Nigerians aren’t putting down their yoghurts anytime soon. For decades, the drink has been a favourite for a broad range of people: children seeking a treat; working adults stuck in traffic, who want to douse their thirst; and the loner who takes it with a snack.
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While the established brands try to retain their foothold of the yoghurt market across Nigeria, they are now getting competition from emerging food companies. One of them, Yours Yoghurt, is attracting buyers in southeastern Nigeria with its unique offerings.
From its base in Enugu, Yours Yoghurt sends out its yoghurts to thousands of thirsty customers in the city, as well as in neighbouring states. According to its founders, the company is on a mission to provide healthy edibles for local consumers—a hark back to an era in which the regulation around frozen foods was laxer, and imported products slipped into the country without adequate examination.
This situation came to a head in the early 2000s. At the time, the government placed a ban on frozen food imports, citing health concerns and a need to protect the local economy. The founders at Yours Yoghurt point to this as a seminal decision; it revealed the need for a homegrown food processing industry. They picked out the yoghurts segment, immersed themselves in it, and have not looked back ever since.
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The brand’s name comes from an understanding that consumers should take ownership of the products they purchase. Your Yoghurt takes a customer-centric approach to business and produces drinks that its typical customers would like to consume. Its marketing message also emphasizes families as their target audience.
Yours Yoghurt has distributors in every southeastern state: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo. It also has a presence in Delta and Bayelsa states.
The company is gaining recognition beyond its sphere of operation. In 2020, it was named one of Nigeria’s Top 100 Emerging SMEs by Connect Nigeria. This came after months of nomination, screening, and voting by a large audience. It is placed among the promising enterprises in the country because of the support and appreciation it has gotten from its consumers.
Yours Yoghurt could be expanding into other regions in the coming years, and serving the growing population of yoghurt lovers in Nigeria with its take on this long-lived food.
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