SmartPreneur
Advertisement
  • Home
  • Trending News
  • Brand Insights
  • Profiles
  • Hustle Life
  • Weekend Teaser
  • Radio
  • TV
  • Games & Quizzes
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Trending News
  • Brand Insights
  • Profiles
  • Hustle Life
  • Weekend Teaser
  • Radio
  • TV
  • Games & Quizzes
No Result
View All Result
SmartPreneur
No Result
View All Result
Home Ask an Expert

Guidelines for Effectively Running a Dairy Product Company in Nigeria – Advice from Tolu Samaiye, Founder of Melting Moments Dairy Ltd.

Blessing Osazuwa by Blessing Osazuwa
July 25, 2022
in Ask an Expert
0
Guidelines for Effectively Running a Dairy Product Company in Nigeria – Advice from Tolu Samaiye, Founder of Melting Moments Dairy Ltd.
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Whatsapp

Dairy products are food products that are made essentially from milk such as yoghurt, gelato, cheese and more. All over the world, people consume these products regularly, except for vegans or lactose intolerant individuals. Dairy products are made in a hygienic environment that is void of elements that can contaminate them and cause health complications for consumers.

Join our communityJoin our communityJoin our community

In Nigeria, there are several different dairy products, even though there is very little knowledge about the brands that produce them and the details that surround the dairy business in general. However, in a live chat with Tolu Samaiye, the Managing Director of Melting Moments Dairy Limited, we were exposed to the intricacies of launching and running a dairy in Nigeria.

Tolu Samaiye has over eight (8) years of experience in management, business integration and business development within the food and beverage FMCG sector in West Africa. She has successfully built three companies within which she sits as CEO and actively functions in day-to-day operations, aiming to grow these companies into high-value corporations. Among her qualifications are her mini-MBA from IFC (World Bank), three certifications in entrepreneurial management, and other certificates that are focused on the food processing industry.

Here are some excerpts from the live session:

On selling perishable dairy products

“For anyone just launching this line of business, before stocking supermarkets or stores, do enough awareness campaigns so that the products don’t stay too long in stores before people get to buy them. This is because the storekeepers at the supermarkets where your products are displayed for sale might not be able to care for the products like you, the producer, who knows about the ingredients and how they are meant to be preserved. We had people at each supermarket to make sure that our products are in the freezers and that the freezers are always working. So you have to invest in making sure that nothing goes wrong with your products,” Tolu advised.

She stated that dealing with products that have limited shelf lives is a continuous learning process, adding that one can go as far as providing a store with a freezer for them to keep your products well preserved until they are sold. 

When it comes to distribution, moving products from the factory to wherever you are supplying them, you have to consider the best way to transport them. In doing this, you should also have a contingency plan. “There are people that rent out their refrigerated trucks. You can arrange with more than one of these trucks because anyone of them could disappoint. It is always good to have alternative means of distributing your products. At Melting Moments, we also use refrigerated dispatch bikes. We didn’t know about these bikes early enough so you have to keep researching ways to make things convenient for you and your customer,” Tolu said.

On building customers’ trust

Recommendations or word of mouth, according to Tolu Samaiye, is the best strategy for building trust when you are operating a food business. She said, “Food is very delicate and the only way people would buy is if it’s recommended. Most times, people are adamant to try a food brand until they have been told about it by those who have tried it already. We went on social media and we looked for people [to] who[m] we sent our products, told them to taste them, [and] give their honest opinions about them. Basically, we sent out a lot of products to different people whose social media accounts we admired, we asked them to tell us their favourite and least favourite. That way, we got to know what would sell more and the flavours to discontinue.”

On the relevance of qualifications in the food business

In Nigeria, if you have a packaged product, it has to be approved by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC). “You send them your application, they come [to] visit your production site, [then] you send your business and operation plans and send your products for testing. They have their specifications for what should or shouldn’t be in a particular packaged food class. Dairy for example is a high-risk product because it can easily be contaminated. The testing for that is obviously more elaborate compared to packaged plantain chips for instance. Before starting any kind of food business, I think it is wise to have some sort of training, at least one or two months [of] training on it. You can’t learn on the job because people’s health and lives are involved; food contamination is real,” Tolu stated.

There is also the business side of things. Tolu disclosed that food entrepreneurs should not only focus on how to prepare what they sell but also on how to run the business. “You might be the best cook in the world but the worst manager, so if you know that you lack skills in management, it is advisable to hire somebody or partner up with someone that has that skill.”

 On learning from past mistakes

The Melting Moments brand didn’t have everything in order from the beginning. “When we first started, we got our equipment from Europe. To us then, it was the best and it was a huge investment. We later discovered that the people from Europe got the equipment from China to resell. By the time we settled for a supplier from India and China, we realised [that] it was actually a quarter of the price of what we got from Europe. It is always important to do your research before you make a decision. Know the different options before sticking to one,” she said. 

In terms of marketing, Tolu revealed that she thought people would automatically love the products because of their indigenous flavours and bright coloured packaging but that proved not to be the case. She said that entrepreneurs should make deliberate efforts to attract consumers. “You have to give them reasons to like your products. Marketing strategy is important. If you are not creative in that area, then find someone to help you. It’s a good investment.” 

When it comes to distribution, the brand has learnt not to oversupply as well. “At the end of the day, it’s our product that is on the line. When the store exhausts the supply, we’d be more than happy to resupply.”

Tags: Dairy companyDairy productsEntrepreneurshipMelting Moments Dairy LimitedSmartpreneurSmartpreneur live sessionTolu Samaiye
Previous Post

Inflation and Naira Devaluation: The twin problems battling Nigeria's Economy

Next Post

David Ojei: The rough journey to starting Ebeano Supermarkets

Blessing Osazuwa

Blessing Osazuwa

Blessing does the research to bring you needed information for success.

Related Posts

Buy-Now-Pay-Later: Help your customers buy what they need NOW
Weekend Teaser

Buy-Now-Pay-Later: Help your customers without crippling your financials

by Ruth Okwumbu-Imafidon
December 9, 2022
0

Have you had conversations with a lead or prospective customer, only to have him or her freeze when it is...

Read more
5 Core Leadership qualities a first-time entrepreneur should have
Hustle life

5 Core Leadership qualities a first-time entrepreneur should have

by Ruth Okwumbu-Imafidon
December 1, 2022
0

Starting a business is hard work, even more so when you are doing it for the first time. Serial entrepreneurs...

Read more
Projecting business growth in a financial model
Start

Tips for building the right financial model for your business

by Ruth Okwumbu-Imafidon
September 22, 2022
0

The ultimate guide to building a sustainable business is getting the right financial model suited for your business. But the...

Read more
The Right Steps To Take After Running An Ad
Grow

The Right Steps To Take After Running An Ad

by Contributor
August 26, 2022
0

When business owners complain about low sales, you hear recommendations like “why not run a campaign”, “run an advert campaign”...

Read more
Fish farming in 2022: Expert Advice, Best Practices and Profit-Making
Ask an Expert

Fish farming in 2022: Expert Advice, Best Practices and Profit-Making

by Blessing Osazuwa
June 17, 2022
0

In an exclusive chat with Bello Abdullahi, an experienced fish farmer based in Kaduna, Nigeria, Smartpreneur got insights into how...

Read more
8 Surefire Steps to take to Launch a Successful Media Company
Ask an Expert

8 Surefire Steps to take to Launch a Successful Media Company

by Contributor
June 8, 2022
0

Hello smartpreneur! Looking to explore opportunities in the media industry and launch your own company? Here are 8 great tips...

Read more
How galloping inflationary pressure is affecting SMEs in Nigeria
Ask an Expert

How galloping inflationary pressure is affecting SMEs in Nigeria

by Contributor
May 18, 2022
0

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the primary source of economic and social data in Nigeria, released the Consumer Price...

Read more
Load More
Next Post
David Chukwuma Ojei

David Ojei: The rough journey to starting Ebeano Supermarkets

Please login to join discussion

Recent News

7 Things to Normalize in Your Daily Business Operations

7 Things to Normalize in Your Daily Business Operations

March 29, 2023
Chinazom Arinze

How I saved my company from making a 30 million naira loss – Chinazom Arinze

March 29, 2023
Twitter will be removing Blue Ticks from April 1, 2023

Twitter will be removing Blue Ticks from April 1, 2023

March 29, 2023
How to build business partnerships that last a lifetime

7 things investors want to see in your Pitch Deck / Presentation

March 27, 2023
SmartPreneur

© 2020 SmartPreneur

Navigate Site

  • Home
  • Trending News
  • Radio
  • Games & Quizzes
  • TV

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Trending News
  • Radio
  • TV
  • Hustle Life
  • Brand Insights
  • Profiles
  • Game & Quizzes
  • Weekend Teaser

© 2020 SmartPreneur