(Business in Cameroon) - Housewives who have difficulties mastering the different mixtures of African spices meant to enhance the taste of their meat, fish and chicken, can now relax. All they need to do is go to a local supermarket, and purchase a sachet of “Secret”, a brand developed by the Cameroonian company Keuni Foods. This is a ready-mix paste of local spices, which comes in various flavours (chicken other white meats, fish and seafood, and meat) and which can be directly used for different seasonings.

This Cameroonian SME is therefore entering the competition in a market with leading companies such as FooDis, owned by Cameroonian Francis Nana Djomou, distributing in particular the Jumbo brand stock cube; or Swiss giant Nestlé, who has a monthly turnover of about FCfa 5 billion in the CEMAC, with its famous Maggi cube, available in various flavours.

A situation which does not seem to concern the sponsor of Keuni Foods, who is betting on a major advantage. “Our products are 100% natural with a pinch of salt as preservative. In an environment where many elements used to cook our food are of chemical origin, even dangerous for our health, such as glutamate in cubes, “Secret” is the innovation which enables us to season our dishes without any ill effect for our health. Additionally, our composition allows consumers on the one hand to gain time, and on the other hand, enables those new to cooking to never mess up again. For example, to make grilled fish, nothing is more simple than smearing the cleaned fish with the content of a sachet of “Secret poisson” (Secret fish) and salt and put it on the fire”, explains Aïcha Noucti Kadji, who specifies that “in order to guarantee the exceptional quality of the product, “Secret” was certified by the Agence des norms et de la qualité” of Camroon (Anor – Standards and Quality Agency).

According to this businesswoman, grand-daughter of billionaire Joseph Kadji Defosso, one of the main industrialists in Cameroon, and daughter of Noucti Tchokwago, former CEO of the Batoula group ; her project is the result of a simple observation: “we noticed that Cameroonian consumers, in particular, and Africans in general, are increasingly conscious and better informed on nutritional issues. Hence the interest noted, at the time of purchase, on the choice for best consumer products”, confides Aïcha Noucti Kadji, who graduated in management sciences from HEC Montréal and in corporate communication from ESGCI in Paris.

“Through the new information and communication technologies, such as Internet, they are better informed on the progress of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes and other diseases linked to bad eating habits. The objective of Keuni Foods is to best exploit this potential market, by marketing its products throughout African and Western countries”, plans the young economic operator, who employs about fifty people in her agro-industrial unit.

Brice R. Mbodiam

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05-06-2014 - Avec le cube Maggi fortifié, Nestlé Cameroun annonce un CA mensuel de 5 milliards FCfa dans la CEMAC