And What Must Change for African Food Businesses to Survive Beyond 5 Years


To be honest, seeing new food products enter the market no longer excites me.

I don’t hype them.

I don’t rush to celebrate them.

Instead, I find myself quietly worried.

Because over the years, a painful pattern has repeated itself far too many times: The product launches with excitement. It gets a bit of attention. Then it disappears.

And shortly after, the brand disappears with it

Most food businesses don’t make it past five years. And in our context, especially among small-scale processors, surviving just one year already calls for celebration. But here’s the uncomfortable truth most people avoid:

When these businesses fail, we almost always blame the economy. Yet many times, it wasn’t the economy at all. It was the business.

The Myth That Is Killing Food Businesses

There is a dangerous belief that has silently destroyed thousands of promising food businesses:

If I know how to make a good product, the business will automatically work.

This is one of the biggest lies in the food industry. Knowing how to make a product is important but it is not enough. In fact, it is only a small fraction of the journey.

I have seen countless people get excited because:

  • They mastered a recipe
  • They perfected a formulation
  • They can now produce consistently
And while that excitement is valid, it is often misplaced. Because production skill alone does not build a business.

Why Most Food Businesses Die Young

Let’s be honest and call the problem by its real name.

  • Africa does not lack recipes.
  • Africa does not lack talent.
  • Africa does not lack hardworking people.
What we lack is business strategy and execution. This is why many food businesses fail not because the product was bad, but because the business was poorly built.

The Most Common Reasons Food Businesses Fail

1. Mass Production Before Validating Demand

Many processors rush into large-scale production before confirming:

  • Who exactly will buy the product
  • How often they will buy it
  • At what price they are willing to buy

This leads to:

  • Capital tied up in stock
  • Products expiring on shelves
  • Cash flow problems

And that is not growth but it's gambling.

2. Lack of Structure and Systems

Many businesses operate purely on effort, not structure.

No systems for:

  • Production planning
  • Quality control
  • Inventory management
  • Marketing and sales
  • Financial tracking

Without systems, even a good product collapses under its own weight. Growth without systems is chaos and chaos always kills businesses.

3. Lack of Business Knowledge

Many processors know how to produce, but do not know how to:

  • Price for profitability
  • Position their product in the market
  • Build repeat customers
  • Market consistently
  • Scale sustainably

A recipe without business knowledge is a liability.

Why New Product Launches No Longer Excite Me

This is why, when I see a new product today, I don’t celebrate I worry.

Because I know:

  • If there is no strategy, the excitement will fade
  • If there are no systems, growth will break the business
  • If there is no execution plan, the product will disappear

And sadly, this is exactly what happens most of the time.

This realization forced a major shift in my work as a consultant. I moved beyond teaching people how to make products. Because teaching production without strategy was creating:

  • Skilled people
  • But struggling businesses

We don’t just need more food processors. We need food businesses that last.

Businesses that:

  • Survive market shocks
  • Scale sustainably
  • Formalize
  • Build brands
  • Grow into conglomerates
  • Outlive the founder

That is the real transformation the industry needs. And this gap is exactly why RightHook Agroprocessing Consultancy (RHAC) exists.

We exist to bridge the space between:

“I can make a product” and

“I am running a profitable, scalable food business”

Because empowerment without strategy is incomplete. Moreso, after years of observing patterns, failures, and missed potential, we knew something had to change. That’s why we launched one of our flagship initiatives:

The FoodPrenuer Business Academy

A learning platform designed to educate, inspire, and empower African foodpreneurs with the right:

  • Knowledge
  • Skills
  • Systems
  • Strategies

To start, run, and grow successful and sustainable food processing businesses. The FoodPrenuer Business Academy is not another recipe platform. It is a business-building ecosystem.

Inside, we offer:

  • Deeply educative articles
  • Gamified learning experiences
  • Story-based learning
  • E-courses
  • Bootcamps
  • Plug-and-play templates
  • Practical guides

All intentionally structured to increase the odds of success for the African food processor. Because our goal is not just to help people start. Our goal is to help them survive, scale, and dominate.

And Good News Gamechanger is that A Revolution Is Beginning

We will officially launch in the second quarter. And this is bigger than a program. This is a mindset shift. So tell a friend to tell a friend:

  • A revolution has begun.
  • It’s time to rise
Africa does not lack products.Africa does not lack talent.What we have lacked is strategy, structure, and sustainable execution
And that is exactly what we are here to deliver.


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