Ghanaians love their food hot and spicy. This fact has not gone unnoticed by the two entrepreneurs who are featured in this month’s version of Hunting Hurdles. They have a truly wonderful product and the marketing chops to match. I’m honoured to welcome Awo and Nanama to this episode and I hope you enjoy the interview.

1.    Could you kindly introduce yourselves?

Sure thing.

Hi, I’m Awo

Hello, I’m Nanama

2.    What made the two of you want to partner for a business?

We spend a lot of time together; eating together and getting broke together. So it was a bit of a no brainer when it came to partnering on a business.

3.    What is Chili Junkie? And how did you come up with the idea?

Nanama: Chili Junkie is our first shot at entrepreneurship. It’s a condiments business we’ve set up to share our love of (spicy) sauces with Ghanaians and the rest of the world (someday soon, we hope).

Awo: How’d it come about? We ask ourselves this every time things get a little tough. We’ve been making these sauces for ourselves for a while now, mostly because we weren’t finding what we wanted on the market. So we’d make tiny batches of different sauces and just give them out to friends and family. One day, after we were sick and tired of being broke and bored, Nanama said, “why not sell our sauces?” And that was that.

Nanama: When we have good production days and the sauces sell quickly, I think it was an ingenious idea to start this business. But there have been times when we’ve lost batches cos we added too much of this or that ingredient, and other times when we have zero times for ourselves cos we’re constantly working. In those moments, it can be frustrating and I kick myself for ever thinking up this idea. I also blame Awo for agreeing to do it (grr). It’s a constant cycle of celebrating small victories and experiences that humble us.

4.    Did you tell people about your idea? How did they receive it?

We mentioned it to a handful of people who’d all tasted our sauces at one point or another and they liked the sound of it. We also made sample batches and took them round to people whose opinions we trust, and they all liked the idea too. We’d already decided we were gonna do it, but the added vote of confidence didn’t hurt.

5.    What kind of market did you have in mind when you were creating Chili Junkie?

We were thinking small, to be honest. The plan was to sell to our local online community, but we had a meeting with some old friends who got us to see the bigger picture.

6.    How difficult was it to start?

It was nerve-wracking because we weren’t sure how the public would receive our products. It took a couple months to build up the courage to begin.

7.    What challenges do you face on a day-to-day basis?

Our main challenge is access to the ingredients but next to that is the accessibility of our products. We currently offer delivery at a fee but we’re looking to stock in various shops to make it easier for customers to get our sauces. If anyone’s got the hookup, we’d appreciate you reaching out.

8.    How do you market your business?

Online for now mostly, and some events.

9.    What has the response to Chili Junkie been so far?

It’s been wonderful. We’ve received some criticism, of course, but overall, Chili Junkie is well liked. We’re really grateful for that.

10.  What do you think about the food industry in Ghana in general?

It could be more experimental. Ghana’s food industry is pretty safe.

11.  Do you have any employees? What does someone have to do to work with you?

No employees yet, although family members serve as by-force employees when we need the extra hands (we love you guys!).  We currently outsource our delivery services but production and packaging is all on us.

We decided to go it alone for a while to perfect our processes. We’re nearly there and will soon be on the market for a part-time employee. We’ll put the word out on our pages when that time comes.

 

12.  How does entrepreneurship compare to a regular job?

It’s way more difficult than a regular job. If you’re working for someone, you can close early or decide you won’t do a certain task when you’re meant to. As an entrepreneur, at least in the early stages, your business doesn’t work unless you do – sounds corny but it’s true.

Mind you, we both have “regular jobs” in addition to Chili Junkie.

13.  What have you learnt about running a business that no one could have told you before you started?

That so much work goes into even the smallest of businesses. You wouldn’t believe the workload!

14.  What can government do to help young entrepreneurs?

Simplify the processes for FDA and GSA approval, and reduce costs.

15.  Any advice to other entrepreneurs or would-be entrepreneurs?

It’s no walk in the park. The odds are already against you, so if you’re lazy, your business won’t stand a chance.

16.  How can someone get your products for wholesale or retail?

You can call us on 0559 896 083, message us on any of our social media pages (Twitter/Instagram/Facebook – @ChiliJunkie_) or email us at denandcompany01@gmail.com.

17.  Are you present nationwide? If not, any plans to expand soon?

Not at present, but we definitely plan to expand.

18.  Anything else you’d like to share?

BUY SOME CHILI JUNKIE (or else we’ll bite you) ^.^

Thank you!