Mino Pinna was born in Sardinia, Italy, and moved to Scotland in 1998.

I grew up in a small fishing village in Sardinia, called Cabras, which has a population of around ten thousand people. With Cabras being on the coast of Sardinia, the majority of people are fishermen. My Dad was also a fisherman and he taught me how to make fishing nets by hand. Over the years, whilst still living in Sardinia, I made hundreds of fishing nets for my Dad and other local fishermen. That was when I first started handcrafting. I also think that being an Italian, I was born with the ability to design and create, as there are so many famous and renowned Italians in the fields of Art, Design and creating luxury items.

Back in 2014, I worked in a beautiful gift shop in Glasgow, Scotland, which gave me the opportunity to meet lots of interesting people. Two of these people, in particular, were a young boy and girl who, unbeknownst to them, played a vital role in the ‘Mino Pinna’ journey.

The young couple came in to the shop one day and asked if I would sell their handmade candles. I explained that I wasn’t the owner and said to come back when the owner would be in. The moment they left, my brain started to buzz with ideas and I had an epiphany! I asked myself: if these two people, who are so young, can make candles to sell in shops then what could I be capable of? With great excitement, I immediately switched on my laptop and started researching how to make candles. This, of course, wasn’t an easy task as there are so many different methods for candle making. I spent many weeks carrying out research, before I was finally able to make my very first candle.

The process then consisted solely of testing, testing and more testing! Making candles requires a lot of testing, from the choice of wax, wicks, essential oils and so much more. Testing is especially important when using all natural products, as I do, and, not to mention, I am a perfectionist and pay such close attention to detail, which is a must in the candle making business.

After a tremendous amount of work, time and passion, I decided to create my own brand. I started to build my own professional company and not simply make candles as a hobby. So, this is how everything started: that seemingly normal day working in the gift shop was when the brand of ‘Mino Pinna’ was born.

With my Degree being in Web Development, I was able to create my brand’s logo, labels, graphics and website on my own. Part of creating the branding was choosing the right colours and patterns, which are mostly black and white. Being a huge Juventus fan made my job easier when it came to choosing colours! I also do my own photography and social media. So everything I do, I taught myself. I had no training or schooling in this field. Well, I guess you could say I have trained myself in the Mino Pinna School!

No magic, no tricks, just hard work and belief in achieving success. I take pride in what I do because it is all ‘FARINA DEL MIO SACCO’ (MY OWN WORK).

At Mino Pinna, we are passionate about luxury, natural, handcrafted products; always created with an eye for design. What makes Mino Pinna truly unique is something which is often lost as companies grow larger, and that is the personal touch. Mino Pinna personally handmade each and every item, in Glasgow, Scotland, from start to finish; with love, desire and genuine Italian passion; using only the finest natural ingredients, such as soy wax and pure essential oils.