Problem Targeted

• POST-HARVEST LOSSES: Post-harvest losses account for up to 50-60% of Nigeria's entire farm produce. This is worrisome, and reportedly amounts to a loss of $7 billion annually, posing a huge threat to food security, which already requires urgent intervention in Africa. Africa, especially Nigeria, is already at risk of food insecurity following the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, fallout from the Ukraine war, and insurgency which, combined with post-harvest losses, leads to food price inflation and extreme hunger amongst the vulnerable (about 43% of the population as of 2022).
• ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE FOOD FOR YOUNG CHILDREN: Over 70% of the foods consumed by young children in Sub-Saharan Africa are imported and expensive. And families that are unable to buy this food resort to poorly-prepared homemade staples with zero or no nutrition, leaving the child malnutrition rate as high as 32%.

Approach Implemented

• At Augustsecrets Ltd, our mission is to save a part of wasted food/farm produce by processing it into highly nutritious, affordable, and tasty cereals & snacks to reduce the high rate of child malnutrition and poverty in Africa.
• As a small business, in order to cushion against the rising cost of our inputs, AugustSecrets developed the Farm Project to partner with small-holder farmers to off-take their produce in bulk on win-win terms. Through the Farm Project, we get a bulk supply of our core ingredients (maize, sorghum, dates, soya, melon seeds, and rice). The farmers in turn get an assurance of our purchase for up to 50% of their entire produce and other forms of support. We get supplies monthly from the farmers and their cooperatives from Northern Nigeria (Niger, Kaduna, Kano, and Plateau states), which coincidentally has some of the highest rates of child malnutrition and poor livelihoods in the country. Our monthly off-take from the farmers helps farmers reduce waste, plan ahead, and build financial stability and improved livelihoods.
• The off-take is then processed into nutritious Nigerian-made cereal brand: Jadens Cereals. AugustSecrets produces Jadens Cereals as a more affordable, yet highly nutritious alternative range at $2 per pack. They come dried-packed in lightweight, food-grade boxes which are easily transported in spite of the erratic power supply. The cereals are fortified with Vitamin A in line with the Food Fortification Policy for micro-nutrients of public health importance. Jadens Cereals sells from retail outlets and maternity centres.
• Augustsecrets is distributing Jadens Cereals using a unique distribution model that empowers up to women retailers and distributors. The distributors have the opportunity to retail our cereal products within their community, which in turn improves the livelihoods of the women. An interesting part of model is drop-shipping, which requires zero start-up capital from the women.