Kanda Kassoma

At first, she was reluctant, ‘she turned up her nose’... as she didn’t think she knew anything about the business. But a visit to the factory in Portugal changed her mind. She became convinced and knew that she had a mission to accomplish. It seems like only yesterday, but Kanda Kassoma, now 46 years old, has led Vista Alegre in Angola, through Etosha Trading, for exactly ten years. It has not always been an easy journey. But it all turned out to be a source of pride. Her dedication, as director, to the brand, the solid growth and the promising future. A decade that is already being celebrated with the next one in mind. With the opening of a new shop soon, the allure of new markets and some surprises up her sleeve. 

«For next year, we have set a target to be present in at least two other provinces of Angola, Benguela and Huíla»

Etosha Trading has represented Vista Alegre – the largest Portuguese tableware group and the sixth largest in the world in the sector – in Angola since 2013. What challenges and learning experiences has this work brought to you and all those involved?  
Representing a brand such as Vista Alegre (VA), which is found in more than 70 countries and has existed for 198 years, is, to say the least, a great responsibility. This means that all our actions in the national market are carried out with the utmost care and rectitude. We brought a brand to Angola that is part of Portugal’s history and which has a strong presence worldwide, the result of the enormous reputation and credibility it has earned over time.  From a professional point of view, we have the possibility to be in permanent contact with Portuguese professionals who manage a global «house» and work in various international markets, which has allowed me to learn and grow a lot as a manager.  
VA has culture and the arts in its DNA, proof of which are the various collections and pieces it has developed with artists from around the world. Discovering each one of these collections has awakened in me a greater interest in the promotion and appreciation of culture, especially ours. I can say that today I know a little more of the world because of the travels that the VA pieces take me on.    

How did Etosha Trading enter this adventure?
It was an invitation from Fernando Nunes, the chairman and founder of Grupo Visabeira, which owns Grupo Vista Alegre. On one of his visits to Angola, in 2012, he asked me if I wouldn’t be interested in representing the brand here. I must say that at the time I turned my nose up a little because I didn’t have any experience in retail. Shortly after that conversation, I went to Portugal to visit the factory and I was blown away. I already knew the brand, the shops in Lisbon, but having the opportunity to see how the pieces are made, the manual production process (I mean, really by hand) of some pieces, to understand the level of technology used and the rigorous quality control process, as well as the entire history of the brand’s evolution, was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve had in my life.
What impressed me most was the hand-painting room. We often look at the finished pieces and have no idea of the dimension of all the work and process behind them. I decided at that moment that, yes, it made perfect sense to bring Vista Alegre to Angola, particularly because it was already a well-known brand to the Angolan public. Within a few months, and with the support of Vista Alegre Portugal, we set up shop and opened our doors on November 25, 2013. This year, we celebrate ten years of the brand’s presence in Angola, a fact that makes me very proud.   

In 2013, the Angolan company opened the first Vista Alegre shop in the Sagrada Família area. And before long (2017), it moved to Torres Loanda Towers, an important step that brought even more visibility. Are there any changes/expansions or new openings planned?   
Five years after we opened our first shop, in May 2017, we moved to Torres Loanda because we needed a bigger space, to serve, not only our private customers, but also the corporate segment clients.  
We have our foot on the accelerator pedal to open, at the end of July, our second shop in Belas Shopping, in Talatona.   

What is the company’s main strategy in the country? And what is Vista Alegre’s client profile in Angola?
We focus on private customers in Angola, but over the past five years we have extended our services and products to corporate clients, with great success. In this segment we still have a long way to go. But we are alert to new opportunities every day.  
For next year, we have set a target to be present in at least two other provinces of Angola – Benguela and Huíla, either directly or through a partnership, which we are still exploring. 

«The Angola-inspired collections have been among our biggest sales successes»

Are the problems related to importing pieces and foreign currency now overcome?  
We had very difficult times in 2015 and 2016 when access to foreign currencies was scarce, the operations simply wouldn’t go out and, at that time, I even considered closing down the business, because we ended up not making payments to our supplier (VA Portugal) for more than a year. It was a very complicated moment, which we managed to overcome due to our very trustful relationship with the Vista Alegre Group, which supported us in this complicated period. As they say, it is in the difficult moments that we get to know our true friends, and it was then that I understood the real meaning of the term «partner».  Unfortunately, today we are once again in a situation where the Kwanza is severely devalued, foreign currencies are very expensive, a situation that I very much thought we would never experience again. At least not at the level we are at now. I trust and hope that the economic team will quickly manage to turn the situation around, because this is our country and we are here to do our part, which is to create jobs, contribute to the creation of resources for the state and boost our economy.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Vista Alegre Portugal team that has accompanied us for the last ten years, such as Carlos Costa, who is now the director of the Vista Alegre Group, Gustavo Amorim, director of the African market and, above all, Fernando Nunes, who was the driving force behind this partnership between Etosha Trading and the Vista Alegre Group. 

The Samakaka Blue, Mixinda and Rosa de Porcelana services are inspired by Angolan culture. How has the market reacted to them? Can we expect more of the same in the future?  
The Angolan-inspired collections have been among our biggest sales successes. We had the opportunity to present to the market tableware with motifs from our culture, with Vista Alegre's seal of quality. 
Samakaka Blue and Mixinda were launched at the same time, in 2015, and Rosa de Porcelana, in 2018. Our intention at the time was to have these collections for three years at most, but the response from the Angolan public was so good that we continued to produce them and only this year was it brought to a close. And yes, we will have new Angolan-inspired collections.  

Within the business development strategy, various initiatives are supported, such as the Angolan Paralympic Committee. Can you tell us about the importance of this action and others of a social nature?  
The Angolan Paralympic Football Team was our guest at one of the events we held as part of the Cultural Agenda and, during the preparation of their attendance, I came into closer contact with the work carried out by the Paralympic Committee and also with the players who, despite so many difficulties, were united and dedicated and willing to make all kinds of sacrifices on behalf of the team. So, for a year, we donated 5% of our turnover to this Committee. It was very gratifying to be able to do something for these brave heroes who carried the Angolan flag so high and, in the end, were world champions. In addition, we have had other initiatives of a social nature, such as support for the Women Against Breast Cancer Foundation.  
I learned from my grandmother Laurinda Catuta that, however little it may be, it is important to help others. And so, we do our part, without much fuss.  

You have been the face of Vista Alegre in Angola since the beginning. Who is Kanda Kassoma? 
I am 46 years old and the mother of four children, three boys and a girl. I graduated in Business Management at Middlesex University, in London, and it was there that I ‘blossomed’, because I often had to make decisions about my life and my future without my parents being present.  
After finishing my degree in 1999, I returned to Angola and went to work at Sonangol Distribuidora, where I had my first major experience at working. I had the privilege of working with wonderful people who were true mentors. It was at Sonangol that I learned to work in reality, because university opens our minds to learning, but it is in the practical, everyday professional life that we really learn. After ten years at Sonangol I moved to Huambo and there I began to take my first steps in the business world. I made several mistakes, and learnt from each one. 
Today, at the age of 46, I manage Vista Alegre in Angola and also Fazenda Tchissola V estate, in Luanda, where we produce mangoes. Thus, it is quite easy to find myself one day working at Vista Alegre, amid the lustre and luxury of glassware and fine porcelain, and the next day on top of a tractor.