Growing up, Tolu was not the kind of guy that absented himself from the kitchen. But he never imagined his source of livelihood would come from putting long hours in the kitchen with mittens around his hands and working ovens. But, he loves it.
Tolu Erogbogbo graduated with a degree in International Business Management from the University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom and returned to Nigeria circa 2008 with dreams of setting up a real estate firm. This did not pan out has he hoped.
In December 2011, he began experimenting projects involving restaurant architecture and it wasn’t until the next Valentine’s Day in 2012, that he got his big break. He said, “I made a fortune during Valentine’s Day in the month of February 2012. Actually, I began making these cookies the month before that; I’d go to the market, buy ingredients and get busy in the kitchen. My friends would come around and treat themselves to the dumplings from my oven. The next month, precisely February 14th, I made a fortune selling cookies! I think I made about half a million naira from cookie sales for that period alone. I received a lot of orders”
Tolu’s line of work had been foretold in a “series of dreams” he was having several months prior to the big break. In the dream, he explained, his sister would show up and whisper to him to begin making cookies, which was reminiscent of a fortune cookie bundled into his lap. His vision was realised and soon metamorphosed into one to reckon with in metropolitan Lagos – a blessing, considering he currently enjoys monopoly as a cookie chef in the Victoria Island/Lekki axis. “Someone else tried to set up the same thing as our outfit and even took some of our ideas but closed shop in less than two months. This kind of job requires equal amounts of passion, dedication and skill,” he said, hinting at the guts required to function in his chosen field. “No one can imitate this overnight. It’s a special skill,” he adds.
Logically, a brand name like ‘Fortune Cookies’ would have been apt, drawing from the inspiration on how he began; but he considers his enterprise as one that would eventually go glocal, which would conflict with an established international brand with that same name. He considers himself an embodiment of cookies due to the energy and attention to detail he pours in to bringing each cookie to life, hence the name iamcookiejar. He even personifies some of his cookies, noting that a recent one was christened ‘Dancing Cookies’.
For now, Tolu has his sights set beyond catering to the Lagos market. For this reason, his company is modeled as an e-commerce type that enables customers select cookies from the online store, make orders, and consummate the deal by making payments via the website.
Though he notes that there are managerial challenges in the business like every other, his training in business management often comes in handy. Tolu added that he has been encouraged by the patronage his company has received so far and he’s ready to bring dynamism into the Nigerian market with his skill.
