Rosh Pinah small business spotlight: Maria Joseph – from hand stitching to high-tech embroidery

Residents and businesses in Rosh Pinah have access to a professional, small-to-medium scale embroidery services right in their town.

Maria Joseph, a local entrepreneur based at Obib Training Centre, is offering fast, high-quality embroidery of names and company logos onto uniforms and general clothing. Community members and businesses can simply share their logos/words with her for digitisation, making repeat orders quicker and more efficient to deliver. Maria operates from Obib, directly across the RPZ soccer field.

Her journey is a story of persistence, growth, and the impact of long-term investment in skills development. Maria arrived in Rosh Pinah in 2007 in search of opportunity, knowing no one. She enrolled at Obi Training Centre, where she completed sewing training within a year. This training, supported through RPZ’s ongoing community development initiatives, laid the foundation for her business.

Shortly after completing her course, she requested a workshop space from Obib, where she started with basic repairs on employees’ overalls. Over time, she expanded her skills from mending and making garments to designing and producing clothing, steadily building both confidence and capability.

For years, Maria relied on hand stitching and a small embroidery machine she leased from Obib. That changed in June 2025, when she won the pitching contest at the SME Compete business support workshop. Her prize, a Bernette Swiss Design embroidery machine, marked a turning point in her business. “Before receiving the machine, I used to do everything by hand,” she says. “Now, what used to take me hours can be done in minutes.”

Despite this progress, Maria continues to build her skills. She supplements her practical experience with online learning and hopes to further formalise her training in textile cutting. She also aims to expand her business with additional equipment in the future.

Her journey has not been without challenges. As the sole breadwinner following the loss of her parents, Maria supports younger family members and remains focused on securing their future through education. “My goal is to make sure the children in my family go to school and have a better future,” she says.

High-quality logo embroidering thanks to Maria's new equipment.

From selling second-hand clothing and running a small tuck shop to sustain herself, to now running a growing embroidery service, Maria’s story reflects resilience and determination. She encourages others in the community to take advantage of available opportunities, especially the ones the mine is continuously offering.

“People must attend training and keep improving themselves,” she says. “There are many opportunities out there, especially free training programmes. I am forever grateful to Rosh Pinah Zinc for the investment they have made in us.