Daily Trust YOUTHVILLE
When did you start the business? Godiyas Kitchen as a business started five years ago, even though I have been cooking and rendering cooking services as an executive chef long before then. What products do you produce? We produce and sell mostly spices. They are ground ginger, ground garlic, mixed spices, whole and ground cloves and our special However, we also offer catering services for large and private parties on special requests.
What motivated you to start a kitchen and product line?
My major motivation is passion for the art of cooking and designing food. Our products are designed to reflect that passion for creation of memorable taste and improving the taste of the food our wide ranging clientele put on their table. Why didn’t you take to paid job? As the saying goes ‘When you are doing what you love, it’s no longer a job, but having fun.’ The ultimate goal is make money while having fun.
What is the business with?
We started business with N250,000. It was not easy to come by but by God’s grace, we are pulling through.
What was your monthly income when you started and now?
Our income at inception of the business was about N50,000 monthly. That has risen to between N100,000 to N150,000 monthly. Who are your clienteles? Mostly they are individuals, restaurants and owners of barbecue houses. Besides, capital you started the wherever a client wants provide our services.
What are the challenges you encountered when you started and how you tackled them?
Raising funds to start up, meeting up with government policies, marketing and distribution. We tackled the challenges of funds by convincing friends and family to invest in the business. With the little funds raised, it was easier taken care of the major challenges, for example, procuring the right machine to meet up with NAFDAC regulations and expand my distribution reach. What are your plans for expansion? I hope to be able to raise more funds by way of accessing small-scale business loans or government intervention funds. We wish to expand our distribution network to include supermarkets and even export to target Nigerians in diaspora so that Godiyas Kitchen will become a household name in Nigeria and beyond.