What Dala does

Dala is the consumer-facing brand of K.V. Art (Pty) Ltd, a South African art supplies manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Cape Town and operating since 1994. The company produces and sells water-based paints — including acrylics, craft paints, fabric paints, flow acrylic mediums, fabric dyes, gouache, and specialty finishes (metallic, pearlescent, neon, glow-in-dark) — alongside an extensive range of complementary products: brushes (natural bristle and synthetic Golden Taklon), canvas and canvas panels, modelling materials (air-drying, clever, and modelling clay), adhesives, printmaking and craft tools, and DIY kits (e.g., tie dye, recycled paper making, ABC dough letters). Formulations emphasise water-based, solvent-free chemistry with built-in UV resistance on outdoor craft paints and child-safe, non-toxic specifications suitable for educational use.

The business serves a horizontal customer base across artists and hobbyists, schools and educational institutions, and professional crafters and small businesses. Its go-to-market combines nationwide wholesale distribution through all major arts and craft retail chains in South Africa with a direct-to-consumer e-commerce channel via dala.co.za (where pricing is handled by enquiry via phone or email). The company supports demand creation through a multi-platform content footprint — a website with a DIY project and tutorial library, plus Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest accounts — and publishes an annual product catalog (the 2026 edition is referenced on the website). At roughly 51–100 employees, Dala is a privately held, single-country CPG/light-manufacturing operation with no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, no M&A activity, and no publicly reported financials; revenue mechanics rest on unit and bulk pricing of physical SKUs sold through retail and DTC channels, with no subscription or licensing component.

Name

Dala

Legal name

K.V. Art (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://dala.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Dala is the Cape Town-based brand of K.V. Art (Pty) Ltd, manufacturing and distributing water-based art supplies — paints, brushes, canvas, clay, dyes, and craft kits — to artists, hobbyists, schools, and small craft businesses across South Africa via retail chains and its own e-commerce site.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art & Craft Supplies

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510)

SIC

Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Crafts & DIY Hobby Supplies Distribution (CRAOAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Crafting Tools & Equipment Retail (Cutting, Adhesives, Heat Tools) (CRALACAC)

Keywords

• Art supplies manufacturing
• Acrylic paint products
• Fabric paint materials
• Craft supplies wholesale
• Artist tools accessories

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Art Supplies Sales: Dala generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of art supplies including acrylic paints, craft paints, fabric paints, canvas products, brushes, tools, clay, dough, dye kits, and accessories. Products are sold in various sizes from small individual units (50ml) to bulk containers (5 litre) through retail and wholesale channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Dala manufactures and distributes a broad range of water-based art and craft supplies including acrylic paints, craft paints, fabric paints, fabric dyes, modelling clays, canvas products, artist brushes, printmaking tools, craft tools, and adhesives. The portfolio spans hundreds of SKUs across multiple sizes (50ml to 5 litre) and is sold through major arts and craft retail stores across South Africa as well as directly via the dala.co.za e-commerce site. Products are formulated to be solvent-free, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly, and serve individual artists, crafters, schools, and small creative businesses.

Product overview

Dala is a South African art supplies company offering a comprehensive portfolio of creative products. The core offering includes various paint categories (acrylics, fabric paints, craft paints, oil paints, watercolours, gouache, and specialty paints like flow acrylic and metallic paints), dye products (tie dye kits, sun colour dyes), and canvas/paper products. The company also provides an extensive range of artist tools and accessories including brushes (natural bristle, synthetic Golden Taklon, interlocked series), printmaking tools (lino cutters, etching tools), modelling materials (air drying clay, clever clay, modelling clay), and craft tools (hot glue guns, styrofoam cutters, wood burning tools). Adhesives (school cold glue, powder glue, podge) and various painting accessories (palettes, scrapers, syringes, pouring cups) round out the product range. The products are primarily targeted at artists, crafters, schools, and hobbyists in South Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Flow Acrylic Medium A liquid diluent and binder formulated for creating fluid acrylic and pouring acrylic artworks, used in conjunction with Dala Flow Acrylic and Craft paints. Designed for artists working in poured/fluid acrylic painting techniques.
• Standard Fabric Paint Soft and flexible fabric paint that does not crack when dried, designed for painting and screen printing onto light fabrics and garments. Targets artists, crafters, and small creative businesses decorating textiles.
• Craft Paint - Standard Colours Quality craft paint with superior hiding power, drying to a durable satin sheen waterproof finish with built-in UV resistance for indoor and outdoor use. Targets artists, crafters, schools, and hobbyists.
• Complete Tie Dye Kit A complete tie dye kit including three primary colour dyes, wooden pop sticks, rubber bands, gloves, and instructional sheet teaching four tie dye pattern techniques. Dyes up to 10 full colour items. Targets crafters, hobbyists, and schools.
• Sun Colour Concentrated liquid fabric paint formulated for batik, salt drying, and tie dyeing techniques. Mixable to create custom shades. Targets textile artists and crafters.
• Star Shaped Canvas Quality canvas laminated onto a durable base board, 280gsm and 4mm thick, in a star-shaped panel format. Targets artists and crafters seeking shaped substrates for creative artwork.
• Plastic Paint Scraper Set A set of four brightly coloured plastic paint scrapers with hand grip cut outs for creating textures and patterns in thickly applied paint and mediums such as impasto medium. Targets artists working in textured painting techniques.
• Standard Fabric Liner Professional quality concentrated colour product for outlines and fine detail work on both light and dark fabrics. Targets fabric artists and textile decorators.
• Glitter Fabric Liner Professional quality rich colour product with glitter finish for outlines and fine detail work on fabrics. Available in gold and silver. Targets fabric artists and crafters.
• Wooden Art Cradle Board Sturdy wooden canvas with smooth wood surface suitable for all artist media. Available in A5, A4, A3 and A2 sizes. Targets artists across media types.
• 3-Split Silicon Pouring Cup Flexible silicone pouring cup with three separate chambers for creating swirl, ring, and marble effects in acrylic painting. Targets fluid art practitioners.
• 5-Split Silicon Pouring Cup Flexible silicone pouring cup with five separate chambers for creating swirl, ring, and marble effects in acrylic painting. Targets fluid art practitioners.
• Pen/Brush Organiser Round pen/brush organiser with slots for 49 pens or brushes, designed for illustrators, calligraphy artists, and painters. Targets working artists with large tool collections.
• Large Plastic Syringe Plastic syringe for crafting and loaded with fluid for creating burst effects, long lines, curves, dots, and spiral effects in canvas painting. Targets fluid art and craft practitioners.
• Magnifying Glass Hand-held magnifying glass for enlarging fine detail work in art and crafting projects. Available in 50mm, 65mm, 75mm, and 90mm sizes. Targets artists and crafters doing detail work.
• Interlocked Brush Series Fine quality interlocked natural bristle brushes with stiff resistance for maximum control, best suited for oil-based or heavy bodied acrylic paints. Includes Round, Flat, Bright, and Filbert styles. Targets professional and serious hobbyist painters.
• Golden Taklon Brush Series Soft, quality synthetic brushes with reddish gold filament resembling red sable bristle, for broad strokes with sharp sides. Includes Flat, Round, Angular, and Filbert styles. Targets artists across acrylic and water-based media.
• Metal Clay Extruder Strong and versatile tool with 20 interchangeable designs for forming and shaping malleable materials such as clay, dough, and fondant. Targets sculptors, modellers, and cake decorators.
• ECO-Friendly Recycled Paper Making Kit Kit for making recycled handmade paper including deckle and mould, paper pulp, sponge, paper dyes, and detailed instructions. Targets eco-conscious crafters and educators.
• Acrylic Drawing Ink Set High quality acrylic drawing ink for illustrative and fine art applications with outstanding colour brilliance and transparency. Suitable for paintbrush, airbrush, brush pens, and dipping pens. Targets illustrators and fine artists.
• Air Drying Clay Natural sculpting and modelling material that air dries to a rock hard finish without baking or firing. Available in White and Terracotta. Targets sculptors, hobbyists, and schools.
• Clever Clay Super soft, air drying, lightweight, and elastic sculpting material available in standard and neon colours. Targets children, hobbyists, and craft educators.
• Modelling Clay Soft, malleable, bright coloured modelling clay that never dries out, non-toxic and reusable. Targets schools, children, and crafters.
• Hot Glue Gun 20 Watt hot melt glue gun for craft projects, mixed media, and jewellery making. Uses 10mm x 6mm glue gun cartridges. Targets crafters and mixed media artists.
• Lino Cutter Set Lino cutting tool with interchangeable blades for cutting linoleum and similar materials for printing purposes. Available in plastic and wooden handle versions. Targets printmakers and art students.
• Hot Wire Styrofoam Cutter Tool Hand-held styrofoam cutter for carving, cutting, and sculpting shapes out of styrofoam sheets or shapes. Targets crafters, model makers, and hobbyists.
• Wood Burning Tool/Soldering Iron High quality wood burning tool for burning drawings, lettering, and creating decorative patterns on wood, cork, and leather. Includes 5 tips. Targets crafters and decorative artists.
• School Cold Glue Acid free, non-toxic liquid white glue for paper and cardstock projects. Available in 125ml, 500ml, 2 litre, and 5 litre sizes. Targets schools, classrooms, and home crafters.
• Powder Glue Dry white powder adhesive requiring addition of water to create paste. Ideal for paper products, paper mache, and wall papering. Targets crafters, schools, and decorators.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCmxkxsoLf5jDKCMX7J1YB6A
• Facebookfacebook.com/DalaArtSupplies
• Instagraminstagram.com/kv_art_dala
• Pinterestza.pinterest.com/kvartdala
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kv-art-dala

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dala