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Deli Foods is a manufacturer and distributor of biscuits in Nigeria. Its one of the biggest players in its niche, having built up a brand presence within the country for more than two decades. Its products are widely recognized and preferred by a large segment of biscuit consumers.

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The company makes more than ten varieties of biscuits, each with its unique form, flavour, and packaging. They include cream sandwiches, wafers, sweet and semi-sweet biscuits, and a number of other edible products. These items are sought after for their taste and are the favourite snacks of a diverse consumer base.

Deli Foods was Incorporated in 1998 and began production in July 1999. It came into an already competitive industry, one which has only become even tougher to break into. But Deli has succeeded in capturing a significant share of its target market, thanks to its marketing and distribution strategies, and the quality of its products.

But it has undergone some changes in the time since it was founded. It underwent a partial management buy-in in 2006; the new management overhauled the company’s operations the following year and tried to make it run more efficiently. In 2010, Deli Foods was acquired by Tiger Brands, a South African firm.

Deli Foods has its headquarters at the Ilasamaja Industrial Scheme in Lagos. There, it manufactures the biscuits which have made it well known: shortbread, shortcakes, wheat crackers, chocolate and cookies, and several other varieties.

The company says it sources its inputs from accredited suppliers and has a system that inspects those inputs to ensure that they meet its specifications. The production process at Deli’s manufacturing facility fits with what an observer would expect of such a facility. The company promises that its products are packaged in ways that reduce the likelihood of opening and softening prematurely.

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Deli has a broad distribution network that extends across Nigeria. It has an export license obtained from the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), and is also a part of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme. These ensure that Deli is able to export its products to other countries, particularly those in West Africa.

Over the years, the Deli brand has continued to add more biscuits to its range of offerings. In 2019, it introduced six new products: BITE Orange, BITE Banana, BITE Strawberry, BITE Coconut, Morning Coffee, and Deli Cabin. It also has a contract with United Biscuits UK to produce Mcvities biscuits, one of that company’s products, in Nigeria.

Although Deli makes and distributes edibles on behalf of some other brands (as is the case with Mcvities), more than 80% of its annual turnover comes from the sale of its own brands.

Deli has made a strong impression on the minds and taste buds of tens of thousands of Nigerians. While the market for biscuits has become more competitive over time, Deli has retained its army of loyal consumers. With the country’s population growing at a rapid rate, the demand for the sort of products that Deli makes will continue to rise. And that can only be good news for the company.

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This article was first published on 22nd February 2022

ikenna-nwachukwu

Ikenna Nwachukwu holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He loves to look at the world through multiple lenses- economic, political, religious and philosophical- and to write about what he observes in a witty, yet reflective style.