Bimwunmi Enterprise is a one-stop-shop for processing organic herbs and spices for cooking and as supplement for health-conscious customers. The business, which started in 2016, with N20, 750 seed capital, is inching closer to becoming a behemoth in the agro-food processing industry, barely seven years down the line. It currently boasts six variants of spice mix and other herbs and spices and food supplements. Its founder/Spice Lead Formulator, Aisha Ibironke Mustapha, shares her plans to claim a chunk of the market for herbs and spices reportedly estimated at $1.21 billion and also the lucrative export market with Assistant Editor CHIKODI OKEREOCHA
She had it all planned out. Although her hope was to work as a town planner, having studied Urban and Regional Planning and graduated in 2014, the founder/Spice Lead Formulator, Bimwunmi Enterprise, an agro-food processing company specialised in the formulation of herbs and spices, Mrs Aisha Ibironke Mustapha, reckoned that securing a white collar job after the completion of her National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) may not be a walk in the park considering the unpredictability of the Nigerian employment market.
“If after NYSC, white collar jobs aren’t forthcoming, what can I do,” Aisha had asked. But it took a chance seminar organised by a ‘Sisters Only Group’ on Facebook, which Aisha said she was privileged to attend, for her to find an answer to the question of ‘what next after NYSC.’
As it turned out, one of the sisters in the group who came from Kano gave talks on health, herbs and spices and other things to make an amazing woman entrepreneur. The seminar was, for Aisha, a case of opportunity meeting preparedness, and she wasted no time in grabbing the opportunity by starting Bimwunmi Enterprise, in 2016.
“From there (the seminar), I thought to myself that I can solve a problem and make it through spice formulation, coupled to the fact that diabetes and high blood pressure run in the family and interestingly, my paternal grandmother was a good cook; she cooks without our regular conventional cubes and seasonings,” Aisha told The Nation.
It was in reference to some of the factors that motivated her into throwing her hat in the herbs and spices formulation ring. “To be honest, people are more conscious about their health nowadays. My customers are self-health conscious people, both male and female, old and young,” she added.
Fast forward to 2022, which is barely seven years after Aisha floated Bimwunmi Enterprise in 2016 with a meagre N20, 750 seed capital, she has not only conquered her initial fear of a promising career future after university education, but also become an employer of labour with several temporary staff currently in her employ.
Aisha has also joined the league of successful industrialists. She has been churning out various herbs and spices to the delight of her customers both far and near. “I started my business with N20, 750 in 2016 and I’m happy with where I’m today and hoping and praying to go higher, by God’s grace,” Aisha confirmed.
Indeed, with six variants of spice mix and other herbs and spices and food supplements, Aisha’s happiness is understandable. Some of the range of products under her belt includes Mia Spice Mix (multipurpose), to replace bouillon seasoning and cubes, which are filled with Monosodium Glutamates (MSG); Bee’s Native Pot (for local dishes; it contains crayfish, locust beans and other herbs and spices).
Others are Yaji (contains peanut bars, different pepper, and other herbs and spices with salt in moderation); Peppersoup Mix; Barbecue Mix (for marinating. It also replaces the seasoning powder inside noodles. Users can then add salt to taste); Aganyin Mix (for making Aganyin sauce). The company also has herbal oils and organic ingredients to conquer toxic chemical filled creams and soaps.
Interestingly, all the local and foreign herbs and spices mixed by Bimwunmi Enterprise to deliver quality, affordable and savoury healthy meals to customers, according to Aisha, are low in sodium, without preservative and colorings and no MSG. She said they are good for both young and old and the products align with her constant crusade, over the years, on the good effects of using herbs and spices to cook instead of artificial seasoning.
“We are an advocate of healthy lifestyle through ditching of bouillon cubes and seasoning; we formulate healthy herbs and spices to replace them. We have helped and still helping several homes to cook sumptuous and healthy food. People with one health challenge or the other are also benefiting from our various mixes of spices as we recommend those that are safe for their health,” Aisha asserted.
The industrialist, however, recalled that in the beginning of the business, sourcing for raw materials wasn’t easy. Although, she said at a point, she was buying her raw materials from the United Kingdom (U.K), “mainly because I was new to production of spices and it was few of us doing it then,” she later started buying from Kano and some parts of the North until recently when she also started buying from Lagos.
“We do group purchase as well to reduce cost,” the budding industrialist stated, noting that she buys the spices, blend and package them herself at her state-of-the-art facility located in Cocoa Complex, Akilo Road, Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos. She said although, a number of other spice formulators have joined the business, she still has competitive edge over others.
Aisha’s words: “I leverage digital platforms (social media) to post engaging and reasonable contents related to the business to customers. I also adhere strictly to quality standard and ensure continuous improvement on my formulation. I also work on my brand packaging to ensure it remains top of the range, aside working on my customers’ retention and relationships by constantly listening to feedbacks and working on them.
“I also attend events, seminars and exhibitions to give my brand and products connection and visibility. Apart from the fact that people want my products, I still give gifts and souvenirs so they can always remember my brand. Customer trust and loyalty is key, I don’t joke with it.”
Admittedly, the competitive edge Aisha has in the herbs and spices business would not have been possible without her having access to series of trainings and collaborations. “I was able to conquer with the help of SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis that I learnt from Google Hustle Academy,” she confirmed.
According to business development experts, SWOT analysis is a framework used to evaluate a company’s competitive position and to develop strategic planning. It is designed to facilitate a realistic, fact-based, data-driven look at the strengths and weaknesses of an organisation. SWOT analysis assesses internal and external factors, as well as current and future potential of an organisation.
Aisha said she graduated from the Academy on November 29, 2022, and was even on the panel session during the graduation ceremony. “I joined Google Hustle Academy like a regular student not knowing I will be on the stage at our graduation. I was able to conquer my fear that very day. At first, it wasn’t easy, but by His grace, I pulled through. My fellow panelists gave me lots of courage,” she said.
Collaboration and partnerships also played a role in Aisha’s emergence as a successful entrepreneur. “I collaborated with more productive business minded people, and worked on my Business Model Canvas (BMC), thanks to Mr. Julian, one of the facilitators that taught me at Fate Foundation. I graduated from the Institute on December 1, 2022,” she told The Nation.
BMC is a great business tool for startups because it helps them to quickly identify and document their business model. It allows them to visualise the different elements of their business model and to quickly identify any potential problems or areas for improvement.
The canvas also helps startups to identify potential revenue streams and to understand the costs associated with their business model. This helps them to make informed decisions about their business model and to ensure that it is profitable.
“The BMC helped be understand the value proposition of my business, my target audience, customers’ needs and satisfaction and lots more,” Aisha said, reiterating that leveraging various digital platforms with good and reasonable contents also gave her business more visibility and mileage.
On the strength of her successful and hugely rewarding exploits in the food processing industry, within a remarkably short time, an analytical and creative Aisha appears poised to further tighten her grip on the Nigerian herbs and spices market, which she described as “a lucrative business” worth about $1.21 billion, according to reports.
As pointer to her readiness to claim a substantial share of this huge but largely untapped market for herbs and spices, Aisha said she is currently building a perfect and robust working structure for Bimwunmi Enterprise preparatory to making it a household name in the burgeoning food industry. “I want to have my products in my neighbourhood, Nigeria as a whole, then worldwide,” she said, exuding so much confidence in her capacity to pull through.
The evidently ambitious and hardworking Town Planner-turned industrialist also said she is eyeing the export market. “Between now and the next five years, I hope to be able to conveniently export my products in full containers. I also want to expand the footprints of my business by attending more trainings, seminars and exhibitions within Nigeria and outside the country,” she revealed.
Religious and passionate, Aisha, who is a Muslim, also said she is counting on the continuous support structure put in place by her husband and family members. “My husband is a good support system. My child, Aasiyah, understands my business as young as she is. My siblings aren’t left out, too. I just tell everyone what to do so we can meet up and the work is done,” she said.
Having come this far, Aisha has some success nuggets for aspiring entrepreneurs. “Once there’s an idea, which involves passion and a propensity to solve a problem, you shouldn’t wait. Leave your comfort zone after a proper planning is done that won’t affect the family or yourself negatively. Attend seminars, trainings and events related to the business you are into or plan to venture in, including the ones not relating to your line of business” she advised.
She also urged aspiring entrepreneurs to join associations for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), “because they have information and data from government that can make one grow and scale up.” “They should also be ready for collaborations and partnerships, and also pitch their business anywhere they find themselves. And lastly, the greatest skills an entrepreneur should have are humility, integrity and loyalty,” she added.
The application of some of the afore-mentioned business principles helped Aisha weather the storm when she started out.
While admitting that “there is no business without its own challenges,” she said, for instance, that understanding the business and getting the right target audience was key to conquering some of the initial challenges tossed on her entrepreneurial path.
She listed some of the challenges to include difficulty in sourcing raw materials, access to affordable production equipment and materials, logistics and funds.
But as she earlier said, she was able to pull through these challenges with the help of SWOT analysis as well as relying on her personal attributes of focus, creativity and hard work.