his own standing in the fly tying trade. This is a man who:
- Learned the trade from his father, who was an early pioneer with deep connections to the market in the UK.
- Worked in his father‘s factory as a tyer straight from High School.
- When his dad sold up, stepped into the gap in the market at just 28 to launch his own company.
- Found new business quickly to begin laying the foundations for a near quarter of a century of supplying global customers.
- Has a local pool of 20+ tyers that he can call upon, all trained by himself personally.
- Is still the first point of contact and the last word in quality control at Grizzles Flies.
If you contract with Grizzles Flies, you will be dealing directly with the boss from the first day to the last of any scheduled job. And Kayai prides himself on keeping to any schedule. If quality is essential, speed is also a non-negotiable of any contract.
He says he currently has the capacity for more clients and is calling on fly brands from all parts of the world to make contact.
Kayai can call upon as many freelance tyers that are needed, paying them by piece to keep costs under control for his clients – and also ensuring the right numbers are attached to the task for a speedy turnaround.
“I just despatched an order yesterday,” he says when Angling International speaks to him from his home in the city of Nakuru, in the Rift Valley. “It was for 220 x dozen flies, which is around 3,000. That was turned around in ten days from getting the sample to getting it out of the door. And I know the quality was high because I checked them.”
Grizzles Flies also makes other accessories that require extra labour and skills, says Kayai, ‘like shrimp eyes, daddy long legs, hopper legs and even daddy body tubes.’
Kayai prides himself on customer service. Not only can he deliver the workforce needed for the job, but he takes it as a personal mission to deliver exactly to order. “I sell you what you ordered, not what I think you want,” he says.
That certainty in his quality includes full transparency of his working practices – and extends to offering to show you around if you make the journey to visit his premises. When asked how a customer would get to pay that visit, he replies: “You fly to Nairobi, the capital, and then it is a two-hour drive on a smooth road to Nakuru. I’ll come and pick you up.”
Now, that’s customer service.
T: +254 0722802419
jkayai@hotmail.com
