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Ayoola Foods is a household name when it comes to processed Nigerian foods. Born out of a need to make accessible local Nigerian foods to those abroad, Engr. Segun Emmanuel Olaye began working on processing food. Upon his return from studies at the Odessa Engineering Institute, Ukraine (former Soviet Union), Engr. Segun founded Ayoola Foods Ltd in 1991. The brand, popular both in Nigeria and outside the country, has gone a long way in producing and packaging such food like cassava, yam, plantain, rice and beans into powder forms. Ayoola’s most popular brand is the Poundo Yam. At a time when people have to work long hours away from the home, the Poundo Yam comes needful, taking away the stress and time involved in pounding yam and making it available within 5 minutes.

What goes behind the scenes to yield our favorite yam fufu? First, Ayoola’s team selects desirable species of yam tubers. Selected tubers are peeled, sliced, blanched in steam, then dried and pulverized. Pulverizing means that dried yam slices are milled into consistent fine grade particles. During the process, the yam tubers lose their enzymic reactions and rupture their cells, without which they would not be able to keep. Ayoola’s processing of local foods has become essential in Nigeria today, with respect to want of time and change of location. With jobs and career keeping people away from the home most of the time, and with people travelling out of the country for various purposes, these foods provide a ready meal for people anytime and anywhere without compromising the food’s taste and nutritional value. The success of Ayoola Foods has not come without its own challenges. Ayoola has survived through such factors as a failure in power supply, poor road systems, a difficulty in accessing loans and the cost of making up for electricity and transportation in the nation. Those are general challenges every business must encounter in Nigeria. The start of his business which involved exporting beans was Mr. Olaye’s first unique challenge in the agro-industry. Unschooled in the business of food processing, Dinwoke of Brojid profiles how he lost his first container of beans to weevils, a loss that also resulted in his partner leaving him in the business. For over two decades, the Ayoola Company have despite challenges remained focused on their mission to process Indigenous High-Quality Food products that meet National and International Standard both in production and packaging methods for the satisfaction of our highly esteemed customers within the Nation and in the Diaspora. So, no matter where you are or how little time you have, you can still enjoy the local pounded yam meal. Click here to view Ayoola Foods’ contact details.