Wolf Brothers: Q & A with Co-Founder Wiktor

April 06, 2024

It all started a few years ago, during a frosty winter evening, on one of the Bieszczady forest trails. It was then, in the heart of a snowstorm, that two blood-related Wolves made a historic pact. Experience told them that in this wild world they could only succeed if they worked in a herd, so Piotr and Łukasz, two wanderers hungry for success, soon joined the pack. This is how Wolf Brothers was created - an exclusive brand of daring, wild, untethered fragrances inspired by the wild animals of the Polish forests.

Meet Wiktor, Co-Founder of Wolf Brothers!

Q: Introduce us to the Wolf Brothers, and tell us a little about yourselves.

We are a pack of passionate visionaries, who believe that smell can tell stories. It is one of our missions, to transmit Slav history by scent.

Q: Let’s talk about the Wolf Brother humans. Who are they? How many are there? How are they connected?

There are four of us. Four men connected by passion, like brotherhood. But two of us are brothers by blood. Me, and my brother's surnames in Polish are Wilk, which means exactly Wolf. So, we are Wolf Brothers.

This year is the 5th anniversary of our official journey as a company, as a brand. I’ll tell you a secret… We are preparing something special for that occasion.

But the story behind the brand (as you may suppose) is longer than five years. I introduced myself at the beginning, but there are three more founders. Łukasz - our art director, who is responsible for all you can see, we know each other from previous projects. Piotr, who was the company's main sponsor. We are neighbors and we have children of the same ages. We are both entrepreneurs, so together, business was just a matter of time. Nowadays, Piotr is the sales director at Wolf Brothers. And Szymon, our orchestra man, well, he's my brother.

So... On some cold and snowy day, our passions and business paths were crossed, and this was the very beginning of our journey as Wolf Brothers…

Q: Your fragrances are inspired by wild animal characters, the animals of the Polish forest. How did you decide to start with the first 6 animals? Are there more coming?

Yes. We need to go back to the beginning. We started with three animals - Wolf, Wisent, and Bear. It was in 2019, and our first products were perfumed men's candles. By market observations, we noticed, that there were no such products as men’s perfumed or scented candles. So, we decided to create a niche product.

Then came the brainstorming about the type of fragrance, because we didn’t want to clone such brands as the very popular Woodwick, or Yankee Candle. We decided that we wanted to translate scent into characters. Then, this idea that there is some animal in everyone. This is the reason why we describe our fragrances by characteristics, rather than classic pyramids. For example, we describe Wolf as the smell of night, fear, and wilderness.

At the end of the process, we noticed there was a big hype for the Nordic stories. There were many books, movies, and series about Vikings. In our schools, we studied Greek and Roman mythology.

What was going on? Why had no one heard about [all the] very rich Slav myths? These are the stories behind Wild Slavic Fragrances. And it was time to choose the first animals... Wolf was rather clear. Then, Wisent and Bear.

For us, it was obvious that after candles, we would launch perfumes. We just needed more time and money for it. We also consciously decided to start with new products in perfumed men’s candles.

So in December 2020, we launched the first trio (Wolf, Wisent, and Bear) as perfumes.

In parallel, we were so pumped up by the feedback, that we started to work on Deer, Boar, and Goat – the next trio from Polish forests. They premiered in October 2021.

And yes. There is a plan for the next animals.

Want to experience all 6 animals?

Q: Were you always into scents and fragrance, and what got you interested in the olfactory world?

This is a book-size topic. I can’t tell you an exact date when the passion began. It was a process. From the first mainstream bottles, which I got as presents from my wife - the stories of Tom Ford, the charisma of Alexander McQueen, childhood memories, and many, many other things. I’m also hugely passionate about cooking. I cook a lot. I think, there are some common denominators between being a cook and a perfumer. But the real passion came a few years before we established Wolf Brothers.

Q: How did you all learn the ins and outs of perfumery? Were you self-taught or trained in any way?

It started with simply being curious. When I got those bottles, I started to read pyramids/notes. Then I started to find those notes in those smells. The game started when I met some notes that I didn't know from daily life. How does it smell raw? Let’s find it and check. And so one, and then another. So, it’s not so cheap nor simple. It’s all about being patient, curious, and training your nose.

The desire to create your first perfume comes very fast. You think that you know about perfumes a lot, so you start to look for simple formulas to make your first. Then you notice that to create something special you need more practice, more knowledge. It’s not so easy to transfer what you have in your mind to liquid, even if you have a very extensive imagination. Perhaps, especially then.

Q: What was the first scent you created, and can you tell us about the process?

The process we practice is interesting.

As I mentioned, to create something special, you need a few things. Years of training, skills, and what’s more important, access to the single notes, the raw materials you need - or you think you may need.

After a couple of tries, we realized, that if we wanted to recreate what we had in mind, we needed a guide. So, we started looking for a partner to cooperate. The road was long, curved, leaky, and again – long. But it happened. After the long, curved, leaky road, we found a great partner in France, that understands the DNA of our brand very well.

The creation process is not short. We begin with a long brief about a single fragrance. Then some video calls, and Q&A sessions. Then we gave the perfumers time they need to work. Then, another Q&A session if needed. And more time. For us, it takes forever, but the waiting for first results is very exciting. Then, after weeks, we get the first propositions. We have the smell session, which also takes time. We send feedback, wait for the next tries, Q&A, smell sessions, and feedback, and then after months… We’ve got what we want.

This is how the process looks, but as you see, five years have passed since the first fragrances launched.

It is no secret (Or maybe it is?) that we are working on the next line apart from animals. The process of creating these new fragrances has been going on for two years now. The difference is that apart from briefs, calls, and talks, we also exchange a lot of pictures, and we also prepare raw materials and even simple accords as attachments to the brief.

This is such progress for me, personally, and [the project] as a whole.

Q: What’s the creative process for Wolf Brothers like now, when dreaming up and creating a new scent?

We talked about the scent creation process, but remember, that as a product, perfume is also a design. The bottle, painting, graphics, box. It is also a very long and complicated process because the ideas come and go - the design, always evolving. We have so many ideas, that the hardest part is to cancel amazing designs just to let the right ones fit the concept. And our art director doesn’t make this process easier, because he delivers so many mind-blowing ideas, that choosing is so hard.

We are also a company. Small, but still. So, there is one more process to plan. Namely, a sales process. It’s not only about dreaming [things] up, but also a lot of hard work that you can’t see behind the fragrances, which all needs to be done.

Q: What’s the most rewarding thing about creating your fragrances?

There are many, but of course, the customers’ feedback. We could swim in those scents if no one wants to wear them, and then close the company. But we have this luck that there are many people who will be our customers, and even more [still]. They joined our herd.

And it's really like a dream when you smell your fragrance on someone you don’t know, but you’re sure they’re wearing it exactly. It's like a first kiss. Believe me.

Q: What’s the most difficult thing about running an indie fragrance house?

I think that the same for most artists. Too little time, and too many thoughts…

Q: Do you all do anything outside of fragrance- other creative projects or are you all in on all things Wolf?

Not projects. There is no time for other such engaging projects. Hobbies, sure. Calligraphy, painting, cooking, climbing, cryptocurrencies...

Q: What do you want people to think about when they wear your scents?

About nature. About animals hiding in us. About warm wisent’s fur and foggy wolf's breath. And about how we are creating those sensations.

Q: What’s next for Wolf Brothers?

We have a few projects on the table, and one of them is almost ready, so keep your fingers crossed for us, because we want to launch it this year. And as I mentioned… Also, a Fifth Anniversary special.