the adventure

Welcome! I shot this video in Japan to tell you about our story with Kumiko Matcha:

"Live as if every day were your last and as if life were eternal."

When I was 17, I had a heart attack.

As I was leaving the hospital, a doctor said to me,

"Valentin, we don't know what's wrong with you. We don't know how to treat you. We just know that you could have a heart attack at any time. Enjoy your life."

I was in shock for a week. Then I realized: it was the best gift I had ever received in my life.

Like flipping a light switch, my life completely changed. I decided to live in the moment and get rid of all my fears and limiting beliefs. Pursue my dreams, live a life full of adventure, and enjoy every day as if it were my last.

I was taking medication every day to reduce the risk because the doctors didn't know how to treat me. I was living day to day. Intensely. And as I took my pills every morning, I would ask myself, "If today is my last day, what am I going to do with it?"

I wanted to experience everything. I had to experience everything life had to offer as soon as possible because with each passing day, my life could come to an end. Every day, I wondered how I could do more with the time I had left. The world was my playground and I was its sponge. My new mantra was "if something scares you, do it now."

I created the Super Vagabond blog to share my story and my adventures. At 18, I went to Bangkok to train in Thai boxing, then I embarked on a long list of trips, encounters, and adventures. You can follow my Super Vagabond adventures on my YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/supervagabond

At 19, I had another heart attack.

Lying in the ambulance with people around me who were worried and checking the electrodes on my chest in case I needed to be shocked, I watched the crazy electrocardiogram. I noted my record: 247 beats per minute (or 4 beats per second).

Every second my heart was beating less and less strongly. At that moment, I told myself that I was okay to die now. That I was so grateful for all the experiences that life had given me. Especially since my first crisis, which was like a wake-up call.

I thought to myself, "And if I survive, wow! I'm going to live an even more amazing life, live even more fully, pursue my dreams, inspire the people I meet, and share the gifts that life has given me with the world."

I survived, and the doctor told me, Valentin, we don't know what you have, we don't know how to treat you, and it could happen again at any time. Enjoy your life, and take a double dose of medication.

For all these years, I was obsessed with this question: how can we make the most of the time we have?

I became a "crazy student" reading dozens of books on productivity, personal development, time management, emotions, success, spirituality, and many other topics... Meeting dozens of mentors, gurus, and senseis on the subject.

I realised that I was living as if every day were my last, and that I was still alive! That I also had to live with a vision of the future.

In 2013, five years after my first heart attack, the doctors called me back because they had found a way to treat me! I had surgery and overnight I was cured: no more medication and no more heart problems. I am so grateful 🙏 

I learned a lot from this whole experience and from this quest to make the most of the time I have.

My main lesson from all this is my message to the world, and to you: "Live as if you were going to die tomorrow and as if you were going to live forever."

This mirrors Kumiko Matcha's slogan, eternal beauty, starting now.

Kumiko, eternal beauty starting now

In 2012, I was working in Shanghai, China, for my first mentor, Vince, with whom we created a French wine brand for the Chinese market. It was during this period that I tasted "green tea powder" in a "Starbucks green tea latte."

Then I discovered real matcha tea and was inspired by the traditional ritual of making matcha tea, its health benefits, and its connection to meditation.

I started drinking matcha tea every morning and found that this practice led me to live a healthier and more conscious life. It's a morning ritual that feels good, stimulating the body and refreshing the spirit.

When I returned to France at that time, matcha tea was not very well known and I had trouble finding good quality matcha. The selection in France did not suit me. And I always dreamed of "bringing back a find from my travels to share with my community."

So I decided to help people discover matcha tea in France and help develop the matcha tea community, specifically organic premium matcha and a healthy, conscious lifestyle.

I named it Kumiko Matcha because "Kumiko" means "eternal beauty" in Japanese.

When I created Kumiko Matcha, I felt a strong affinity with what matcha can bring in terms of "beauty," both external and internal. The openness to a healthier lifestyle, the health benefits, the antioxidants, meditation, good habits, and lots of other great things...

So now I invite you too to discover matcha tea by visiting this page... click here to continue your discovery >>