How to Start Spice Business in Nigeria

Spice is a very important foodstuff, especially in Nigerian homes. It is used to cook all kinds of foods and it is loved by Nigerians for two major reasons. One is because it gives a unique taste to foods when added, and two is because it has health benefits it does to the human body.

Some of these health benefits/healing properties of spice are its ability to cures cold, cure seasickness, cure inflammation in the body, slow down cancer, and more. The uses of spices cannot be overemphasized generally. And this is why the spice business is a lucrative business whether you are going into a grounded spice business, dry spice business, or even fresh spice business.

You can go into spice business as a wholesaler (large scale), or a retailer (small scale) and still make your profits from the business continuously.

Is Spice Business Profitable?

Spice business is profitable in Nigeria for many reasons. The number one reason why it is profitable is that Nigerians cannot do without it. Spice is a recipe that gives all foods unique tastes and aromas and because of this, it is a must-have in Nigerian homes. Another reason why the spice business is a profitable business is that many consumers use them for health benefits.

Many Nigerians buy spices in their houses to use them for medical purposes. So you can make money selling your spice to these sets of people and you can also sell to pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria. The last reason why spice business is profitable is because of its highly needed in other countries.

You can export these spices to these countries that are in need and make money.

Common Spices Sold in Nigeria

There are many spices you will find in Nigerian homes. Some of these spices are.

1. Ginger

2. Tumeric

3. Garlic

4. Black pepper (Cameroon pepper)

5. Nutmeg

6. Grounded pepper (ata gungun)

7. Thyme

8. Curry

9. Grounded chilli

10. Pepper soup seasoning

11. Onion

How to Start Spice Business in Nigeria

Here’s the step-by-step on how to start a spice business in Nigeria for profit.

1. Conduct your Feasibility Studies

This is the first step when it comes to starting any business in Nigeria and starting a spice business should not be different. You need to do your Market survey especially if you are planning to go into the business investing huge capital. If you are drawing a spice business plan, your market survey will be included in your business plan.

But if you are not writing a business plan for your spice business you will have to do your Market survey separately before starting. You really need to do a market survey to know which spice business among the top three I mentioned will be the best for you and if it is how lucrative is it?

2. Write your Business Plan

A spice business plan is important for any Nigerian that wants to go into the spice business as a wholesaler, distributor, producer, and manufacturer. A spice business plan is also important if you are investing capital into the spice business big term and long term. You can write the business plan yourself by following some well-known formulas.

Some of these formulas can be found on the internet or you can simply give a professional business plan writer to do it for you. We can also do this at a token. Read our guide on how to write business plans in Nigeria.

3. Get Capital to Start Business

After writing the business plan for your spice business the next step will be to get the capital needed to start. You will need capital to start any of the types of spice businesses I mentioned earlier. How much is needed to start spice business? How much you need to start a spice business in Nigeria actually depends on the capital you have and the type of spice business you want to start.

If you want to go into the spice business as a seasoning manufacturer – you using spices to make seasoning cubes and sachets you will need a huge capital of #2,000,000 – #4,000,000. This is because you will need money to buy the machines used to produce the seasonings plus other expenses.

If you want to go into the spice business as a spice seller selling to the local market you will need a capital of #500,000 to start and if want to go into the spice business as a spice exporter you will a capital of #400,000 to start.

4. Start Selling or Exporting Spice

After getting the capital needed to start the spice business, the next step will be for you to rent a shop. This is if you want to go into the buying and selling of spice locally. But if you want to go into the export side of the business you will need to rent a warehouse where you will be keeping your spices they will be ready for export.

If you want to go into the production part of the spice business where you will be processing and packaging these spices into seasoning you will need to rent a warehouse and buy the machines you will need to start. After putting all these in place depending on the type of spice business you want to start you can now start selling your spices to make money.

5. Making Profits in Spice Business

The main reason why we go into any business is to make profits hence the reason why you need to know how you can make profits from your spice business. There are different ways you can make profits from your spice business.

A. Sell in Small Quantities

In a business like the spice business, you can make money buying your spice in large quantities and selling it in smaller quantities to Nigerians. For example, buying a bag of grounded dry pepper (ata gungun) and selling it in small quantities to buyers.

B. Sell to Pharmaceutical Companies

I mentioned earlier that pharmaceutical companies also use spices to make drugs. If you can get a pharmaceutical company you can be selling your spices to you will be making money huge money from your spice business.

C. Sell to Market Women and Men

If you can be buying your spices wholesale you can be selling them to market women and men and still make profits from the business.

Spice Business Opportunities in Nigeria

There are so many spice business opportunities in Nigeria it all depends on the capital you have at hand and how big you want to start your spice business. The three major spice business opportunities (spice business ideas) are:

1. Production of Seasoning Products

Production of Seasoning cubes or seasoning Sachets is the biggest spice business opportunity in Nigeria that demands a very huge capital. In this business, you can go into the processing and manufacturing of different types of seasoning using commonly grown spices in Nigeria.

You can produce these seasonings in cubes or in sachets. An example of a Nigerian seasoning cube dominating the Nigerian market is the Onga seasoning.

2. Selling Spices Locally

This is a kind of spice business that has to do with the buying and selling of spices to Nigerians. These spices can be bought from the local market or can be bought directly from the farmers that grow them. Like I said earlier, the spice market in Nigeria is a huge market and it is big enough for those that want to sell their spice locally.

The only disadvantage in this spice business is you can make losses when you do not sell the spices on time due to spoilage.

3. Spice Exportation Business

This is a kind of spice business where you export spices to other countries to make money. These sales of spices can be within Africa or exported to the European countries or even Asia. The spice exportation business is a business that can turn you into a millionaire if you take your time to understand the export business.

Feasibility Study of Spices in Nigeria

Doing the feasibility study of any business you want to go into Nigeria is very important especially if you are investing huge capital into the business. The feasibility study of the business helps you to understand if the business idea you have is really a good idea or a bad idea. This is why the feasibility study of spices in Nigeria is important.

It helps you know the spices that are more in demand, the type of spice business that you can go into that will be profitable, and how much capital will be needed to start that spice business. So conduct your feasibility study, especially in the area and state you want to start the spice business.

Seasoning Industry in Nigeria

The seasoning industry according to my findings is widely dominated by international seasoning companies that produce Knorr and the like and this is the way it has been for donkey years but gradually new Nigerian seasoning companies are coming up and are gradually getting a spot on Nigerian kitchen tables.

Spices that have never been dried, processed, and packaged into sachets are now been produced (packaged). Examples of these new spices in the Nigerian market are dried grounded chili pepper, grounded ginger, grounded turmeric, grounded garlic, and more. There are more of these spices to be explored as long as you have the capital to go into the processing of spices (seasoning).

Spice Market in Nigeria

The spice market in Nigeria is a very big market. From the north where the majority of these spices are planted to the major markets where they are sold to wholesalers and some are exported to other countries, the spice market is a very huge market.

But if you are looking forward to going into the spice business as a distributor or wholesaler for your area you might need to rather buy these spices from the farmers instead of from the spice market. This is because it is cheaper. However, you still need to do your calculations to be sure.

Conclusion

Spice business is a profitable business in Nigeria especially if you are going into the business wholesale. In spice business, you do not go after selling you need to brand your business properly to stand out from the crowd.

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