Aderonke Oyinkansola Idebi, CEO of Glamorous Fruits Talks About Her Success Story

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.