00:00He stands to be counted among Angolans under 40 achievers, but why does Bruno Bastos think
00:10to create a strong local identity with a drink?
00:14If you go to any supermarket or bar or restaurant on the shelf, you will always have a 90 plus
00:24percent of imported products.
00:29So for us, it was a clear way to do to create a nice product locally that the local consumers
00:38can identify and foreigners can also identify by trying a product that made locally on this
00:50case in Angola.
00:51In 2020, he joined friends in making Angola's first locally produced gin.
00:57The project culminated into Agjilwanda, a brand of gin made in Angola.
01:04But why gin?
01:06My grandfather was a big gin drinker.
01:11He introduced me to gin and when I had the opportunity to get to this industry, gin was
01:17an option and then a choice was a clear choice for me that gin was my way to go.
01:26And using the national symbols or national products, it's the way to go, definitely.
01:33It's the local juniper berries to give his gin its characteristic taste.
01:39Bruno also experiments with different spices.
01:43Everything is locally sourced and handpicked.
01:46From the remote forests to the tropical Atlantic beaches of his homeland, Agjilwanda represents
01:53the native of this island here at Ilha do Luanda or Ilha do Cabo.
02:00So represents the men of the sea, the fishermen and our elders from this location.
02:08The island of Luanda, the former capital of Angola, was once rich in cultural identity
02:15and fishing played an important role.
02:17How did life here affect Bruno?
02:20When you grew up on the island, you always have dreams, you know, you dream big because
02:25you want to leave the island and explore the world.
02:29But with the Angolan Civil War, which began in 1975 and only ended in 2002, Bruno's dreams
02:37faded as his family moved to Cape Verde in search of a better life.
02:42How has Bruno's life changed as a result?
02:46I grew up on a place called Santiago.
02:50It's an island in Cape Verde, the capital of Praia.
02:54So always next to the sea, we used always to do picnics on the beach.
02:59But it wasn't Luanda and despite the opportunities in Cape Verde, Bruno felt a strong pull to
03:07return to Angola.
03:08He pursued a degree in tourism, hoping to use his knowledge to help his family's business.
03:14But what challenges did he face upon returning?
03:17And why did he believe he needed to go back?
03:21As a young Angolan man, I believe that we have a duty to our country.
03:27And because of our past, we still have a lot of challenges to fulfill in this country.
03:35And as a young Angolan, it's my duty to help my country to grow up.
03:42As a returnee and gin pioneer, Bruno faces tough challenges.
03:48According to recent statistics, Angola still imports over $16 million worth of Herd Liga,
03:55mainly from Europe.
03:56Demand for national brands is only slowly increasing.
04:01Consistency is the main word and is the way to continue to make sure that we continue
04:10to produce the best gin as we can.
04:15That will allow us to continue to grow in this business.
04:22The responsibility for Bruno as head of the company is huge, especially since the Angolan
04:28government banned the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in pouches to protect
04:35public health.
04:38This includes all drinks with an alcohol content of 15% or more, including gin.
04:48In a country that is just beginning to take measures to regulate alcohol consumption and
04:54raise public awareness, professional gin production may seem contradictory at first
05:00glance.
05:01How does Bruno's gin manufacturing fit into the bigger picture that promotes local businesses
05:07but also protects consumers?
05:09As a business owner, we also give opportunity to the youth and not to young Angolans to
05:21give them a work and a label that they can develop skills because it's also in our core
05:32to continue to invest in the youth.
05:35We are providing for families as well.
05:39They have children, they have grandchildren.
05:42We have people that still invest in their own studies and we support them.
05:49The main idea is to continue to invest in Angolans, in young Angolans, and provide them
05:58tools for their growth.
06:00Guaranteeing sustainable and socially responsible growth with an alcoholic product, no one in
06:07Angola can do this better than Bruno.
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