Top 12 Lucrative Snacks Business Ideas in Nigeria

Have you been trying to go into the snacks business for some time now but you’ve been holding back because you really do not know the kinds of snacks business that are lucrative in Nigeria or best-selling snacks in Nigeria? I know how confusing it can be especially if you want to specialize in a particular type of Nigerian snack.

So today, I will be sharing with us how to start snacks business in Nigeria that will make you thousands of naira and millions yearly and how you can start these snacks business. You see the ability to turn any business into a multi-million naira business is not really the business it is the effort and the little tips and tricks you put into it.

Proof of this is any business you see around you.

For example, frozen foods business in Nigeria, while you see some business owners making millions from the business, you will see another business owner making barely enough to keep the business going. Another example is the fish farming business in Nigeria.

While you see some fish farmers making millions from their fish farms, you will see some other farmers in the same business making just thousands. And this is not a matter of one getting more opportunities than the other. It can also be the case even if all of them were given the same capital to start up the business.

These businesses in Nigeria are the ones that came to my mind but you can also reflect on the businesses in your area and compare two business owners in the same type of business then contrast. You will get to see that it is not really the business that is making the millionaires stand out but the tips and tricks they applied.

These little tweaks and tips are what turned their business into a multi-million naira business. So now I want you to do me a favor by making sure you do not look down on these types of snacks business I am about to share with you. Despite the fact that they are small they are lucrative in their own way.

Remember that most times it is not the business itself that has a problem. Heck, sometimes it can be the owner. Yes, you as an owner can also be the pulling force holding your business down. I have shared this so many times on the blog so let’s not waste so much time on it and go into today’s topic right away.

Is Snack Business Profitable?

The snack business is a profitable business in Nigeria because Nigerians like snacks a lot. Asides from eating snacks at parties (owanbe), many Nigerians eat snacks to fill their empty stomachs. The snacks business can be very profitable especially in the morning because Nigerians barely have time to cook breakfast.

It is also lucrative in the evening because Nigerians eat snacks in traffic before they can get home to cook dinner.

Capital Needed to Start Snacks Business

The capital needed to start a snacks business in Nigeria varies. It depends on the kind of snacks business – process in making the snacks, ingredients, and equipment needed in making the snacks. However, averagely you will need a capital of N100,000 to N500,000 to start any type of snacks business in Nigeria no matter the location, equipment, and ingredients needed you can start small.

Top 12 Lucrative Snacks Businesses in Nigeria

Here are the best lucrative snack businesses in Nigeria you can start today and how to start them.

1. Doughnut Business

This is the first snack business idea in Nigeria you should try. It is one of the best-selling snack businesses in Nigeria. About three years ago, I met a woman not too far from my church that sells doughnuts and gradually I became her customer. At the time I knew her, she was on the roadside because she could not afford a shop.

In fact, according to the little story she told me it’s been a long she learned snack making but due to limited funds, she could not start. So one day she decided to pick the nearest bus stop close to her house and just start selling even if it is on Sundays alone.

I must say her doughnuts do not just look nice they are delicious, slightly fried, golden brown enough just to hold your hungry stomach before you get home from church on Sunday to cook. Every Sunday afternoon I always buy her doughnuts immediately after I leave the church heading home.

As time goes by, she perfected the act of snack making and understood the business, and not too long the crowd started coming. Sometimes, I would get to her space and she would tell me doughnut has finished for the day.

After some little questions with her trying to know why her donuts always finish on time, she told me churches around the area have started buying them in bulk – some buying the doughnut for their children’s department and some buying it to refresh their church members before they go home.

In fact, it got to a time she could no longer sell to us (the one-customer buyers) but rather to churches. One day, after the service I went to her space and I did not meet her there, it looked like she has not opened for a while because everywhere looked deserted.

So after three Sundays visiting the same spot and not seeing her I decided to ask her neighbors about her. I wanted to be sure everything was fine with her. After little findings, I was told she has now rented a shop and no longer stays at that spot. I went to visit her at her shop and I was wowed at how far she has progressed steadily in the business.

I told her “It looks like everything is now fine with you!”  She smiled. From the little observation in her newly rented shop, I discovered that her shop was now furnished. She now has a gas cooker instead of the usual firewood she uses for frying.

She also has an oven – basically, all equipment you will find in a snacks shop, and on top of it all she now has stewards learning and assisting her in the snacks business. She told me “Ralph, my business has exploded o. On Sundays, I sell to churches on Saturday I sell to commuters, from Monday to Friday I sell to school children. “So you are now selling on other days?”

I asked. She said “yes o”! Who told you that there’s no profit in the doughnut business in Nigeria? Who told you it is not lucrative? I am here to tell you today that this is not true. The fact that the person selling it in your area has not gotten anywhere does not mean you will not make wealth when you start yours.

Donut business in Nigeria can be a lucrative business if you know what you are doing. Here are some tips for you if you want to start your own doughnut business in Nigeria and make it.

How to Start Doughnut Business in Nigeria

A. Learn how to Make Donuts

Yes, you have to learn first. You need to learn how to make doughnuts for sale – Knowing the right ingredients to add and the right measurement. Also, you need to learn the business aspect of doughnut-making and the only way to do this successfully is for you to learn first from a professional one-on-one.

The duration of learning usually takes 1 – 3 months depending on how fast or slow you are in terms of learning but once you’re done you’re good to go. This process is not only for the doughnut business but for any other type of snack business in Nigeria

B. Buy Equipment and Ingredients

After learning, the next step is to buy equipment and ingredients for your doughnut business. For the equipment, you need to buy the ones that will last you for a long time, and for the ingredients, you will need to buy them wholesale so that you will be able to increase profit when you are selling in small quantities.

C. Get a Location

From the short story, I told you about the doughnut woman earlier you will discover that she choose a good location. Location is very important when it comes to making big sales in your donut business. Look for a junction or bus stop in your area where thousands of people pass every day and set up your doughnut business there.

D. Be Creative

Be creative in terms of looking for better ways to make people buy from you more. Minimize your expenses and look for ways to increase your sales so as to increase your profit.

2. Egg Roll Business

Egg roll or Scotch egg is a snack that Nigerians like eating a lot not just for the fact that it is delicious but also because it is the only snack in the snacks market that has a balanced diet. It is another best-selling snack in Nigeria. The ingredient in egg roll snacks is basically a combination of flour and egg.

It is considered a snack for the big man and the big woman because It is rare for you to see a Nigerian child eating an egg roll. But despite these facts, there’s still a market for you if you are really interested in the business. Egg roll business can be a lucrative business in Nigeria for you.

This is if you can buy all your ingredients in wholesale and get a location where many people can buy easily preferably at rich locations like big churches or schools in your area. In this business, you have to go to where your market is.

How to Start Egg Roll Business in Nigeria

A. Learn Every Process

From the little knowledge, I have about the snacks business in Nigeria the process of making egg rolls is totally different from the process of making every other snack in Nigeria. It is not as stressful as meat pie but it certainly demands more attention. From getting the right egg to using the right flour to making the finishing look perfect, all these demand learning.

This is why the first step to starting your own egg roll business in Nigeria is for you to first learn how to make egg rolls. So register in your area with an experienced caterer and learn. After you are done learning you can move forward to buying the ingredients and equipment for making egg roll.

B. Buy Ingredients and Equipment

Just like I mentioned earlier in the donut business, buy your ingredients wholesale, and buy the necessary tools you need to start. As time goes by you can now buy more.

C. Get your Customers

Unlike the doughnut business where you look for a perfect location for you to sell, in the egg roll business, you do not necessarily need to get a location you have to go to where the customers are – banks, schools, big churches.

3. Puff Puff Business

Recently I just wrote an article exposing the wealth in puff puff business in Nigeria. In the article, I told the story of a woman who sponsored all her children’s schools and built a house from the same business. The thing with us Nigerians is that we see every roadside business (selling) as demeaning and worthless but this article proves otherwise.

Do not be surprised if the graduate selling puff puff in your area is making more money than you going to a 9 – 5 job. It’s all about the mentality and if you are willing to get your hands dirty. I do not need to talk much about this. If you are interested in reading the full article here is “how to start puff puff business in Nigeria”.

4. Small Chops Business

Small chop business is also a lucrative business in Nigeria if you know how to make yourself stand out from every other caterer. You can make huge profits from it by doing extra things that other caterers do not do like registering with events planners in and around your locality so that they can outsource any small chops contracts given to them to you.

So you can sell to businesses and companies during their break time, supplying for birthday parties and anniversaries of companies and giving huge discounts for every customer that refers someone to you. You give them a discount when they make their own order.

For example, if they introduce you to a customer and the customer is able to do business with you when it is time for them to make their own order you give them discounts based on the reference. The full article is here just in case you want to understand fully business how it works. Read our article on how to start small chops business in Nigeria for more tips on this business.

5. Chin Chin Business

This is another best-selling snack I cannot wait to write about the business once I’m done with all my findings. Chin chin business in Nigeria is another lucrative business for you if you are not just passionate about making it but also creating a brand. Yes, because almost everybody can make chin-chin.

Heck, even a newborn baby girl can make chin chin but what differentiates her from a professional is the professional is willing to advance. An ordinary chin chin seller just wants to sell chin chin to make a living but the real shaker wants to make wealth from the business.

He or she wants to see his or her chin chin brand on a governor’s table, MD’s table, in conferences, and other high places. This is how you should think if you really want to create wealth selling chin chin. Don’t think of the business in the short run rather think of it in the long run.

How to Start Chin Chin Business in Nigeria

Here are steps on how to start this snacks business in Nigeria

A. Get your Required Capital

Normally, I would have said the first step you should take here is to learn how to make chin chin but this is not really necessary. Yes, in the sense that it is one of the easiest snacks to make in Nigeria, and aside from this, you do not really need to learn how to make it to be successful in the business as long as you have abundant capital.

Your capital will take care of everything from the producers to the branding to marketing. Money will take care of all these. However, you need to get everything right before you venture into it. But once you get your act right, you should start making profits as soon as possible. Watch out for a full article on this.

B. Register your Snacks Product

 Because chin chin is a snack that is not eaten immediately after it is been fried and it takes some time before it is bought from shelves you may have to register your chin chin under NAFDAC. After it is been certified under NAFDAC, you can now sell on a mass scale all through Nigeria.

C. Start Producing and Selling

The next step after registering your chin chin product is to start producing and selling. As I said earlier, you do not necessarily need to learn how to make it if you can employ someone to do the making for you. All you have to bother yourself with is how you will brand your chin and make it sell itself on supermarket shelves. Here is our post on How to Start Chin chin Business in Nigeria

6. Meat Pie Business

Meat pie business is another lucrative snacks business in Nigeria although it demands more of your time in the making process. Not many individuals are into it because of the tons of extra effort it demands which is why it’s a ready market for anyone trying to get into the business. To start this business successfully, you have to first think of those you’re supplying.

If possible get your suppliers first before you start making it in large quantities. My best advice here is that you supply for organizations that can easily buy it. As we all know children cannot afford meat pie snacks except if their parents buy them for them so you only have the option of selling them to adults.

You can sell to adults directly by going to where they gather and you can sell to them also by supplying restaurants. Because many restaurants have so much to do and meat pie demands so much stress they might avoid making meat pie for their customers. This is where you come in. You can start by being their supplier – selling to them in bulk. This is a way you can make your money – by being a wholesaler.

How to Start a Meat Pie Business in Nigeria

A. Learn how to Make Meat Pie

Yes, in other to get the perfect taste of your meat pie you need to learn how to make it from scratch to the end. I know learning can be stressful but the efforts will pay at the end. The learning should take a duration of 1 – 3 months depending on how fast you are with learning all processes involved.

B. Get Capital Needed

The next step after learning is to make a budget of how much the equipment and ingredients will cost and proceed to buy the equipment and ingredients used in making meat pie but you know we’ll not be able to do this without capital. This is where you getting your capital comes into play.

You can decide to self-fund it if you have enough money and if you do not have enough money you can ask for help from your family and friends.

C. Buy Ingredients and Equipment

The same advice I gave earlier should be applied here to maximize profit in your meat pie business.

7. Akara Business

Akara also known as bean cake is also a lucrative snacks business in Nigeria. It is similar to puff puff business in the sense that it demands the same process in establishing the business but with a little difference. It can be very sensitive because of the major ingredient used in making it – beans. We have vegetable oil fried akara and we have palm oil fried akara.

Among these 2 the most sought-after type of akara is the vegetable oiled akara. To make a massive profit from your akara business, you need to rent a space at one of the biggest junctions in your area. If you are able to do this perfectly and get the taste right, you will make your profit without stress and you will not need to diversify into any other thing to keep you going in the business.

I know an akara woman in my cousin’s area who made profits in her akara business to the extent that she brought her friend to come and sell bread next to her. So as you’re buying akara from her you will be pushed to buy bread from her friend.

How to Start Akara Business in Nigeria

I don’t need to talk much about this. My advice here is you should learn how to make it first, then get your capital, then buy your ingredients and equipment then select a good location and finally start to sell. Read our article on how to start akara business in Nigeria.

8. Sausage Roll Business

Sausage roll business is not that common in Nigeria. You will not find it easily at the street corners of Nigeria, you will only find it at fast-food restaurants. This is where you come in. You are going to be the bridge between the rich that can afford the snacks and those who eat them only on good days – when they can afford it.

A market cannot be termed as over-flooded as long as you have something different to offer neither can it be luxurious. It’s all about thinking differently – bringing on a different approach. You can be making your own sausage roll and decide to sell them in traffic. Yes, I have seen people sell sausage rolls in traffic. All you to do here is get agents to sell them for you in traffic.

Motivate them with money by telling them a certain percentage of the profit is for them if they can sell the entire sausage roll given to them. Or rather you can go a different route by registering your sausage roll snacks with NAFDAC. Branding it to sell to supermarkets, big shops or malls either of these will make you stand out from the rest.

9. Plantain Chips Business

This is another lucrative snacks business in Nigeria and best-selling snacks in Nigeria I cannot wait to write a full article on but for now, I will try my best to explain how you can start this business right from your home here. Plantain chips business is one of the easiest snack business in Nigeria yet very lucrative.

Lucrative in the sense that it demands less capital and money to produce yet it yields massive profit. You can make as much as N1,500 from a bunch of plantains that cost N500. Depending on how wise you are with the business you can even make more by for example buying your plantain in bulk and selling your plantain chips in traffic, malls, and stores.

And the best thing about the business is no part of the plantain is wasted because there’s always a market for both types of plantain – ripe and unripe plantain.

Ingredients Used in Making Plantain Chips

Below are the ingredients used in making plantain chips:

1. Plantain (ripe or unripe)

2. Vegetable oil

3. Salt

4. Pepper

Equipment Used for Making Plantain Chips

Below are the equipment used in making plantain chips.

1. Frying pan

2. Sieve

3. Spatula

4. Stainless tray

5. Knife

And so on.

How to Start Plantain Chips Business in Nigeria

A. Learn how to make Plantain Chips

What distinguishes your plantain chips from every other brand of plantain chips in Nigeria is not the name of your plantain chips but its distinct taste. This is why learning is very important here – when it comes to these, producing on a large scale you have to get your taste right. You can learn from videos on YouTube and perfect this yourself as time by.

B. Get Required Capital

After getting learning how to make plantain chips, the next step is to source capital. You’re going to need capital to buy equipment and ingredients used to make plantain chips and packaging rappers. It is not a must you get everything right from the start the most important thing here is to have a supply chain. In order words, buy only the necessary things when it comes to equipment, ingredients, and packaging rappers.

C. Start Producing and Selling Plantain Chips

After producing, if you don’t have the money yet to register your snacks with NAFDAC you can sell your plantain chips only in churches, organizations and as time goes by when you can now afford to register you can now start selling your plantain chips in supermarkets, malls, stores and in traffic. Read our guide on how to start plantain chips business in Nigeria.

10. Fried Yam Business

Fried yam also known as yam burger is another lucrative snacks business in Nigeria and best-selling snacks business in Nigeria. Although not yet common in many parts of Nigeria it is a business that can be welcomed any time you introduce it.

A Fried yam snack is a good option for Nigerians that don’t want to eat akara or puff puff. The simple difference between it and yam burger is that the yam burger is coated with blended beans before it is deep-fried. You can make your profit from the fried yam business by knowing where to gain your profits. Read our post on how to start fried yam and potato business in Nigeria.

How to Start Fried Yam Business in Nigeria

A. Map Out Budget

Before starting your fried yam business in Nigeria you need to map out your budget. How much you will be spending to buy the ingredients to fry the yams per day and how much it will cost to get the equipment used in frying.

B. Buy Ingredients & Equipment

After making your budget the next step is to go buy your equipment and ingredients. You can buy your equipment at a reliable store at reasonable prices. As for the ingredients, you should try to buy them in bulk because it will be cheaper for you.

C. Choose your Location

When it comes to this aspect choose your location where many people pass daily especially at the time of the day you want to be selling.

D. Start Frying and Selling

There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to this. You just have to start frying and start selling but most importantly make accounts and look for more possible ways to do better.

11. Cassava Chips Business

Cassava chips business is a Nigerian packaged snacks that can make you millions. Although, it is not regarded as a local snacks because it is not popular, this snacks business is highly loved by those who know it. Cassava chips snacks is not difficult to make.

You can either make the snacks manually by yourself or simply set up a cassava chips production plant if you have enough capital. The major ingredients needed in starting a cassava chips business in Nigeria are cassava (the major ingredient), salt, pepper, vegetable oil, and more.

Cassava chips business is a lucrative snacks business. However, you must not go into the business blind. This is why you need a proper business plan for snacks or a cassava chips business plan to guide you.

12. Coconut Chips Business

Coconut chips business is another Nigerian packaged snacks in Nigeria. This snacks business can make you millions of naira in a short time if you go into it well-informed. Coconut chips business is also not a local snacks because it is not that common. However, this snack is widely eaten by the rich.

To start a coconut chips production business on a wide scale you need a proper business plan for snacks or a coconut chips business plan, capital, and the never give up spirit in you. You can also start this snacks business from your home. It all depends on what you have available to you.

Conclusion

The snacks business is a lucrative business in Nigeria. This is because Nigerians eat snacks and they depend on snacks for breakfast. Asides from this, you do not necessarily need big capital to start your own snacks business. You can start small and grow your business gradually.

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