Aderonke Oyinkansola Idebi started Glamorous fruits almost 7 years ago. She saw some fruit styling online and fell in love with it.
She has attended different trainings and conferences as well
attended food safety management by London Professional Training Center (LPTC)
and
Food hygiene and packaging by the Nigerian Institute of food
science and Technology in conjunction with NAFDAC AND FIRRO Basic Customer
service training.
She is a member of different professional event associations: Appoemn, Assev, APFSPN, PAMAN. She is now a certified fruits and food stylist.
She was an Award nominee for 2019 fruit artistry and smoothie company of the year organised by Appoemn.
In this interview with CityPeople's Oyinlola Sale, Aderonke tells us about her journey into the Food Industry. Below are excerpts of the interview.
Tell us about the story behind your breakthrough, that led to
the creation of Glamorous Fruits?
I was going through the internet some years ago and I saw the
way fruits were styled outside the country. This caught my attention and I
desired to be trained to do same. At that time fruit artistry/styling wasn't
common/ popular in naija. Healthy treats were also not served at events at that
time.
I looked for someone in Naija that could train me but the
person I saw wasn't so willing. I still continued to scout on the net and I
came across a Nigerian based in America coming home and also willing to train.
Immediately, I enrolled and registered for her training. Glamorous fruits was
birthed after the training about 7 years ago.
Food business in Nigeria has become innovative, it is more about the creativity infused with good taste. How unique is Glamorous fruits?
It's a popular saying that we eat with our eyes first. G.F ( Glamorous Fruits) is known for her prompt delivery at all times. Also we are known for our luxurious and beautiful set ups which adds to the ambience of any event.
In this economy where prices of goods are drastically
increasing by the day, how do you manage to draw the line to know how to put a
price on your catering services?
We do our costing on a regular basis, so we don't under-charge
so as not to make a loss nor over-charge so it's still affordable for our
clients.
Glamorous Fruits is known for beautiful fruit styling, healthy
organic fruit/vegetable juices, salad and wellness gifts. Would you say it's
capital intensive?
I would say yes and no depending on the level you want to stay
at. For GF we give a luxurious set up which makes it capital intensive.
We have luxury display stands, bars, carriage tables etc which
makes our set up stand out. All these are capital intensive
The Food Industry sees a daily increase in the number of
players. In what ways does Glamorous Fruits stand out?
GF has been on for the past 7 years. It has been able to stand
out cause of the constant training I have been going for. I am always ready to
learn, relearn and unlearn. I have gone for several trainings, conference,
master class amongst which is the food safety by London Professional Training
center, food safety by NAFDAC and FIRRO.
Any new thing learnt is always infused into the business to
make us stand the test of time.
Was there ever a time you stumbled on a road block that made
you feel like giving up? How did you overcome that situation?
The economy of the country has been harsh over the years with
frequent price increase. With God we have been able to overcome and still stay
in business
The Food Industry is capital intensive. How did you manage to
finance this business in it's early days?
Because I knew growth doesn't happen over night I was ready to
climb the ladder gradually to get to the top.
I started the business with basic tools like knives, trays,
cutters, coolers etc.
Over the business grew and we began to acquire tools and
equipment that stands us out now.
The tools used to start the business were basic tools we use
at home. Over time I started buying other tools needed.
How has Glamorous Fruits managed to build a sustainable brand
in the Food Industry?
Consistency is our watch word. Because i know presentation is
key I make sure that every job is done with fresh products under the best of
hygiene. We are very consistent
What impact do you see Fruits making in the Food Industry in
the next 5 years?
The importance of fruits in our diet cannot be over
emphasised. I see a near future were fruits will be served at every event no
matter how small or big the event is.
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