UAC Foods BFM 82

UAC FOODS LTD

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

UAC FOODS LTD

UAC FOODS’ BRANDS ARE RECOGNISED THROUGHOUT NIGERIA, BUT ONLY TWO YEARS AGO THE COMPANY WAS IN DECLINE. WE HEAR HOW THEY ARE TURNING THINGS AROUND.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT PROJECT MANAGED BY: TREVOR GRETSINGER If you’re Nigerian and you need some fuel to keep you moving through the day, the odds are you’ll choose a Gala Sausage Roll. The popular savoury snack has been a staple in Nigeria for nearly 60 years, and UAC Foods is the company that brings them to the market. But this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to an impressive portfolio of food products, from bottled spring water to sweet treats such as ice cream, lollies, cupcakes and coconut chips. But while there is an astounding variety to be found among UAC Foods’ products, each of them was crafted with the same concern in mind.

W

hat we have tried to do with each of our brands is identify Nigerian consumer needs and ensure we have the right brand and products to satisfy that,” says Oladele Ajayi, CEO of UAC Foods. “With the Gala Sausage Roll, it was about food on the go- for customers stuck in traffic who need something to keep them going until they

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get home and have a proper meal. Sometimes it’s about indulgent snacks. Peanuts are a very popular snack which we’ve made in a chip shape. Ice cream is one of the few indulgences people with low per capita income have access to so we make sure we give them the best prices we can afford.”

HOLISTIC INNOVATION

While UAC Foods clearly has a treasured place in larders, fridges and cupboards across Nigeria, the company has had its challenges. Between 2013 and 2018 the company experienced a period of difficulty, with declining revenues and staff.

This changed in 2018 when the company came under the oversight of a new group of investor shareholders who were determined to reverse the company’s fortunes.

The first step in this journey was a new programme entitled “Reconstruction and Growth”.

“The reconstruction part means solving problems with our existing brands, processes and plant, while the growth part

involved growing the company’s offering through innovation, and the building of a new factory,” Ajayi recalls.

Innovation, Ajayi is very clear to point out, doesn’t just mean flooding the market with wave after wave of “new, improved” products.

“We think of innovation as simply doing something in a different way or a new way that has an obvious benefit for the company, the consumer or both,” Ajayi explains. “We are talking about new ways of using the same equipment to get more out of it, managing processes in a different way, and of course we still think about innovation with regards to our products.

How we can give consumers what they love while ensuring we’re able to be more efficient or more cost-effective. I think of innovation in a much more holistic manner.”

VALUING PEOPLE

This innovation is possible thanks to the dedicated and passionate people that make up UAC Foods.

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Oladele Ajayi, CEO of UAC Foods.

Givanas Nigeria Limited is a trading company for Business to Business,

mainly Food & Confectionery Manufacturers. Our product line includes Milk powder, Vegetable Fat, Margarine, Instant Dry Yeast and Liquid Glucose.

Givanas Nigeria Limited, 18/20 Burma Road, Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria Tel: +234 (0)803 300 2055. | Email: info@givanas.com | www.givanasgroup.com

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GIVANAS NIGERIA LIMITED – QUALITY FIRST Givanas Nigeria Limited is a trading company for Business to Business (B2B), launched in 1993 as part of the prominent manufacturing and distribution company, GIVANAS GROUP. In 2020, Givanas has continued to accomplish its goals of providing the best quality product, prices & services.

Over the years of trading, Givanas has built reputable business practices across its operations and implemented a code of good corporate governance, committed to continuously improving its operations; which is supplying of raw materials to manufacturing companies.

We have demonstrated our business strength and corporate values in our business partnership with UAC (United African Company of Nigeria), as a key supplier of their manufacturing raw materials – We play our role legally and with honestly. We have respect for everyone who works with us, for our customers, for all of our stakeholders.

“Packaging beyond your expectations.’’

HART INDUSTRIES

STANDING STRONG SINCE DECADES

Hart Industries manufacture Plastic Water Storage Tanks, Household Products & Industrial Packaging Products. Hart’s highly sophisticated machinery and state of the art control systems (IML Robots) offer customers nothing but the best. The company constantly manufactures new attractive products with the highest quality and durability.

With a dedicated and professional team, it continues to develop immeasurably and succeed in meeting the demands while maintaining the highest standards of hygiene.

Givanas product line includes: Foremost Fat Milk Powder, Skimmed Milk Powder, Instant Whole Milk Powder Vitamin Fortified 28%, Dementalized Whey Powder, H. Vegetable Fat 20kg, Evita/ Monita Margarine, Instant Dry Yeast, and Liquid Glucose; which are used in the manufacturing of confectionery products such as dairy drinks: yogurts, coffee, tea whiteners, baby food, biscuit, ice cream, fermented pastry products; breads, buns and many more. We are the quality product; best price company and we believe in the power of food to enhance lives.

“Strongest in Africa’’

Our office is located at: 18 /20 BURMA Road APAPA, Lagos, Nigeria. Tel: +234(0)8033002055.

Tel: +234-803-7752888 Email: kano@hart-industries.com

www.hart-industries.net

www.givanasgroup.com

UDO UDOMA & BELO-OSAGIE Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie (UUBO) is a full service, multi-disciplinary law firm facilitating corporate and commercial business across Africa. Founded in 1983, UUBO has evolved into a 15-partner concern with 137 professional employees, including more than 70 lawyers working out of offices in Nigeria’s key commercial centres.

UUBO enjoys an extensive network of long-term regional and international relationships with reputable international law firms, including an Alliance with leading South African firm Bowmans. Our 23 practice areas, covering both well-established and emerging sectors, allow us to deliver multi-jurisdictional assignments to the diverse local, African and international clients with whom we are privileged to work.

UUBO’s culture of excellence and long-term commitment to quality service delivery are foundational to the firm’s solid reputation. Our philosophy from inception has been that legal advice should be of the highest possible standards, accessible, commercially oriented, and consistently sound on principle.

As a firm, we have developed a reputation for facilitating complex, unusual transactions; resolving a broad range of disputes, and generating timely legal solutions. The diverse backgrounds, skills and insights of our lawyers and our collaborative, ‘hands-on’ approach contribute to the recurrently high independent peer and positive client reviews of our work.

NIGERIA LIMITED + a contemporary hotel, catering & food services solutions provider LIMITED NIGERIA + a contemporary hotel, catering & food services

FOLD NIGERIA LIMITED is a contemporary Hotel, Catering and solutions provider Food Management solutions provider with core competency in the provision of Catering, Bakery, and Food equipment services.

We have also developed competency and generated a degree of FOLD NIGERIA LIMITED is a of contemporary Hotel, Enzymes Catering and and pedigree in the provision Food Additives, Food Management solutions provider with core competency in Flavours. the provision of Catering, Bakery, and Food equipment services.

We have also developed competency and generated a degree of pedigree in the provision of Food Additives, Enzymes and TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES Flavours.

FOLD NIGERIA LIMITED is a consultancy and food services company.

FOLD NIGERIA LIMITED is a consultancy and They deal in design, planning and supply of food serviceskitchen company. commercial & catering equipments.

LAYOUT DESIGN OF KITCHENS, & LAUNDRY TheyBARS deal in design, planning and supply of EQUIPMENT FORcommercial KITCHENS, SANITARY TECHNICALSUPPLY COMPETENCIES kitchen & catering equipments.

ROOMS, BARS & LAUNDRY LAYOUT DESIGN OF KITCHENS, BARS & LAUNDRY INSTALLATION EQUIPMENT SUPPLY FOR KITCHENS, SANITARY ROOMS, BARS & LAUNDRY COMMISSIONING INSTALLATION TECHNICAL SUPPORT & AFTER SERVICE COMMISSIONING SPARE PARTS TECHNICAL SUPPORT & AFTER SERVICE SPARE PARTS

PARTNERS

RONDO AG ESCHER MIXERS ALI GROUP PARRY UK MONO UK EUROPA OZTIRYAKILER

PARTNERS

RONDO AG ESCHER MIXERS ALI GROUP PARRY UK MONO UK EUROPA OZTIRYAKILER

This has resulted in top tier rankings in leading global directories including Chambers Global Directory, Chambers FinTech Guide, the Legal 500, Who’s Who Legal and the IFLR 1000, which summarised research findings to report that UUBO is “…widely accept-ed as the corporate firm of choice in Nigeria and the go-to firm for a wide percentage of international outfits looking for local counsel in Nigeria.’’

www.uubo.org

Add: 7 AKINHANMI STREET, OFF WESTERN AVENUE BY EMPIRE BUS STOP, SURULERE, LAGOS Tel: 0802 314 8538 0806 681 2671 0802 345 6380 0803 400 4571

FOLD NIGERIA LIMITED is a consultancy and food services company.

Add: 7 AKINHANMI STREET, OFF WESTERN AVENUE BY EMPIRE BUS STOP, They deal in design, planning and supply of Tel: 0802 314 8538 0806 681 2671 0802 345 6380 0803 400 4571 commercial kitchen & catering equipments.

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FOLD NIGERIA LIMITED is a consultancy and food services company.

They deal in design, planning and supply of commercial kitchen & catering equipments.

SURULERE, LAGOS

Website: www.foldng.com Email: info@foldnigeria.com.ng

Website: www.foldng.com Email: info@foldnigeria.com.ng

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UAC FOODS LTD

“Since I’ve been working at the company, over these last two years, we’ve tried to live by the simple philosophy that a company is only as good as the people that run it,” Ajayi says. “In that sense, we’ve been brave and slightly aggressive in looking for the best people to do each job. That search has brought results, usually from people who have demonstrated experience in their field.”

Recruiting Grade A talent is one side of the equation.

Growing and developing the talent already within the company, particularly with regards to nurturing the next generation of leaders, is the other.

“There are two parts to that.

The first is to be brave enough to give them the responsibility that they are probably not used to, which comes with its own risks because they will make mistakes, but they will learn from them,” Ajayi insists. “The second part is to pay time, attention and money to formal training and

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development. This can be done in-house, which we encourage a lot from senior managers coaching and teaching, but we also use outside training. In 2019 we spent five times more on training than we did in 2018.”

Ajayi also argues that it is essential to not only communicate but live by a unified set of values that define the company’s culture.

UAC Foods’ values are “Customer Focus; Our consumers are our business”, “Integrity”, “Team spirit”, “Innovation”, “Openness and Communication” and to “Value our people and treat them with dignity”. These are all nicesounding words, but for Ajayi, it is important that they translate into actions.

“If you’re going to change the culture of an organisation you need to tell people what your values are, but you make the biggest impact by living those values yourself,” he says.

UAC Foods shows how much it values its people through its

competitive remuneration and attractive bonus scheme called “pay for performance”, and its efforts to improve the company culture are already bearing fruit.

In 2016, two years before Ajayi joined the company, a survey of the staff found 45% thought UAC Foods was “a great place to work”. Last year UAC Foods did the same survey and this time 71% believed UAC Foods was a great place to work. It’s a stark improvement, but Ajayi believes there is still more work to do.

“WE THINK OF INNOVATION AS SIMPLY DOING SOMETHING IN A DIFFERENT WAY OR A NEW WAY THAT HAS AN OBVIOUS BENEFIT FOR THE COMPANY, THE CONSUMER OR BOTH.” BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

UAC FOODS LTD

“We’re not satisfied with 71% and we will continue to do things to make our company a great place to work,” he says.

“It’s important to me that people grow, develop and enjoy their work life.”

Going forward, UAC Foods is dedicated to continuing to selfimprove. Currently, the company is recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that isn’t going to stop them.

“The challenges are always there, and our job is to find the path out towards sustainable development,” Ajayi reflects. “We’re finding

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a lot of efficiencies in power consumption, utilisation and capacity. We’re able to improve our capacity by reviving redundant lines and we’ve done efficiency work with our vendors to get value and extend our margins. With Supreme Ice Cream we’re still working on sourcing raw materials in a way that will enable us to meet the challenges we currently face.”

In the end, whatever the challenges, Ajayi knows that UAC Foods’ job remains the same. He says, “We must give the consumer exactly the product they look for.”

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UAC FOODS LTD

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