Category: Shopping

Mr Piyush Nair is Managing Director, Bayswater Industries Limited, producers of Mr. Chef Beef and Chicken seasoning cubes as well as other seasoning powders. In this interview with Tonia ‘Diyan, he speaks on the state of the  economy and its impact on the shopping habits of consumers.

With the recession, the disposable income of consumers has shrunk, leading to an adjustment in spending. What is Mr. Chef doing to maintain patronage?

True, the times are quite challenging for all manufacturing organisations, particularly with the inability to source foreign exchange (FOREX) for import purposes to accelerate local production. With the sharp drop in production, there have been job losses and other consequences. But there is still opportunity for growth if the government supports aggressive production rather than encourage consumption.

For more than 40 years, customers have been loyal to our products because over the years,  Mr. Chef Beef and Chicken seasoning cubes have maintained consistency in quality regardless of the state of the economy. We are very happy about this, particularly because it has also helped us to remain a partner in government’s efforts to turn the economy around.

Can you be more specific?

As a major producer of seasoning cubes and powdered seasoning, our key objective is to be an indispensable kitchen companion that would make the cooking experience of our customers both inexpensive and a great delight. During the recent period of scarcity and high cost of tomatoes and other condiments, for example, our customers did not have to struggle to make great and tasty meals because our brands were and are always in season. Mr. Chef easily filled the gap. Our products like tomato seasoning powder and cubes; ginger; onion; garlic powder; jollof/fried rice seasoning mix; Ata rodo pepper as well as mom’s pride chicken and beef cubes and classic beef and chicken seasoning powder, to mention a few, easily filled the gap for consumers.

What informed the launch of your latest product, Choco Love?

Broadly, Choco Love is a nourishing cocoa beverage drink formulated to promote the sharing of family love. This, in itself, makes Mr. Chef different from other brands in the market because we always aspire to put the family first. Choco Love is produced to conform to the African concept of ‘family’, which revolves around sharing love and unleashing the confidence within each individual. This concept recognises that the family does not necessarily refer to bloodlines, but also to the humanity that we all share.

What is your assessment of the environment where you operate?

Producers of fast-moving commodity goods (FMCGs) will readily admit that the unregulated importation of substandard food seasoning is killing our market segment. These grey imports also constitute health hazards because many of these products are usually not certified by the authorities. This is a major problem not just for Mr. Chef, but for all producers. At the root of this problem is the fact that consumers tend to place cheap pricing ahead of other considerations. The importation of these unregulated goods also undermine the huge investment that we and other local producers have made in-the economy.

So, what solutions would you proffer to deal with the problem?

First, the government needs to encourage local producers to do more so that the economy can experience rapid transformation. With more local production, employment opportunities will open up and there will be more money in the pockets of citizens. It is a cycle that creates prosperity. This, however, will not happen if government does not help us to protect our heavy capital investments. Placing a ban on unwholesome imports to protect the health of the people as well as save our industry and the nation’s economy is an option that needs to be quickly considered.This is not anti-competition. On the contrary, doing this will create a level playing field for all producers. This, in turn, will make the operating environment sufficiently attractive to investors. It is high time everyone that believes in Nigeria demonstrated that love by making serious investment in the  economy as we have done.