Echo branded Products have been imported into South Africa for over 30 years. In April 2004, Wayne Jackaman was approached by the manufacturers of Echo: Kioritz Corporation in Japan, to take over the distribution for South Africa. Wayne, who has 30 years of retail experience in the Forestry, Agricultural and Mining Industry, together with Wolfgang Arp – who came to SA from Germany in 1970 to work in the small agricultural equipment business and Wayne’s father-in-law Mr Joof Alberts, a businessman in the fruit processing and agriculture industry, founded Cool Ideas 1496 (Pty) Ltd trading as “Echo Africa”.