Snack Food Industry in West Africa: Discussing Latest Trends with Geoffrey Fadoul

Geoffrey Fadoul, Co-Founder and CEO of Daily Food Ltd, gives an overview of the industrial bakery business and snack food industry in West Africa. Daily Food is the only industrial bakery in Ghana to be ISO 22000 certified, and its flagship product — the Boss Baker cake — was named best snack product of the year at the 2021 Ghana International Products Awards.

Daily Food was founded by Fadoul and Jean-Paul Nassar in 2018, initially inspired by the Nigerian Beef Roll product. After discovering Ghanaian consumer preferences differed from Nigerian markets, the company pivoted to cupcakes. Within two months of launch, demand necessitated a second production line, eventually expanding to three. Today, Daily Food supplies to fast-food chains including Burger King, KFC and Domino's, maintaining ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000 certifications — the highest food safety standards globally.

The company's competitive advantages include high standards, quality, taste and affordability. Fadoul's francophone background and decade-long residence in neighbouring countries facilitated regional expansion. The founders' French heritage enables easier communication with West African markets that competitors struggle to penetrate effectively.

Fadoul embraces market competition, noting it stimulates growth and industry visibility. However, prior competitors entered unprofitably and exited quickly. The snack food industry has demonstrated steady growth since 2018, though the pandemic slowed expansion due to reduced out-of-home consumption when schools closed. Post-pandemic recovery faced significant headwinds from inflation and currency devaluation, causing consumers to prioritise necessities over non-essential snacks.

Daily Food exports to nine West African nations: Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Niger, Mali, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Ivory Coast represents the company's most strategically important market, receiving equal marketing investment as Ghana. Products are tailored to regional preferences, with packaging and campaigns customised by language and price point. The company operates one factory serving the entire region and has registered for Nigerian market entry and Dubai retail placement at Carrefour.

Manufacturing expansion to other countries is not currently planned, as Fadoul believes Ghana-based production offers competitive advantages over operating facilities elsewhere. The company remains open to investor partnerships that provide strategic value beyond capital investment.

Medium-term vision encompasses three expansion axes. First, securing additional multinational fast-food franchise partnerships like Pizza Hut and Chicken Inn regionally and internationally. Second, launching biscuit varieties for Ghana and regional markets. Third, increasing cupcake innovation, including sugar-free options, with European and U.S. export aspirations within three years. Current production reaches 500,000 cupcakes daily regionally; Fadoul projects doubling this to above one million within three years.

Daily Food prioritises social impact through active engagement with Food For All Africa, an NGO combating hunger in Ghana and West Africa. Fadoul takes particular pride that Boss Baker cupcakes reach both children attending elite schools and street children unable to access formal education, cutting across socioeconomic classes. The company committed to reducing plastic consumption by replacing rubber bags with string packaging one year prior, eliminating thousands of tons of plastic waste.