Nestlé Food Professional: Optimising Food Business, Enhancing Good Life, Boosting Economy

By EDET UDOH

 Participants of the workshop with various gifts received from Nestlé Professional.

The importance of eating a well-balanced diet that provides the energy one needs to keep active throughout the day including nutrients needed for growth and repair cannot be overemphasized. A healthy diet is essential for good health and nutrition. It protects one against many chronic non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Therefore, eating good food which gives good life is important.

Cooking good food that contains the right quantity and quality ingredients and serves in the right quantity and combinations is better handled by those with knowledge of Food and Nutrition management.

Nestle Nigeria, the Good Food, Good Life Company, in its drive to unlock the power of food to enhance the quality of life for everyone and foster economic growth in the country, realized that despite the important roles played by canteen and restaurant operators and other food vendors in the Food and Nutrition value chain in helping to meet the nutrition needs of busy urban communities every day, do not always get the support they need to build successful businesses.

To help bridge this gap, Nestlé Nigeria in August 2022 organised its maiden edition of the Business of Food education workshop in Ibadan, Oyo State. The programme which was packaged to equip food vendors and caterers with the knowledge needed to optimize their food business while using MAGGI powders effectively, had over 200 Canteen and food Vendors in Ibadan, Oyo State in attendance.

So far about 800 Nigerians have benefited from the training in Ibadan, Port Harcourt and Ilorin.

To further deepen the knowledge of food and nutrition management, in December 2022, Nestlé Professional Business, Nestlé Nigeria’s Out of Home business arm, took its Business of Food roadshow to Port-Harcourt, Rivers State where they delivered food education to over 300 canteen and food vendors in collaboration with the Association of Caterers and Food Vendors.

Participants in the workshop received tips on how to grow their food service businesses. The caterers and food vendors were shown how to cook tasty meals that will delight their customers as experts shared knowledge and techniques for managing the complexities of food systems. Topics treated at the occasion included Food-Preneur, Food Styling and Food Plating.

Speaking at the event, Funmi Osineye, Manager, Nestlé Professional Nigeria said, “The women of Port-Harcourt are amazing, and we are super-excited to be here.  The Business of Food workshop is an initiative we developed in response to the need to provide the support micro, small and medium-scale food vendors need to scale their businesses.

Nestle Nigeria officials and participants in the cooking competition after Food Business training Workshop in Port Harcourt, Rivers State in December 2022.

“We are also conscious of our responsibility as the Good Food Good Life Company, to contribute towards increasing knowledge of the role food plays in improving Nutrition, Health, and Wellness. We have brought these two objectives together in the Business of Food which we are hosting in Port-Harcourt today.  Our customers and other stakeholders can count on us to consolidate this partnership with caterers and food vendors to ensure better services in the industry.”

In the words of Chef Oroma, a member of the Association of Caterers and Food Vendors and CEO of Oromski Kitchen, “We have been looking for a platform like this for a long time and are excited that Nestlé Food Business Professionals have come to Port-Harcourt today. We would like this workshop to continue so we can encourage and train the upcoming chefs from the rural areas. This will help us create more employment to take our youth off the streets.”

The workshop combined knowledge sharing with a lot of fun, engaging activities to make it memorable for the participants.  It kicked off with a masterclass, followed by a cooking demo where Chef Lilian demonstrated how to prepare native jollof rice.

Highpoint of the event was the cooking competition and the meals presented by the groups were judged based on Tasty Meal, Meal Presentation and Plating.

In Ilorin, Kwara State, in July 2023, over 300 participants including food vendors, chefs, canteen and restaurant operators as well as culinary school students were trained on how to improve their food businesses.The training covered various aspects of the food industry, including culinary techniques, menu planning, customer engagement, and good hygiene practices.

The training gave participants an opportunity to gain valuable insights from seasoned professionals who shared their expertise and best practices that will enhance their professionalism leading to increased productivity and profitability.

Addressing the participants at the training in Ilorin, Mrs. Funmi Osineye, Head of Nestlé Professional business in Nigeria said “This workshop is aligned with our vision to foster economic growth in local communities. Our aim is to equip local food vendors with the essential knowledge and skills to grow and sustain their businesses. We believe that in addition to practical skills, local entrepreneurs need a supportive environment where they can thrive. We, therefore, designed the workshop to include networking opportunities where participants can exchange ideas, share their experiences, and build valuable connections within the industry. We are confident that the training today will equip the food vendors, chefs, canteen and restaurant operators as well as the culinary school students to excel in the business of food.”

One of the highlights of the workshop was the live cooking master class by popular OAP – Olushola Folake Mutiat on the fundamentals of Wanke, a popular West African dish made from a combination of rice and beans, using Maggi Chicken and Maggi Star seasoning.

There was also a cooking competition where the teams – ‘Chicken’ and ‘Star’ – tried to outdo each other in their task to make the best jollof rice dish.

The president of the Association of Caterers and Restaurant Owners in Ilorin, Mrs. Olayinka Atoyebi, and Mrs. Funmi Osineye, head of Nestlé Professional business in Nigeria (middle) in group photograph with winners of the cooking competition during the workshop.

The president of the Association of Caterers and Restaurant Owners in Ilorin, Mrs. Olayinka Atoyebi, thanked Nestlé Professional for the initiative and the opportunity for the members of the association to learn new skills for improving their businesses and livelihoods.

Catering schools present at the workshop included IVTEC, Ajase-Ipo, Imi-Ini Venture and Best Apple Treat. Students of the culinary schools expressed gratitude to Nestlé Professional for the opportunity to meet and learn from accomplished industry practitioners.

Mrs. Osineye assured participants that Nestlé Professional remains committed to supporting the growth and success of food vendors in Nigeria. “We aim to uplift the local food industry, promote entrepreneurship, and create a positive impact in communities,” she said.

Nestlé Professional is the Out-of-Home arm of Nestle and it focuses on providing innovative, high-quality food and beverage solutions to the out-of-home, or food service, industry in Nigeria. This division caters to a wide range of customers, including restaurants, hotels, cafes, offices, catering companies, coffee shops and other food service providers.

In order to align with Nestle’s purpose and vision thus “to unlock the power of food to enhance the quality of life for everyone today and for generations to come,” and “to be the trusted partner of choice in Out-of-Home, by providing Affordable & Nutritious Food and Beverage Solutions that help our customers win,” it is hoped that the participants would make good use of knowledge and insights gained during the training workshop to better their lots, especially in preparing and serving people with nutritious meals as well as make a positive contribution the nation’s economic growth

Nestlé Nigeria is one of the largest food and beverage companies in Africa. For over 59 years, the company has been delighting consumers around Nigeria by consistently delivering high-quality nutritious food. With a staff strength of over 2,200 direct employees, 3 manufacturing sites, 7 branch offices and a head office located in Lagos, the company produces and markets several iconic brands including Nestle Purelife Golden Morn, Milo, Maggi and Nescafe.