INGOLSTADT, 2018

When next you visit Bavaria, keep an eye out for a heating oil truck rolling across the landscape emblazoned with Gunvor’s logo. It very likely will be driven by a courageous Eritrean refugee named Masebela Tsegay.

Masebela, or Mase as his friends and colleagues call him, is undertaking a 3-year apprenticeship in Gunvor’s sales office in Bergkirchen, Germany. He is a part of Gunvor’s program to train new talent and invest in young workers.

Mase first came to Germany in 2014, having fled his home in Eritrea as a result of the country’s ongoing strife. A quick learner, Mase picked up German with ease, and heard about Gunvor’s training program from the German Industrial & Commercial Association.

Gunvor Deutschland has 11 trucks and 15 drivers who deliver heating oil throughout the land-locked region. The Gunvor Marketing Company provides important competition for the fuel and heating markets. All drivers are highly trained, with a weekly schedule that consists of 4 days of practical work and one day professional school. They learn about the technical management of handling a truck, including its maintenance, as well as specific knowledge about diesel and heating oil, with a focus on environmental protection.

The truck drivers also serve as the face of Gunvor Deutschland. They not only fill customers’ tanks, they advise customers on questions about heating systems and help sell premium qualities.

“To be able to drive around the beautiful German countryside is a pleasure,” Mase said, noting that problems in his home country prevented him from even being able to leave his village. “I look forward to the challenges and opportunities this work brings, because it will give me a real future.”

The whole staff in Bergkirchen, especially the drivers, enjoy working with him, because he is always positive and smiling. But more than just an apprentice, Mase has become a member of the local community, which has helped him integrate into a new life and culture. He has even become passionate about bicycle racing—always looking to the freedom of the open road.

What is clear to everyone who meets him is that through hard work and perseverance Mase has ensured that for him the road ahead will always be open.