Ink, Blood and Family Bonds Shape a Quiet Printing Empire

Apr 19 , 2025.

Chamber Printing House Plc was established in 1965 by Asfaw Tefera and Tiruwork Mengistu. Asfaw, then a diplomat at the Ethiopian Embassy in Lagos, Nigeria, spent his spare time in a friend’s printery and caught the printing bug.

With a 4,000 Br loan he set up one of Ethiopia’s earliest private presses in a parking bay offered by the Addis Chamber of Commerce, hence the name “Chamber.” The firm began with bank forms, wedding cards, and the famed “Dire Dawa Konjo”  fabric. In 1970, with a 30,000 Br loan from the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE), Asfaw bought premises at Old Airport. The business flourished, its capital passing 80,000 Br.

Today the Chamber’s annual revenue tops 120 million Br and its client list ranges from MOHA Soft Drinks to East Africa Holdings. Asfaw’s eldest son, Tsegaye, 62, took the helm two decades ago with siblings Dawit, Dereje, Kidist and Hanna. Q: Did you grow up wanting to run the family business, or were you pulled in another direction? And what is the most bizarre piece of advice an older relative ever gave you that, against all odds, worked?

Tsegaye: I only helped out for fun when we were kids; actuarial science was my dream after graduating with a degree in applied mathematics from Portland State University. I returned when my father fell ill. First, I managed Imperial Hotel, also his creation, then moved to the printing house once the hotel was sold. No regrets. I kept the business alive and served the family.

Q: How do you maintain the old-school charm and family traditions people love without falling behind modern expectations?

We preserve the traditions while continuously modernising the press. The machinery is state-of-the-art; the ethos is pure Asfaw.

Q: What is your secret for surviving boardroom debates with relatives who still call you by your childhood nickname? And how often do you consult your parents’ coffee-stained notebook to guide today’s decisions?

Debates are amicable. They still call me “Tsegish” and Dawit “Mesh”. Before every decision, we ask, “What would our parents have done?”

Q: If your business has an age-old family motto, what is it really? And which piece of “family business wisdom” do you refuse to pass down?

Father’s motto: “Always fly under the radar” and “Live and let live.” Nothing gets withheld. He was too wise. Another gem: “Fall in love with a person, not an item.”

Q: If your company’s journey became a holiday movie, would it be a comedy, a drama or a cautionary tale? And if it were a movie character?

A cautionary tale, featuring all three archetypes. I am the introverted genius; Dawit is the lovable underdog; together, we mesh.

Q: When you propose changes that break with tradition, do you ever hear, “That’s not how your parents did it”? How do you balance preservation and evolution?

We never deliberately break tradition; the business evolves organically. Switching from conventional to gravure printing is a case in point.

Q: What is the most infamous meltdown in your family’s history, and did it reshape operations?

Twenty-two years ago, revenues halved as home printers took off. We nearly collapsed until we upgraded technology. Lesson: Never be rigid.

Q: If your business showed up at a holiday dinner, would it be the wise uncle, the overachieving cousin or the unpredictable in-law? Any quirky rituals you keep alive?

Picture an aircraft cruising at 30,000 feet: steady, unflustered. Every January 15 (Tir 6), we still mark the annual religious feast — “Annual Jesus” — just as our parents did.

Q: Which item from your product line do you secretly hoard?

The English monotype machine that my father imported. It set us apart; it still holds a place of pride.

Q: Have you ever been tempted to rebrand around a bizarre old family saying purely for nostalgia’s sake?

Never. The wisdom stays in our hearts, not on the masthead.

Q: When you feel stuck, whose voice do you hear, gentle nudge or firm command?

I lean on my siblings first, but family wisdom is always a tap away.

PUBLISHED ON Apr 19,2025 [ VOL 26 , NO 1303]

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