Firm targets growing demand for local flavours with manufacturing solutions

Manufacturers are increasingly turning to flavour systems that replicate authentic local tastes as consumer demand for culturally familiar products grows across Nigeria’s processed foods market.

To help respond to this demand, Freddy Hirsch Nigeria, a leading flavour solutions manufacturer, has introduced a flavour ingredient that can be applied across multiple food categories while maintaining a consistent indigenous taste.

The company said the innovation is aimed at supporting manufacturers and quick service restaurant operators in developing products that deliver familiar local flavours across applications such as noodles, sauces, pasta, marinades, snacks and ready meals.

Speaking at the company’s Everything Smoky Jollof industry event in Lagos on Thursday, Kojo Brifo, managing director of Freddy Hirsch Nigeria, said the flavour system was developed to preserve the smoky taste and aroma associated with homemade jollof rice while making it suitable for industrial food production.

According to him, the company sought to bridge the gap between homemade cooking and commercially produced food by developing a flavour profile tailored to African consumers’ preferences.

“The idea was to preserve the authentic smoky jollof experience many Nigerians grew up with and make it commercially viable without losing its identity,” he said.

Brifo said the company also increased local sourcing of spices following the supply chain disruptions experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that ingredients such as chilli, turmeric and onion sourced locally not only strengthen supply chain resilience but also better match Nigerian consumers’ taste preferences.

He added that Freddy Hirsch operates as a business-to-business company, supplying flavour systems to manufacturers and foodservice operators rather than directly to consumers, while local production enables customers to buy in naira, reduces foreign exchange exposure and shortens delivery timelines.

Brifo explained that the Smoky Jollof flavour system is designed for use beyond jollof rice, with applications in noodles, pasta, sauces, mayonnaise, tomato paste, spice blends and other food products while maintaining a consistent flavour profile.

He said the company combined different natural wood smoke profiles, including hickory, mesquite and apple wood, to complement the spice blend, adding that the flavours were developed by Africans for African consumers. 

“We wanted to ensure there is no significant difference between the jollof people enjoy at home and what they experience in commercial food products,” he said.

The Smoky Jollof flavour system was demonstrated to food manufacturers, fast-moving consumer goods brands, procurement professionals and product development experts as a solution that combines flavour consistency with commercial scalability.

Aishat Lamidi, Head of Product Development and Ingredients at Freddy Hirsch Nigeria, said developing the flavour system required addressing the different technical requirements of various food applications while ensuring the flavour retained its identity and delivered consistent performance.

She said the objective was to provide manufacturers with a solution that combines authenticity, versatility and reliability across product categories.

Similarly, Godspresence Ihezuo, Marketing and Communications Lead at Freddy Hirsch Nigeria, said the event was designed to give manufacturers and technical partners first-hand experience of the flavour system.

Ihezuo added that the initiative demonstrated how manufacturers can achieve consistent product quality through tailored flavour solutions.

The event featured live cooking demonstrations, bringing together manufacturers in the food industry and stakeholders from other sectors of the economy.