By Chinyere Anyanwu
The Fufu Factory, a company driving innovation in the Nigerian food industry, is set to scale up its operations across the country. The company, which began operations in July 2023, aims to reimagine the art of fufu production, mitigating hyg long iene concerns that have cast shadows over this cherished West African delicacy. According to its founder, Kehinde Efevoghor Omojuyigbe, The Fufu Factory ingeniously combines age-old traditions with cutting-edge technology, ushering in a new era of fufu consumption by minimising human interaction and maximising quality assurance.
Speaking on the new venture, Omojuyigbe said that fufu production in Nigeria and the whole of West Africa is usually an unhealthy process and is largely driven by the notion that the delicacy is meant for the poorest in the society. According to her, if the Nigerian economy intends to compete with its global counterparts, industries must innovate by taking local products and packaging them for international markets.
“That is only a part of what we are doing. Unknown to many, cassava fufu is healthier than most swallows out there. Recent studies have shown that Fufu has a low glycerin diet that lowers the risk of getting coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Fufu is the most eaten food across West and Central Africa. And the way it’s processed can be very unhygienic and unhealthy.
“That was the driving force behind this business. As the name implies, our plan in the future is to include all the varieties of what is called fufu because, in West Africa, it is not only cassava that is known as fufu. There’s unripe plantain which we are looking at doing more of, and then there is also the rice fufu,” she said. She further noted that cassava fufu’s dietary properties ensure that it helps improve physical endurance because blood glucose levels are moderate instead of dropping when insulin is produced.
“Fufu is a weight loss wonder due to its ability to decrease appetite and decrease fat storage in fat cells. The starch in fufu is the healthiest starch for your gut. Fufu is loaded with 50 per cent Vitamin C which boosts the immune system. And because of how we prioritised hygiene, we have just received our FDA certification which makes our product fit for consumption in the United States,” Omojuyigbe added.
The Fufu Factory, she said, was born from a vision of culinary excellence, and has rapidly ascended to a position of prominence as a purveyor of meticulously crafted, ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook fufu products.
The company’s genesis lay in the noble pursuit of revolutionising fufu production, transforming it into an accessible, hygienic, and universally adored culinary delight.