Snacks Businesses

How to Start Akara Business in Nigeria

Published

10 months ago

February 21, 2024

Akara business is one of the snacks business in Nigeria that you may look down on but I can tell you that it is one of the most lucrative snacks business in Nigeria you can go into with little capital. Asides from the fact that akara business is a snack business that does not require large capital.

It is also a business that does not require much of your time. You can be selling your akara in the morning and by 12 pm you are done for the day or you can be selling your akara strictly in the evenings and close by 9 pm each day. It all depends on the time that is perfect for you and the time you will meet the most customers.

Akara business is lucrative because you can make double and sometimes triple the money invested into the business. All it demands is just a little time every day that is dedicated to the washing of the beans and the frying of the akara to sell and you start making profits as soon as possible.

Is Akara Business Profitable?

There are so many reasons why akara business is a profitable snacks business in Nigeria. The first reason is that it is easy to start and we all know that any business that is easy to start is a profitable business. To start akara business all you need is to get the equipment in your kitchen, peel, grind, and fry your ground beans and you are ready to start making money.

Akara business is also profitable because most Nigerians like akara as a snack. The average Nigerian likes akara for the obvious reasons of the fact that it is delicious and it can be eaten with bread, garri, and pap. Any food that can be used to eat other foods is always loved because of its flexibility.

People also love akara because of its ability to keep you full for a longer period of time than average foods. Akara is a lucrative business because it yields more than the capital invested into the business within the shortest time as long as you are properly located.

If you invest #10,000 into your akara business (on the akara ingredients) you can make up #30,000 depending on the sizes at which you fry your akara for sale. So you see from all sides that akara business is profitable.

Capital Needed to Start Akara Buiness

As I explained earlier, akara is one of the snacks business in Nigeria that does not require large capital to start. This is why the business is mostly chosen by people who want to start a snacks business in Nigeria. With a capital of #20,000 – #50,000 you can start a successful akara business in Nigeria.

The capital you need depends largely on the equipment you have at home. If you have all the equipment for the snacks business you might just have a little capital to buy the ingredients but if you do not have all the equipment you might need more capital to buy the equipment and the ingredients.

Equipment Needed for Akara Business

There are equipment needed to start akara business in Nigeria. You can get these equipment from your home to start and you can buy the equipment. It depends on you.

1. Frying pan

2. Gas cooker or firewood

3. Big spoon

4. Tray

5. Umbrella

6. Table

7. Bench

8. Bowls

9. Mortar and pistol

10. Newspapers or packaging nylons

11. Forks

Ingredients Used in Making Akara

There are ingredients needed to start akara business in Nigeria. These ingredients range from the majority (most important) to the minority (less important).

1. Beans

2. Vegetable oil

3. Onions

4. Pepper

5. Salt

6. Seasoning cubes

How to Start Akara Business in Nigeria

Here are steps on how to start akara business in Nigeria.

1. Learn How to Make Akara for Sale

There is no one-size-fits-all method when it comes to making commercial akara or akara for sale. What matters is what works for you as an individual and as a businesswoman or businessman. However, the most problem many sellers have is getting the perfect size of the akara they want to sell.

While many of the sellers claim the size of their akara is too big thus making them make losses some sellers are claiming their size is too small. So what is the solution to this? Well, there is no immediate solution. All you have to do is just start and as time goes by you will get the perfect size for your akara business.

Or you can simply learn from other akara sellers in your area how they make the sizes of their akara. Akara is mostly sold for #20, #50, or #100. The price you choose to sell depends on the kind of area you stay.

Steps to Make Commercial Akara

1. Peel beans till all the coats are off after this, rinse pepper, onions, and crayfish.

2. Grind peeled beans, pepper, onions, and crayfish altogether.

3. Add seasoning cubes, salt, and other flavors to grinded beans and stir well.

4. Heat up vegetable oil and start pouring ground beans in portion in the hot oil.

5. Wait till akara becomes golden red and turn the beans cake over for the other side to fry.

6. After both sides are red enough, sieve akara from hot vegetable oil and start selling.

The blending or grinding part is usually the hardest part in akara making. While some sellers buy blenders that they use personally some akara sellers blend their beans from local grinders outside. There’s no perfect method when it comes to this. Just do the one that works for you.

2. Choosing a Location for the Business

The location you choose for your akara business goes a long way in determining whether you will make profits or losses in your akara business. In fact, location will determine if your akara business will live or it will die from a natural cause.

You cannot compare someone who chooses any location for his or her akara joint perhaps the front of his or her house with someone who chooses a popular bus stop or roundabout. The difference is clear. The person that chose a bus stop or roundabout will make profits day-in-day-out because thousands of Nigerians pass the place he or she is located daily and they buy akara.

So when you are choosing the location for your akara business it is important you look out for a crowded area. This is to make sure enough traffic will come to your akara joint to buy akara from you.

3. Other Snacks Business to Start

There are other snacks business you can start alongside your akara business. Instead of even selling only akara you can sell fried yam and akara side by side. Yes, akara and fried yam can be eaten together. You can also sell bread alongside your akara in your akara business.

Anybody that is not interested in eating fried yam and akara will certainly be interested in eating akara and bread.

4. Increasing Profits in Akara Business

There are different ways you can increase profits in your akara business in Nigeria but the first way is to make sure you are in the right location. Like I said earlier, getting the perfect location can increase profits in your akara business in a short while. Another way you can increase profits in your akara business is to sell other kinds of snacks alongside your akara business.

I gave some suggestions on this earlier make sure you put all of them to yield the best results. Another way you can increase profits in your akara business is to establish other akara business joints in significant locations as time goes by. The problem with many Nigerian business owners is that they are always comfortable with how much they make once their business starts making enough money.

And this is not good. As a business owner, you should always strive to earn more by starting up other branches for your akara business as time goes by. I once heard of a hausa guy in my area here in Lagos state that has 3 branches for his akara business. This guy is doing well today.

In fact, all he does now is visit his locations every day and monitor how his business is going. This guy bought a car from this same snacks business that he uses to transport ingredients to these 3 locations.

So do not limit yourself!

5. What to Note in Akara Business

There are a few points I want you to take note of when you finally start your akara business in Nigeria. They are:

1. Make sure your ground beans are not left for a long period before your fry them into akara. If you do this your akara (bean cake) will taste sour.

2. Do not fry all your akara at once rather grind and fry them in batches. This way your customers will always meet fresh akara when they come to your akara joint to buy. Asides from this, selling your akara in batches will also help you avoid wastage in your akara business.

3. Make your akara joint or spot neat. I have seen some joints in my area that is very dirty and most times these sellers wonder why their patronage has dropped they do not know it is because of this reason.

Conclusion

When it comes to akara business it is about the perfect location and where you can buy your akara ingredients at moderate prices. When you get these two correctly you will continue to make good profits in the snacks business.

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