INTERVIEW WITH PULSE NIGERIA-MRS ARIYO TOMISIN

How To Successfully Manage A Credible business in the Nigerian Agric and Grocery Industry 2022

You might be wondering how possible is it to survive as a grocery store owner in Nigeria? Does the Government provide us with adequate resources? How about credibility and protection, is that feasible? All of these questions can be summed up to one very simple answer, “Consistency“. 

The question remains, “Is running a business difficult”?. It might feel as though the entire world is against you but when value is provided, not just to make a profit but having your customer’s interest at heart, that’s what keeps you going, and Mrs. Ariyo Tomisin did a marvelous job at that.

Here you will understand how Mrs. Ariyo started, why she started, and how it is going. So sit back and enjoy your read while you get to know why Farm Fresh Grocery has come to stay.

The Agric Industry Was Not MyFirst Choice

During Mrs. Ariyo’s Interview with Pulse Nigeria, she mentioned that she started modeling over 20 years ago. Back in the University of Ife, she traveled to contest for a top show, Deal or No Deal, a game show hosted to contestants with a chance of winning 250,000 pounds. She went on and traveled to South Africa to develop her career in Modelling and came back to Nigeria with a mind to branch out.

Being a focused driven woman, she searched for new ways to establish herself more financially and otherwise. Mrs. Ariyo networked with top-rated sellers in South Africa and shipped in unisex fashion accessories to make quality distributions in Nigeria.

That wasn’t all, Mrs. Ariyo also owned a modeling Academy, where she trained models and picked the best who will work for top fashion designers in fashion shows such as Lagos Fashion Week (LFW), Lagos Bridal Fashion Week (LBFW), and other top fashion events.

Losing Her Mom Was A Motivating Factor

Mrs. Ariyo in her interview with Pulse Nigeria made mentioned that she was always down with Thyford and Malaria, not that she was a sickler but for some reason, she was always down on catarrh, coughed, and found it very difficult to breathe most times. 

That was just a beginner face, Mrs. Ariyo also lost her mom to breast cancer because normal medical aids were not enough to remedy to heal her, but before this, she used to hear a lot of advice on how to make good use of herbal remedies such as Flaxseed Seeds, and the likes which she was not completely aware of at the time but this didn’t discourage her in any way, she went on to research on it and discovered that herbal foods are best taken as a daily option, not waiting until one falls ill before holding on to it.

This of course lured her into creating a business where everyone, no matter how far they are, can have complete access to healthy foods, and this was how Farm Fresh Grocery started.

Local Farmers Gave Hard Times

It was obvious that we needed to expand, and providing healthy food options had to come from 

The high-end farm produces, but the challenge here was that farmers were not cooperative, they had the notion that we were looking to overtake their business, whereas working with them would one way or the other sprout business for both parties in terms of sales and increase in customer base.

Mrs. Ariyo did not allow this to tie her down, she went on to reach out to more farmers and slowly there was a huge turnout and response. Now we have a gamut of seasoned farmers at various locations in Lagos, who are always willing and ready to provide outstanding services and give the best food options for us to offer for sale.

How We Find Funding Opportunities

Getting funds while starting wasn’t that much of a challenge because I started small, Mrs. Ariyo made mention. She went further to state that she started by selling grocery products to her colleagues at work, while she got more fresh food products from her sister’s farm and made double revenue off it, while she reinvested it into the business.

Mrs. Ariyo identified a need in the grocery market amongst her niche and then decided to expand into a large business, which prompted her husband to invest and also collected a grand from Under40CEO and ventured into mind-blowing mentorship programs to help ensure that she keeps her resources intact.

Growing a business should not be based on how comfortable it is but on how much convenience your customers enjoy from utilizing your products, bearing this in mind, nothing can stop you from getting to the greatest height you are up to accomplish and being sustainable as a business regardless of your industry.

Want To Reach Out?

You can reach us through our hotlines at 

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And our website: www.farmfreshgrocery.com