Geraldine Waruguru is a Kenya Airways (KQ) pilot and a business lady running Scents by Geraldine Limited, a perfume manufacturing business.
She ventured into the business after coming across a variety of natural fragrances while traveling to different parts of the world.
It important to note that her perfumes are Kenya’s first original designer perfume.
Here is Waruguru’s story as told by WoK.
Having travelled to different countries in the world and meeting new people, Waruguru got a chance to sample different perfumes.
In mid-2016, the pilot started doing research and later established her company with her personal savings.
Waruguru put Ksh 3.5 million into the business.
“I started my research into the art of perfumery. I settled for a German company in Berlin to develop it and one year later my first signature scent landed in Kenya,” she said.
Her first brand of perfume entered the Kenyan market in 2017.
Waruguru has a shop along Kenyatta Avenue in Nairobi CBD, and she markets her fragrances on social media platforms.
She noted that maneuvering the Kenyan marked was not easy as she has to go hard on brand awareness, and convince people that original perfume can be made in Kenya.
“Like any other business, starting is never easy. You have to have a passion for it otherwise you will easily give up
“Our low-cost perfumes have also been received very well as they are both original and affordable,” Waruguru said.
Waruguru also cited foreign brands that have filled the Kenyan market as among other challenges that she is dealing with.
“Our local market is filled with foreign brands and imitation perfumes. People choose the price over quality. Changing that buying culture is not easy but we are getting there,” she added.
Waruguru noted that she is looking forward to the day that Kenyans will sample more perfumes from their range of scents.
“This is because we know once you try them, you will be hooked just like our loyal customers. The sky is limitless. We envision a time when Scents by Geraldine will be a Kenyan sensation in the perfume market,” she said.
Born in Kisumu, the mother of one did her nursery schooling in Gatundu before moving to Mombasa for her primary school education.
While explaining her decision to pursue piloting, Waruguru added that she later moved to Nairobi where she spent her four years in high school.
She obtained a commercial pilot licence from the 43rd Air School, in Port Alfred, South Africa, and finally settled in Nairobi for work.
“My late father was a ship Captain and when I was younger I wanted to be like him. He, however, wasn’t amused by the idea so instead, he took me to Moi International Airport and introduced me to one of his pilot friends who took me inside the then called cockpit, it was love at first sight,” Waruguru said.
