. Affirms commitment to high standards
UGO AMADI
Despite the harsh and occasionally unpredictable working atmosphere witnessed by a number of sectors of the Nigeria economy and coupled with the global pandemic, Covid 19, Rite Foods Limited has continued to drive transformational innovation and gradually expanding its Investment in Nigeria’s food and beverage industry.
As one of Nigeria’s fastest growing indigenous and most respected food and beverage company Established in 2007 , Rite foods has become a household name as customers of the their products have expressed happiness and excitement with the performances of the management and board of the company since its existence.
Basking on the euphoria of its blissful range of products, Rite foods has affirmed that it produces under high ethical standards and hygienic conditions in line with global standards.
According to Managing Director, of the company Mr Seleem Adegunwa, who spoke during the Brand Academy organized for the media in Ogun State by the company “this occasion presents a unique opportunity for Rite Foods to frame its own story, highlighting our many successes over the years of our existence and presenting our simpler, smarter vision to be the leader in our chosen fields of operation which will lead to growth, stability and an enduring legacy”
‘’We are a truly world-class and proudly Nigerian brand, acting within set targets, proactively dealing with issues, formidable leadership and Integrity is the heart of who we are said Adegunwa,
He said the company is also gaining market share in the soft drinks and energy drinks’ segment of the beverage industry.
Going down memory lane, he said the company has a rich heritage of quality, having launched as a company in December 2007 as a subsidiary of the Ess-Ay Holdings Limited. It was in the mid-2000s, following the digital evolution in photography that the Group decided to diversify into the FMCG sector, which led to the birth of Rite Foods Limited
‘’Our Beverages manufacturing company began food production in March 2008 . thus, Rite food is a major player in the sausage segment of the food industry and is gradually gaining market share in the soft drinks and energy drinks’ segment of the beverage industry in Nigeria.
Rite Foods Limited manufactures under high ethical standards and hygienic conditions to produce quality products that are fit for consumption and it is an institution that believes in hard work and dedication, adding that the company still has the potential for growth as it though the company has 20 percent of its plans earmarked for the future.
Notwithstanding the challenge in convincing Nigerians to buy locally made products over imported goods, Rite Foods Limited is surmounting its different business challenges as it grows further and stronger in Nigeria.
It was clear that Rite Foods Limited is a company that is striving to build its brand beyond those challenges in Nigeria.
With the introduction of the Bigi beef sausage roll in January 2010, Rite Foods Limited have since been market leaders in the sausage industry up until now especially with the innovative Rite Spicy beef sausage (different from the regular beef sausage), launched into the market in October 2011.
The health of the consumer is the core to the company and this is why the company ensures that Bigi and Rite Sausage Rolls are produced under the best condition in our world class factory in Ijebu with the best hygiene in place.
The Food and Beverage Company has put the horse before the cart by producing high quality products.
It is worth to note that the company has invested over N30billion and has tripled production capacity and generating about 32 megawatts of energy to power the industry, with its energy mix of renewable, gas and diesel.
Interestingly, all Rite Foods Limited beverage products were warmly received by consumers and are now popular choices for the Nigerian consumers, no wonder the Vice President who at the time was the Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osibajo, visited the world class factory. He toured the factory and was amazed at our production processes under the highest hygienic standards. His feedback of the Rite Foods Factory tour is permanently hung at the main reception to the Beverage Factory in Ososa.
Also speaking, the Brand Manager, Rite Foods Limited, Boluwatife Adedugbe said the company is a world-class, Nigerian foods and beverages manufacturing company and is intentional in all their processes
She said the factory, which began operation in 2012, is another community, with world-class robotics equipment and responsible for the production of sausage and beverage drinks.
The reporters were taken on a factory tour by the Production Manager, Mr. Michael Ibikunle, which started at the state-of-the-art bakery that produces 27,000 sausages per hour and also the beverage factory which produces 37,800 bottles per hour. The tour rounded off at the energy section, which consisted of gas generators, and one mega watt solar.
“At Rite Foods Limited, we intensify the trail with our Bigi soft drinks, the family’s favourities in the soft drink segment, and we have added other exciting variants now comprising the Bigi Cola, Bigi Orange, Bigi Apple, Bigi Bitter Lemon, Bigi Soda Water, Bigi Lemon and Lime, Bigi Tropical, Bigi Chapman and Bigi Tamarind, Bigi Cherry Cola, Bigi Ginger Lemon, Bigi Ginger Ale,” Adedugbe said.
According to her, the Bigi premium table water is produced with global best practices in purification for hydration, freshness, and healthy living.
She said the company has highly nutritious brands that included the Rite Sausage and Bigi soft drink variants, introduced into the market in 2008 and the Fearless Energy Drinks in 2017.
“Since then, the brands have set the pace for others to follow, as the most preferred products by families nationwide, as well as addressing the market need of young pupils in schools,” Adedugbe said.
She said it was the company policy to comply with regulatory bodies such as the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and other national and international standards.
“So, anything you see us producing is because somebody has made an order for it, if they don’t make order, we don’t produce because no customer will buy a product that’s not fresh, everybody wants to buy a product that’s fresh, some of the products are traveling far places like Onitsha and Port Harcourt, among others.
“It’s important that customers are getting it fresh and also the customer needs to get it the same day because if it’s getting late people may not want to buy it, they are losing before it get to the distributor, before it gets to the retailer in just within ten days, it has to be fresh so that the person buying it would buy it fresh as the first day it was produced.
“That’s to imply that we produce only when a customer makes an order, it has to be fresh, because some are going to majorly South-East, South-West, and South-South because we can’t go to the North for now because of the distance, it takes days to get to the northern parts of the country,” Adedugbe said.
On transportation, she said the company has three models of transportation but blended the three models into one loading bay. She said the palletized was for those who actually want it, for the Eastern part of the country they dwell more on the containerized body, while the Northern part prefer using their vehicles, so irrespective of tribe, race and region, the company is ready to give what customers want.
Delivering Effective CSR: Rite Foods Ltd takes its CSR efforts serious and has conducted many community programmes and provided support to many groups and individuals. We endeavour to touch all aspects of CSR in our sustainability efforts including education, arts & culture, sports, community development and corporate philanthropy.
Rite Foods Ltd has helped to bring a meaningful difference to the lives of others and has an enduring impact on their host community. From 2010 till date, Rite Foods Ltd has impacted more than 120,000 children, 18,000 schools and several NGOs and communities across Nigeria.
Also, as part of relief efforts to cushion the economic effects of coronavirus in the state, Rite Foods Limited partnered with the Lagos State government in its COVID-19 Emergency Food response Project, to provide thousands of bottles of drinking water to support residents of the state.
The company pledged to support the state government’s relief efforts with free bottles of water which will be included in the raw food produce to be distributed to residents across the state.
Also, during the lockdown occasioned by the pandemic , Rite Foods Limited saw the need to reach out to those who are in dire need during this period and after partnering with the Lagos state government on Covid-19 Emergency Food Response Coordinated By The Ministry Of Agriculture And Ogun State Government On Ogun Covid-19 Food Relief, decided to go to the level of the community and families.
Ososa town, Ogun state is the location of the Rite Foods World class factory and as the saying goes about charity starts at home, it was decided to begin reaching out to families and communities from the Ososa community. The food relief packages contained 5kg bag of rice, 5 kg of beans, 5 kg of garri, a pack of Bigi Premium drinking water and a carton of Rite or Bigi sausages.
Rite Foods Limited Receives ISO 9001: 2015 Certification
Rite Foods Limited was awarded ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Management systems by the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) after undergoing thorough training of staff according to International Quality standards
Rite Foods Limited Sponsors African Senior Athletics Championship 2018 in Asaba City. The 21st Edition of the African Senior Athletic Championship held in Asaba was one of the biggest athletics event held since inception at the Steven Keshi. The championship hosted 52 countries which competed in over 48 games for 5 days. Rite Foods Limited is the official beverage sponsor for the 21st Edition of the African Senior Athletic Championship which was held in Asaba city, Delta state
It is expedient to note that, Rite foods has continued to impart the Nigerian state and its it economy. Due to tremendous growth in sausage sales, production had to increase at an equally high rate which resulted in construction of a larger production factory at Ososa, ijebu – ode and opportunities to implement our other product diversification plans.
On 2021 Outlook
Adegunwa maintained that although the economic environment is expected to remain challenging in 2021 ‘’we will continue to focus on our strategic priorities in order to deliver our overall business goals. We have the lion heart and we are not afraid to deepen out market penetration.
‘We will maintain our focus on growing our food and beverage business relying on our tailored products and maintain a thriving “made in-Nigeria” economy.
‘Growing our business is also a priority area for us as we believe that we have the expertise and platforms to deliver superior and quality products to consumers in this space. We remain optimistic about identifying growth opportunities in the economy and remain focused on building a business that will endure for the next generation.
