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S.R. Nicholas Ltd, established in 1958, began as a building contracting partnership between South African Greek Mr. S.R. Nicholas and Italian designer and engineer Mr. U. Bizzaro in Nyasaland (now Malawi). Inspired by the country's potential, Bizzaro saw vast opportunities. After Malawi's 1964 independence, the need for buildings grew. When Nicholas returned to South Africa, Bizzaro took over the company.

Malawi saw its first concrete structure when S.R. Nicholas built the Post Office in Blantyre. The company then secured a major contract with the Malawi Housing Corporation to construct low-cost housing for the emerging middle class. Due to a lack of skilled workers locally, craftsmen from Europe, mainly from Portugal and Italy, were brought in. These experts set high standards of workmanship, passing their skills to local workers, which continues to influence the company's projects today.

S.R. Nicholas continues to invest heavily in its workforce, focusing on skills, training, and motivation. Initially, Malawians had to be trained from scratch, but today most of the company’s site engineers and quantity surveyors are Malawians, reflecting the company's enduring philosophy.

Over the years, S.R. Nicholas has built houses, schools and hospitals all over Malawi, from Nsanje in the southern tip to Chitipa in the far north. The logistics of building in such remote areas is one of the biggest challenges the company has had to overcome. Notably, the secondary school on Likoma Island, 40 km into Lake Malawi, where 4.5 million bricks were made on site; with the exception of sand and water, all other construction materials had to be imported from the mainland.