Indonesia Legendary-Instant Food Indomie Shines in Nigeria

Lagos, Nigeria | January 28, 2009 by D-8 Secretariat

Indomie emerged as the Most Socially Responsible in Child Centered Corporate Social Responsibility at the 2nd Social Enterprise Reports and Awards (SERA) 2008 held in Lagos

Dufil Prima Foods, manufacturer of children’s favourite meal, Indomie Instant Noodles emerged the Most Socially Responsible in Child Centered Corporate Social Responsibility at the 2nd Social Enterprise Reports and Awards (SERA) 2008 held in Lagos on Friday, August 15, 2008 at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

The SERA Awards, which was organized by TruContact communications in association with the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and endorsed by Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) recognizes and celebrate the role of corporate organisations in social giving and social transformation in Nigeria.

The award which was sponsored by UNICEF was presented to Dufil Prima Foods by Mr. Toyin Akinosho, Publisher, Africa Oil & Gas Report and assisted by Clara Chime Okoro, Executive Producer/COO, Brand World Media made it the second SERA award the company has won.

Speaking at the event, Ken Egbas, Managing Partner, TruContact Communications Ltd., stated that the 2008 Social Enterprise Reports & Awards explores how corporate organisations are contributing to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Nigeria

“We recognise that a very important engine of growth and development for any developing nations today, lies in the ability to strategically cultivate and harness private as well as the public sector efforts thereby opening up vistas of opportunity for public-private partnerships that contribute not only to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, but also the country’s development interests.”

He said by exploring the domain of social enterprise stakeholders whether large or medium sized corporations, governments, not-for-profits, communities, individuals, citizens, young, old, men and women, all needed to be engaged in shaping the future of the country.

Also speaking at the event, Iea Jonathan-Ichaver, Representative of Country Manager, UNICEF, congratulated Dufil Prima Foods and commended the company for distinguishing itself as an exemplary friend to children throughout the country.

Dufil Prima Foods Head of Marketing, Pawan Sharma said: “We are so pleased that TruContact Communications in collaboration with NIPR, FIRS and SON is recognizing Dufil Prima Foods’ important work and contributions to community investing. This award clearly demonstrates that by taking a truly entrepreneurial approach to solving social and environmental problems we can make a huge impact to our immediate communities and across the nation.”

For over 12 years now, Dufil Prima Foods has consistently demonstrated its social responsibility by supporting various activities in the areas of education, sports, women empowerment and youth development; the company has partnered various governmental and non-governmental organizations to promote causes that have direct bearing on the lives of its consumers.

Mr. Deepak Singhal, CEO, Dufil Prima Foods who disclosed this in Lagos yesterday during the arrival of the 20 lucky winners of the Indomie Wrapper Quest Promo from Dubai said that fresh strategies will be adopted to further place this corporate core values at the centre of the Dufil principles and also puts it into action with stronger conviction.

Singhal said in the past 10 years, Dufil Prima Foods have invested several million of naira into various sporting engagements and initiatives. The company’s support for such activities has become an important part of its philanthropic responsibilities.

He stated that the company has contributed to the education of abandoned and motherless children at the Ijamido Motherless Home, Ota, Ogun State. The company has donated computers to help train the children and prepare them for a working environment, Musical instruments to develop their appreciation of music, and a daily supply of food to sustain them. He explained that the Indomie’s hospitals project features the donation of hospital equipment to various hospitals in Nigeria. Recently, Indomie donated baby-weighing scales, digital thermometers, and sphygmomanometer, equipment for measuring arterial blood pressure to Isolo General Hospital, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Surulere General Hospital, General Hospital, Lagos, Mushin General Hospital and Gbagada General Hospital. In addition, the company also donated a new creche building to the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta.

Not stopping here, DUFIL Prima Foods has partnered with Sponsor a Child Nigeria, a UNICEF partner, to build a resource centre at the home to facilitate IT and vocational training for these children. Singhal also expressed that the company has embarked on various water projects in Ota, Ogun State as part of its efforts in eradicating guinea worm and other water borne diseases. Some of the beneficiaries are the Idedo and Otun communities at the Ade/Odo Ota local government in Ogun State.

Of particular note is its contributions to educational development tagged “Indomie School Project”. Via Dufil Prima Foods School Adoption Programs, Indomie signboards publicise the adopted schools, and the company sponsors most school activities including sporting events. Indomie has donated more than 15,000 educational charts to over 2000 schools in Lagos.

Nigerians eat over 1.1 million bags of Indomie a day, according to De United Food Industries Limited, owners of the Indomie brand of noodles, the leading brand in the Nigerian market.

According to Piyush Nair, Marketing Director of the company, which started importing Indomie into Nigeria from Indonesia in the early 90s, and quickly realised it had to set up manufacturing facility to meet the demand, that is just a little of the potential that the Nigerian market holds for this explosive flavour of noodles.

Making comparisons with Indonesia, Nair says while the per capita consumption of noodles there is about 47 packs per annum, per Indonesian, in Nigeria today it is about 1.5 packs per Nigerian. “Our aim is to try and see that we at least grow to about 14 packs or 15 packs in about four years time for a Nigerian. Once we have done that I would say that we are half way down the road”, Nair says.

No wonder Indomie now has three manufacturing facilities in the country, and directly employs over 600 staff and indirectly employs 1000 people. The company even has plans to build an extra manufacturing facility very soon.

But why is Indomie succeeding where ither have tried and failed? According to Nair, whose company had to buy over the facility of one of its competitors, Indomie had to undergo gruelling consumer research where it was found that even though a lot of Nigerians liked noodles, they wanted it to have a special taste and a special flavour. “And we actually have formulated this specially for Nigeria and all our products here are specially formulated for Nigeria”, he says.

“It’s all about believing in the the Nigerian consumer and I think Indomie believes in the Nigerian consumer because the products which we have here today are something which has been specially designed and formulated by Nigerians and for Nigerians.”

During the just concluded Lagos International Trade Fare, the Indomie Centre was in full swing with mouth-watering selections of its delicacies on offer to visitors at grossly discounted prices.

According to Nair, “Indomie’s mission at the fare is to have a very high share of stomach from the Nigerian consumer. We would like Indomie to become a staple food product, which hopefully will replace garri, rice and yam.”

Nair says Indomie’s aim is to get itself identified with the Nigerian consumers, as part of the Nigerian landscape. “The trade fare gives us the perfect opportunity to actually sample our products out to over 15,000 people from diverse socio-economic categories”, he says.

Though Indomie’s service at the Trade Fare had a semblance to what might occur should the company venture into the fastfood business, Nair was quick to dispel such thoughts of a plan like that. “We are not going to get into the fast food business. Indomie in Nigeria today is had as a meal, but is predominantly during the breakfast time. What we would like to do in the company is to try and look at opportunities where you could actually get Nigerians to try a product and we definitely will go where there is such opportunity”, he said. He said such opportunities could be at trade fares, at schools, or at other campings. “We definitely will look at investments like we have made for the trade fare”, he added.

This year’s trade fair is not Indomie’s first. In fact it is its fourth.

However the company has since changed from its focus of just selling Indomie, we must get Nigerians to have Indomie. “What basic changes we have made in the format for the Trade fare this year is that we are actually serving Indomie the way Nigerians have it. They have it with beans they have it with boiled egg, they have it with fried dodo, they have it with chicken, they have it with beef. So we actually are giving them the product the way they are used to having it”, Nair says.

On plans to take their fast selling product outside of Nigeria as an export, the Marketing Director of Indomie say the company is patient. “At this point in time we are selling over 1.1 million bags a day. Our capacity is full. We are definitely not looking at export for the next 12 months because it’s important to feed and service the existing market in Nigeria. And the opportunity here is boundless. So the focus is to concentrate on Nigeria and then afterwards, maybe 12, 14 months we would look at exports. But there is no way we’ll leave our home base in Nigeria and focus on exports”, he says.

Indomie earnings have grown by three digit figures in the last two years. Nair is always very complementary of the Nigerian consumer in talking of Indomie’s success. “I think we owe our success to nobody but the Nigerian consumer. Consumers in Nigeria have stood by Indomie and made us what we are today. We came in here many years ago as a baby and the Nigerians have made this baby grow into an an adult, but we still have a long way to go”, he says.

Perhaps that is why Indomie has taken up active role in social responsibility issues.

The company, which says in terms of age group, children are its most loyal consumers, making about 40 per cent of its market, says it has adopted about a hundred and eighty schools in Lagos and Otta for provision of basic infrastrutural facilities like blackboards, other educational aids and even contest. “You know children are one of our key target audience and what better way than bond with children, because with children there’s a lot of empathy and love which you build”, Nair says.

Indomie also sponsors grassroots sports development. Based on a slogan ‘thinking tomorrow today’ the company has sponsored a handball team, which eventually became the national champion and was selected to represent Nigeria for an international hanball competition. Indomie is also looking at grassroots football. Over the past few months Indomie has also started a programme called indomie mums where it selects mothers from various local government areas, and teach them the basics of how to cook noodles and basics of house keeping. “And then these mums go back and actually try and run a restaurant in the areas which they operate. They start a catering unit with the help of Indomie”, Nair explains. “Now this is our small way of telling Nigerians thank you so much for having stood by us”, he adds.

Indomie is shining bright in Nigeria

Indomie is the brand name of the world’s largest instant noodle manufacturer, Indofood Group which is located in Indonesia. It is at the same time the leader of Indonesian instant noodle. The products’ distribution line covers diverse continents such as Australia, Asia, Africa, the United States and many European countries. D-8 Secretary General, Dipo Alam, said that Indomie is a perfect example of intra-investment among D-8 countries. Besides Indomie, investment within member countries has also been introduced by The Indorama Group of Indonesia.

Indorama is a global manufacturer of diversified industrial products - polyolefins (PE and PP), polyesters and intermediates (PTA, PET resin, filament yarns and staple fibre) and spun yarns. The group also produces cement, fabrics and medical gloves with 2007 turnover and total assets estimated at US$1.6 billion and US$ 2.2 billion respectively and its products shipped to over 85 countries across the five continents. The company is investing in spun yarn in Turkey, PTA in Nigeria, and fertilizer in Egypt.

Alam said that D-8 has scheduled sets of working visits to Nigeria to further explain and encourage cooperation schemes within D-8 membercountries to Nigerian authorities in very near future.

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