Mathew Masinge
Latwell Nyangu
At just 22, Wilbert Machoba, continues with his dream to establish a brand that he wants to spread across the continent.
At his age, he is not just running a company, Burtrol Company, but he is willing to create a pan-African consumer standard into existence.
In the essential world of soap, vinegar, and scourers, he has found a universe to conquer.
This year, the Engineering student has already started making some innovations in the industry.
Machoba is producing green Bertacyl dish soaps with cleansing aroma of Burtrol Pinegel.
He is also producing Fresh Andy heavy-duty cleaner, an established brand for cleaning bathrooms and appliances.
This is The Burtrol Company, a nascent consumer goods empire, and at its helm is Machoba, who, in another life, might just be finishing his final university exams.
Machoba speaks not with the tentative jargon of a new graduate, but with the sweeping, systems-level certainty of a veteran industrialist.
His subject, however, is not electric cars or Martian colonies, but the daily realities of a continent, clean dishes, spotless homes, affordable food, and the versatile power of vinegar.
The African household is the most sophisticated, demanding, and resilient market in the world.
“A map of Africa dominates one wall, dotted with aspirational pins.
“Our mission is to build trusted companions for every single chore and culinary need. CHOBS isn’t just vinegar; it’s foundational ingredient for flavor and preservation.
“Fresh Andy isn’t just a cleaner, it’s the guarantee that your white surfaces, your fridge, your tub, can defy grime.
“We are a portfolio of daily solutions.”
He added:
“The Burtrol Company’s structure is a deliberate echo of global giants like Unilever or Procter & Gamble, but with a hyper-localised focus.
“Bertacyl battles for sink supremacy.
“Burtrol offers a range of cleaning products.
“Fresh Andy positions itself as a specialist, competing directly with brands like Hand Andy in the abrasive cleanser arena for kitchens and bathrooms.
“CHOBS stakes its claim in the pantry with an array of vinegars.
“It’s a full-frontal assault on multiple shelves, aiming to create an interlocking ecosystem of brand loyalty.
“Burtrol’s products are designed to provide exceptional cleaning and hygiene results with minimum effort.
“By being the first chemical company to fully invest in technology and AI, we provide a better service to our customers.
“We are currently creating Chilbur AI and an invoice automation system, which is to be launched.”
Machoba’s persona is less the disruptive troll, more the intense professor.
His challenges are also distinctly grounded.
“Elon wanted to make humans multi-planetary.
“I want to make sure a mother in Bulawayo has vinegar for her pickles and a cleaner for her tiles, for a fair price.
“In the context of African economies, that is its own form of moonshot.”
According to Machoba, few people understand the scale of this ambition better than Emilia Chisango, the former CFO of telecoms giant Econet Wireless.
“What Wilbert has built from scratch mirrors the early, audacious days of a pan-African telecoms rollout.
“He hasn’t just launched products, but he is architecting a nationwide supply chain and a multi-category brand architecture simultaneously,” she said.
Online Reporter