Ever since Nigerians discovered the fast paced meal called “indomie”, it has become not just one of our favorite meals because of the time it takes to make, but most importantly, how cheap it is. In almost every street corner, you would most likely find someone doing the business of making noodles (indomie) for people who might not have the time to, or just want to take away the stress of having to make it.
An average plate of noodles depending on the size and quantity, plus other garnishes like sardine, eggs used, could cost from as low as N600 to sometimes N2000 on the streets. So yes, people make lots of money from the business. Not the Dangote kind though, but enough to get by.
Some of the reasons some people might want to get into the business of cooking noodles (Indomie) commercially, could be motivated by a desire to make the very best noodles out there.
In 2017, A friend of mine started making noodles at the front of our then rented apartment with her little gas cylinder, frying pan, kettle and carton of noodles as start-up kits. Her primary motivation was based on her dissatisfaction with the quality of noodles people around her made. “Each time i wanted to eat real good noodles, I will visit the usual Aboki joints but it was either too soft, too burnt, too spicy or just not good enough” She says, “I tried several different places and resigned to the fact that none of these places could prepare Indomie the proper way — especially the kind that I loved.”
It was such frustration, combined with her love for noodles that pushed her into the business and a few years down the line, she now owns her own shop, staff, a proper brand and a long way from her one cylinder days. But one thing remains constant – the quality of indomie She serves her ever growing customers.
So how do you start an indomie business in Nigeria?
There are several things to take into consideration.
Location: You don’t want to start such a business in a place like Banana Island. You want to start in places where you can reach out to the average Nigerian who is time strapped, wants quick meals, and of course the cheap kind.
So the best thing is to look around your neighborhood or close by, which brings me to the next point;
Availability of Competition: Is there anyone selling around you? Sometimes the business could be slow or fast paced depending on the population of the area. You don’t want to get stuck in a rut hoping to share 5 customers with two other indomie vendors.
The less competition, the better.
Demand: Just like you, there are others who might have wanted someone close to them where they can just dash in to quickly get a plate of noodles without having to go too far in search of it. So you could do a little survey by asking your neighbors and those around you to scale the demand level and that should help your decision making.
Quality Control: If you must do something, then do it well. You don’t want to go into a business where you would struggle to gather customers and then lose them to someone who makes better food. So what are you serving us? Best you make research on how to spice up your indomie. It will further boost your rep.
There are other things to consider as well like nearness to market, to a major road, access to a shop although these are things that can easily be sourced and cleared. Noodles are not a hard to get product so it shouldn’t be a problem plus it is not so capital intensive if you have the basics.
If you would like to go into the business, it’s best to do better and intensive research while properly summing up your finances, managing your investments and business capital.