Despite the operational challenges manufacturing firms face, Seleem Adegunwa, managing director, Rite Foods, has said that locally produced items in Nigeria can compete with internationally produced brands.
Adegunwa said being 100 percent Nigerian does not connote incompetence in producing sophisticated brands.
“If anything, being a Nigerian home-grown brand, initially, almost wanted to become like a negative because people think what is produced locally can’t be as good as the imported ones,” Adegunwa said during a recent facility tour of the Rite Foods factory in Ogun State.
“And we have been able to demonstrate that you can be an entirely Nigerian brand, I mean 100 percent Nigerian, and still be able to produce extremely world-class brands.”
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In its round-the-clock operation, Rite Foods has continued to satisfy its numerous consumers with the production, distribution, branding and marketing of world-class quality food and beverage, as it rolls off tens of thousands of products into the Nigerian markets daily.
The company prides itself as being a home-grown brand with its factory located in Ijebu Osasa, Ogun State, and its office in Lagos. Ingredients such as water, sugar and others are locally sourced while the brand also imports some other ingredients unavailable locally.
Speaking on the company’s survival tactics amid economic headwinds and competitors, Adegunwa said the firm entered the snacks and beverage market prepared with handy resources and facilities.
Highlighting some bottlenecks, the MD said the firm generates its own power supply, adding that given the general challenges inherent in Nigeria’s business environment, the cost of actively running daily operations especially at both factories is huge.
Revealing that the firm generates its own power supply, the Rites Foods boss noted that getting the factory up and running for over two years has been quite a feat. He added that keeping the plant operational as well as having easy access to market have been quite a challenge.
Nigeria’s snacks and beverage market has experienced a significant transformation due to the shift in consumer preference as well as the need to produce nutritious and high-quality products.
Since its entry into the Nigerian market, Rite Foods has continued to attract consumers with a variety of drinks and beverages. From producing a traditional beef sausage roll to a variety of beverages that rival international standards, the brand has expanded to become a household product.
