The Pukka Boys
Our background
All three of us come from very different backgrounds. Max was born and raised in Berlin, Taj in Nairobi and Aalay in Bombay. All three of us come from different family backgrounds and equally different cultures. We range from a family business in the jewelry industry spanning four generations, to an architectural and business background, to the third generation of a fully vertically integrated textile and apparel manufacturer, and a spirits distributor in East Africa. This diversity makes us innovative, so we are always surprising each other with new ideas.
Why are three business students starting a jewelry company?
It started when we met during our Masters in Warwick, in the middle of nowhere in the English Midlands. We discovered similar concepts of a modern minimalist design as well as what the meaning of a fair business means to us. Over the course of the uni year, we came closer to a shared idea of a new concept of a lifestyle brand. Because of the possibilities of Aalay's family business, we then started our journey towards Pukka. After a few years of collecting samples and planning the implementation, we founded Pukka Berlin. So what was our inspiration? We guess the combination of our origins, our design concepts, the lack of an existing solution, and most importantly our complementary skills.
Aalay
It starts and ends with a cup of coffee and tons of video calls in between. We live on three different continents, so video calls have been commonplace for us since before Corona.
Max
The same goes for me, the day starts with a good espresso and some time to think. Then I either work from my desk or in the store to meet clients for appointments. These meetings, especially for engagement and wedding rings, are the highlight of my day. Otherwise, I like to play soccer, do some yoga or music in the evenings more often, do things with my wife, or meet up with friends whenever possible.
Taj
I wake up around 7:00 and go to work at 8:30. My workday usually lasts until 6:00 pm. After work, I go to the gym for an hour and then usually sleep by 10pm. I juggle Pukka between the duties of my family business and running my own spirits distribution company, completing the work I do in a typical day. When I get out of the office, I meet up with friends and relax with a nice glass of wine. If you have more questions about us or our ideas, feel free to contact us.
