Get ready to celebrate, fellow housewares enthusiasts, because vituzote.com has been recognized for innovation and retail excellence in the home and housewares industry at the 2022-2023 Global GIA Awards! We are thrilled to be among the honorees at the prestigious Inspired Home Show, North America's largest housewares trade show held annually in Chicago.

With over 52,000 home and housewares professionals from 130 countries attending each year, the show is the place to be to discover the latest trends, products and insights to jumpstart a successful year. We're proud to be representing Kenya as the only African country honoree.

At the awards ceremony held at the fabulous Radisson Blu Hotel, we joined winners from 26 countries around the world to receive our accolades. Our victory was displayed for all to see on the grand walkway at McCormick Place, connecting the Lakeside Center to the Grand Concourse.

Nominated by Kitchenware International, a publication that reflects the international market and trends in both the kitchenware and retail industries, we are thrilled to be recognized for our hard work and dedication to excellence.

Aaron Thuo and Vitu Zote Represent Kenya at the IHA Global Innovation Awards

In 2023, Aaron Thuo, founder and Managing Director of Vitu Zote, represented Kenya at the International Housewares Association’s Global Innovation Awards (gia) in Chicago after Vitu Zote was selected as Kenya’s 2022–2023 International Housewares Association Global Innovation Awards (gia) for retail excellence.

The recognition placed Vitu Zote among 27 national winners representing 26 countries in the international awards programme organised by the International Housewares Association (IHA) and The Inspired Home Show.

It was also the first year Kenya appeared among the countries represented in the national gia winners announced by IHA. IHA

Aaron Thuo and Vitu Zote’s Journey to the gia Awards

Aaron founded Vitu Zote in Nairobi in 2014, initially building the business as a specialist online retailer for kitchen and housewares.

What began as a small e-commerce operation developed into an omnichannel home and housewares business serving retail customers as well as Kenya’s hospitality sector.

In an independent profile published before the 2023 awards, Kitchenware International traced Aaron’s journey from returning to Kenya after almost a decade in the United States to identifying a gap in the local market for quality housewares.

The publication described how the business began with Aaron researching and sourcing products himself and packing customer orders from his balcony, before Vitu Zote grew into a multichannel retailer with physical stores and international supplier relationships. kitchenware.international

Read Kitchenware International’s profile of Aaron Thuo and Vitu Zote: “Eye for Opportunity”

Selected to Represent Kenya in the IHA gia Programme

Vitu Zote was nominated through Kitchenware International, one of the international trade publications participating in the gia retail awards programme.

The IHA gia programme recognises home and housewares retailers across areas including:

  • business vision and strategy
  • store design and layout
  • visual merchandising
  • marketing and promotions
  • customer service and staff development
  • retail innovation

National winners from around the world are invited to participate at The Inspired Home Show in Chicago, where they are presented to the international housewares industry and considered in the global stage of the competition. IHA

Kitchenware International subsequently identified Aaron Thuo of Vitu Zote, Kenya, as its gia nominee, while its sister publication Tableware International also featured Aaron in its coverage of the 2023 awards ceremony. kitchenware.international

See Kitchenware International’s 2023 gia awards coverage

See Tableware International’s coverage of the 2023 gia Retail Excellence awards

Recognition at The Inspired Home Show in Chicago

The 2022–2023 national gia winners were recognised during The Inspired Home Show at McCormick Place in Chicago.

IHA officially listed Vituzote.com Kenya as the national winner representing Kenya alongside leading home and housewares retailers from markets including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Spain and the United Kingdom. IHA

The winners were also featured in a dedicated gia presentation at The Inspired Home Show, with the awards programme culminating in the annual gia awards dinner in Chicago.

For Aaron, the recognition represented something larger than an award for Vitu Zote.

It was an opportunity to bring greater visibility to Kenya and East Africa within the international home and housewares industry.

View the International Housewares Association’s official 2022–2023 gia winners announcement

Aaron Thuo and the International Housewares Association

Aaron’s involvement with the international housewares industry has continued beyond the 2023 gia awards.

He currently serves as the International Housewares Association’s representative for Eastern Africa, with IHA listing him as its regional contact based in Nairobi. IHA

View Aaron Thuo on the International Housewares Association’s international representatives page

Later in 2023, Aaron was also invited to present a Key Market Overview: Eastern Africa at the IHA International Business Council Global Forum.

The session focused on the East African housewares market and opportunities in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, drawing on Vitu Zote’s experience as an omnichannel retailer and distributor operating in the region. IHA described Vitu Zote as a business founded in 2014 that helped pioneer specialist housewares e-commerce in the region. IHA

See the IHA Global Forum programme featuring Aaron Thuo

Building Vitu Zote Since 2014

Aaron founded Vitu Zote with the belief that Kenyan consumers should have greater access to well-designed, good-quality products for the kitchen and home.

Since then, the business has expanded beyond its original online model into physical retail, distribution, hospitality supply and partnerships with both international brands and Kenyan manufacturers and makers.

That evolution has also given Aaron a particular interest in retail innovation, product development, Kenyan manufacturing, hospitality and the future of the East African home and housewares market.

The 2023 gia recognition was therefore not an endpoint. It was one milestone in Vitu Zote’s continuing development and in Kenya’s growing participation in the international housewares industry.


About Aaron Thuo


Aaron Thuo is the founder and Managing Director of Vitu Zote, a Kenyan home, kitchen and hospitality retailer founded in 2014.

He has worked across e-commerce, retail, product development, distribution and hospitality supply and serves as the International Housewares Association representative for Eastern Africa.

Aaron holds a Master’s degree in Technology from Eastern Michigan University and a BSc in International Business from USIU-Africa.

Read more from Aaron: What We’ve Learned from Working with Kenyan Makers.



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