Love for Africa inspires cologne brand
The 30-year-old said the inspiration to establish his own range of cologne was mainly based on his childhood.
Tsakani – Tsakani-born Valentinas Methula has embarked on a journey of creating his own cologne range.
He is the founder and head of imaginations at Africa’s premium cologne brand, Valentinas Kafungo (VK).
The 30-year-old said the inspiration to establish his own range of cologne was mainly based on his childhood.
“I was humbled by my upbringing, which taught me lessons on diligence and resilience since my mother was an entrepreneur.
“She used to sell anything, from perfumes, second-hand clothes, amagwinya (fat cakes) and atchar in the community to make a living.
“In high school, I joined my mother in her small business, unaware that this was where I would learn significant entrepreneurial lessons.
“Fast forward to 2013 and, after dropping out at Cape Peninsula University of Technology to pursue my dreams, life did not go as I had anticipated.
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“I found myself at home trying to map out my life, and this is where Valentinas Kafungo was born,” he explained.
He said deciding on the brand name came from his love of the African continent.
“The whole brand was inspired by my love for Africa, the beauty of our art and cultural views.
“Valentinas is my middle name and Kafungo is a translation for scent, taken from a language called Chichewa that’s spoken in Malawi,” said Methula.
His first range is called Minenhle for Him, a wooden scent inspired by his love for wood and other colourful essential and organic oils to complement the collection.
His biggest achievement is that Valentinas Kafungo was the main focus in a case study conducted at the San Salvador Innovation Week in El Salvador, Central America.
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“My biggest goal is to make the brand Africa’s leading premium cologne.
“However, our biggest achievement as a brand is our new collection that I feel is the greatest creation we have made to date.
“The collection speaks of our growth and how we have evolved as a brand.
“From our manufacturing and craftsmanship and from when we started, our brand has evolved 360,” said Methula.
At the moment, he is focusing on growing his brand but has aspirations to go back to school to study business management.
“We want to grow, manifest and evolve.
“Our biggest goal is to actually hire 10 vibrant individuals with different expertise in sales, marketing and design,” he said.
His role models are Mzwandile Xaba of Gologo Spirits.
“This guy has touched my life in a special way.
“His work ethic and just how he conducts himself and his business has helped me view myself and brand differently.
“I am slowly finding the authenticity of my brand through him,” he stated.
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