Shoaib Iqbal, Bliss Chemicals' managing director, came to South Africa in 2001, attracted by what he saw as opportunities offered by a free country.
But Iqbal was no stranger to the continent. The Pakistan-based entrepreneur had already established consumer goods wholesaling businesses in east, central and west Africa.
At the beginning of 2004 Iqbal entered the local market, manufacturing Maq washing powder. Since then, Maq has made significant inroads in the laundry detergent market, primarily in the hand wash category.
There were no expensive consultants paid to come up with the name of the Maq brand: the letters simply stand for the first names of Iqbal's three children.
For the moment, the manufacturer's main market is South Africa, though there is a small export element into other African countries.