The general perception was that garri was only for the poor, but I knew the rich enjoyed it too. I decided to reinvent the way we drank Garri and snacked it up. I asked myself, ‘If puff -puff could be packaged and sold at a premium, why not garri?’ This thought gave birth to garrilicious parfait.
By Eberechi Obinagwam
In a country where garri is often seen as a snack for the less fortunate, Abdulkareem Arimiyau Olawale, a Botany graduate from the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, is redefining this perception. He is reinventing the local snacks to modern form; Garrilicous Parfait. “The impression by many is that garri is only for the poor, but the rich also takes it,” Olawale noted. “I decided to reinvent the way we drink Garri and snack it up.”
Parfait is a layered dessert or snack consisting of alternating layers of ingredients such as yogurt or ice cream, fresh fruits, nuts, cookies, candy, chocolate, whipped cream, or syrup. Its visually appealing layers have made parfait increasingly popular in the snack industry.
Wale, with his creative reinvention, is transforming garri, a traditional Nigerian cassava flakes snack, into a modern upscale treat. By layering garri with ingredients like groundnuts, sugar, and milk, he is successfully rebranding garri to appeal to a wider audience.
The birth of Garrilicous Parfait
Wale said garrilicous parfait innovation came from his school experience as an undergraduate student of University of Ilorin, Kwara State, “This business was inspired by my personal experience during my undergraduate studies. I came from a humble background where the chief of our school foodstuffs was garri because it’s the only food that was easy to come by when others were not affordable.
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“One day, I was thinking about how could I change the way people drank garri. The general perception was that garri was only for the poor, but I knew the rich enjoyed it too. I decided to reinvent the way we drank Garri and snacked it up. I asked myself, ‘If puff -puff could be packaged and sold at a premium, why not garri?’ This thought gave birth to garrilicious parfait.”
Forming a team to start garrilicous parfait
“I shared my idea with my siblings, and they were enthusiastic about it. We assembled a team of five, including some of their friends, and started working together in a room. Our goal was to reinvent the packaging and consumption of local snacks in a modern way. This led to the creation of Garrilicious Parfait from Garrilicious Cafe.”
Wale further stated; “Our primary target audience was the student population. We aimed to make these local delicacies accessible on-the-go, whether in class, at the mall, or while walking. We’ve already received recognition from the Students’ Union Government (SUG) in Kwara State University.
Raising the required capital
As a young entrepreneur who started working in 2020, after completing his service year in 2019, capital was not an issue initially because he had savings from his previous roles.
”Capital was never a problem since I wanted to start small. I used my savings, accumulated from working as a teacher in a private school and later as a loan recovery specialist at a Fintech company for four years”, Wale explained.
When he discovered his true purpose, Wale resigned to pursue his passion. ”My garri inspiration drove me to take the leap.”
Although Wale didn’t face funding challenges initially, he now seeks investors to expand his business beyond its current small market. ”We need investors to scale up operations,’ he emphasised.
“Imagine a cafe where you can enjoy garri with milk, groundnuts, chicken, snails, beef, or fish, paired with chilled water. We’re redefining garri as a luxury drink, challenging the perception that it’s only for the poor.’
Wale’s vision includes conquering the school market first, then expanding to towns and cities. ‘That’s the bigger picture,’ he concluded.”
Challenges
Wale said inflation is a major challenge facing businesses in Nigeria, “The price of materials keeps changing. Getting materials for the packaging is becoming too expensive. To get someone to supply groundnut to us is not easy. The prices of materials keep going high every day, making it difficult for students who are our target audience to buy because most of them can no longer afford it.”
Business breakthrough
Wale revealed that Garrilicious Parfait achieved market success in just two weeks. “As I mentioned, my target audience is students. We tested the product in a small, viable market, and the first month, we sold out 100 cups, receiving continuous orders. Breaking into the market took only two weeks.”
“Our early breakthrough kept us motivated,” Wale added, adding; “Honestly, I didn’t expect our product to sell out so quickly. The rapid success exceeded my expectations.”
Wale recalled sharing his idea with friends, who were skeptical. “They questioned why I’d start a garri business, seeing no potential for execution or success. However, the business my team and I launched with N50,000 now generates N200,000 to N300,000 in monthly turnover.”
Wale’s view on Japa
Wale remains committed to Nigeria’s economic growth despite SME challenges. He is undecided about leaving (Japa) or staying, but focused on finding solutions and ensuring his business succeeds.
“I haven’t decided to stay in Nigeria,” Wale said. “However, I believe in SMEs’ potential impact on our economy. Although the government is not creating an enabling environment, entrepreneurs must keep seeking solutions. Interestingly, one can still ‘japa‘ and have a thriving business in Nigeria.”
Wale’s story perfectly illustrates the power of innovation and branding in transforming traditional products and challenging existing perceptions.