Meal Kits – A Surprising Trend in the Nigerian Food Scene
Meal kits and recipe boxes in Lagos
The impact of COVID-19 across many sectors of the economy has forced entrepreneurs to seek innovative approaches to reaching consumers. The food business in Nigeria has not been left out. One emerging trend in this space is Meal Kits. This mode of delivery is innovative but not brand new – not in Lagos, Nigeria and definitely not globally.
In Nigeria, Ile Milele was an early adopter – providing meal kits and recipe boxes in Lagos starting in 2017, and was featured here in our 2018 Valentines Day Guide with meal kits and recipe boxes providing ‘three-course meals for two’. Little did we know that she had arrived in the ‘new normal’ before the rest of us – a pioneer! 👏 and extra points for innovating around one of the biggest traffic days in Lagos!
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In the UK, US and others, we have the likes of Mindful Chef, Gousto and HelloFresh, all food subscription services. HelloFresh in particular was introduced to be my my friend because she just got tired of the same ol’ boring meals she was making for her family.
How do meal kits or recipe boxes work? Easy! Ingredients are portioned and packed and delivered fresh to you with very easy to follow recipe cards and pictures to show you what the end product should look like. In no time, you begin to feel like a professional chef having done the work and whipped up some chef-level deliciousness like what you would have when dining at a restaurant. I’ve personally tried HelloFresh and was impressed. No surprises that they are one of the biggest meal-kit company providers.
For the pasta lovers, there is also Pasta Evangelists – freshest, artisan pasta recipe kits for restaurant-quality pasta at home. The meal kit industry is huge!
Bringing it back home, COVID-19 happened and Lagos restaurants, chefs and food businesses & enthusiasts have taken the bold step to incorporate this as a new business line to keep revenues flowing and offer meal kits and recipe boxes in Lagos. To my mind, I’m eager to see how this is sustained as it is one thing to jump on a bandwagon and it is another thing to perfect it especially as logistics providers in these parts of the world often appear unmanageable! But we shall be observing. Here are some we have noticed. I don’t think it is ingenious but a smart move? Sure!
NULA’s Kitchen Meal Kits by Soliat Bada
Soliat refers to herself as a Food Stylist and Recipe Developer and was responsible for the first recipes at The House Lagos and went on to start ByrdLagos as well. I’ve watched her and love what she does. She announced her Meal Kit business on the 26th of June, 2020.
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Price Range: ₦7,000 – ₦8,000
Meal Kits Available: Thai Coconut Curry Noodle with pan seared Tilapia and Jerk Chicken
Thoughts: I’d personally like to see a more automated process for ordering beyond Whatsapp orders which is not bad for now but can be frustrating. A more automated process where I can click on a site, order and pay and get it delivered would be more ideal – but again, our people can be somehow.
To Order: Click here -> Whatsapp
Fresh Prep by Eros- Chef Tolu Eros
He recently announced this new business line with a well put together teaser for the pre-packed recipe kit – at least that’s how it is coined. This was first hinted on the 6th of June, 2020 before a full blown teaser was shared on 17th July, 2020.
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Price Range: to Launch in August
Meal Kits Available: TBA
Thoughts: The branding looks good and the teaser suggests he is growing his own vegetables et al. No idea on the pricing yet but hopefully affordable. I’ve been to Ile Eros and I had a good time so really expecting the meal kits to be on point.
To Order: Click here -> Whatsapp or call 0909 646 0675
DIY Cookery Kits by HSE Gourmet
HSE Gourmet is run by Chef Nkesi and on the 4th of July, HSE shared on their Instagram page an announcement for ‘DIY Cookery Kits’ starting with burgers priced at ₦11,500/box and serves two (2) and later put out a kit for Korean Chicken Noodle Stir Fry. These two kits seem to be what is on offer for now.
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Price Range: ₦11,500 (almost ₦ 6k per burger)
Meal Kits Available: Burger Kit, Italian Meatball Pita Sandwich and Korean Chicken Noodles Stir Fry
Thoughts: not much noise or announcement or push was done for this and I wonder why. How did I see this? A friend sent to me asking if I had tried it out (I haven’t yet but when I do, you guys will see) and that was how I knew this even existed. The Korean Chicken Noodles Stir Fry is definitely something I’d like to try and not so much a burger kit as that seems quite basic.
To Order: Click here -> Whatsapp
DIY Shawarma Kits by BM Foodie
TBH, Shawarma or wraps can easily be made at home and the need for a DIY kit may not be necessary for those who already know how to prep this. However, there are some who like Shawarma and don’t have a clue where to start – then this is something you can try. BM Foodie – an event catering business introduced their Shawarma kits in May when the founder had reached out to tell me about it before officially putting it out there on the 1st of June. We all know the event business has been really affected by this pandemic and this is not a bad idea at all.
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Price Range: ₦5,500 (4 portions – beef/chicken)
Meal Kits Available: Beef or Chicken
Thoughts: From what is advertised, packaging looks alright. Eager to see if there are more personal touches to this but I guess I have to try it out to know more.
To Order: Click here -> Whatsapp
DIY Veggie Boxes by Oh So Nutrition
This is something for the fitfam folks. OhSoNutrition promotes wellness through food and announced the launch of their ‘DIY Veggie Boxes’ on the 1st of June with a DIY Stir Fry Veggie box which was priced at ₦ 3,000 which is quite affordable and serves two (2). Each week, a new recipe box is announced on their social media pages.
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Price Range: ₦3,000 – ₦4,500
Meal Kits Available: New kits announced each week
Thoughts: For those who struggle to find interesting healthy meals, I think this is an interesting take on prepping meals that are pre-portioned and in the long run, becomes a habit to stick to as a lifestyle.
To Order: Click here -> Whatsapp
DIY Cupcake Mixes by Mogee Magic
This is not exactly a meal kit but for those with sweet tooths and children at home, this has been a fave and a hit and it’s only right we share this. I have followed this brand since the days when it was called Chocolatiers Wonders and it’s amazing how much is has grown. Her cupcakes then were a life saver and are still amazing. It definitely falls under some level of meal kit in Lagos IMO.
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Price Range: ₦1,500 – ₦10,000
Cupcake Kit Flavours Available: Red Velvet, Chocolate & Vanilla
Thoughts: No need to struggle to bake from scratch with these. Children and adult love this and you can get addicted 😂
To Order: Click here -> Whatsapp
I am quite certain more Chefs, Restaurants and Food Entrepreneurs will jump on this and I’m here for it as long as standards are high, preserved well and delivered fresh at all times. Is a meal kit or recipe box something you would want to try?
Kindly note that these meal kits and recipe boxes highlighted above are food vendors in Lagos
Featured image by Fresh Prep by Eros
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2 Comments
I can’t wait to try one of these!!! Due to covid I find that I’m cooking more but the last thing I want to do is spend hours trying to look for recipe ingredients in the grocery stores. Yay!
Please let me know when you do try any out. Its really a fun way to cook new and interesting stuff!