Startup Story

Adanne Uche is the founder and CEO of Ady's Food Mart, an agro-processing company in Nigeria that ensures families choose a healthier option in cooking ingredients and Spices. A graduate of Foreign Languages and Literature, she started Ady's Food Mart in 2017 in a bid to improve nutrition and well-being of consumers.

LoA learned about this growing agri business venture from founder Adanne Uche this month.

What does your company do?

We process and package healthy food ingredients and spices for consumers in Nigeria and Africa, where African dishes are appreciated.

“We ensure that families choose a healthier option in cooking ingredients and spices. We sell cooking ingredients that have zero additives and preservatives.”

What inspired you to start your company?

The influx of adulterated food ingredients and spices in the open market is alarming and research have shown it is causing adverse health effects on consumers.

What makes your business, service or product special?

We ensure that families choose a healthier option in cooking ingredients and spices. We sell cooking ingredients that have zero additives and preservatives.

Tell us a little about your team

I have an IT consultant who helps with ensuring that our digital presence is topnotch, and a business development expert who advises and opens us up to opportunities for growth. Also our accounts personnel who makes sure the business meets its financial targets and keeps us solvent. We also have a social media manager who ensures that our marketing game is up to date and promises kept.

“We wish to be a household name in the agricultural value chain of spice production in Africa and the world where African dishes are appreciated.”

Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?

I am a graduate of Foreign Languages and Literature with no previous knowledge in entrepreneurship. I started my first business after the birth of my first daughter, but having no entrepreneurial skills it failed after 2 years. I started another business after a year, it still did not work, that is until I found something I really love doing and that is food, cooking. So I thought to myself, what about cooking and food that could give me joy and at the same time pay me a salary. So Ady's Food Mart came to fruition with a N30,000 loan from my brother, I decided to solve food adulteration problems starting with Palm Oil, then grew to other food ingredients and a world of spices, where we process, package and distribute healthy spices to families in Nigeria. It has been a rollercoaster since then, but something I am confident in saying is that we have scaled to become a household name.

What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?

We wish to be a household name in the agricultural value chain of spice production in Africa and the world where African dishes are appreciated.

“I decided to solve food adulteration problems starting with Palm Oil, then grew to other food ingredients and a world of spices, where we process, package and distribute healthy spices to families in Nigeria.”

What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?

That I can help families improve on their nutrition and well-being gives me the utmost joy.

What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?

Find your passion that can get you paid, study it, look for someone that has done it before you, learn from them, run with it, and be resilient.

Contact or follow Ady's Food Mart

Why LoA loves it…

Healthy nutrition is key to a thriving population on the African continent and that means ensuring that consumers have access to healthier ingredient choices when cooking meals at home. For Adanne Uche, this challenge provided the inspiration for her business, which today supplies consumers with healthy cooking ingredients and spices that make any mealtime great. Adanne now has her eyes firmly set on growing her agri-business to become a household name amongst consumers. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa