“In Africa there are several chains of middle men in the food supply chain. These middle men add costs to food. Each adds their own cost — by the time it gets to cities or to the end consumer it becomes expensive,” Ariolu explained. “Also most farmers — since they can’t access consumers — are at the mercy of the middlemen who give them peanuts for their produce.”

Pushing Business For Other Food Startups

He noted that through his company, farmers view their products as the backbone of a “money making venture,” instead of a struggling agricultural enterprise. By taking advantage of the product management, tracking and discount features, sellers have the opportunity to grow their businesses without creating additional websites or delivery services.

According to a Business Monitor report, Nigeria’s grocery retail sales were projected to experience a compound annual growth rate of 38.7 percent between 2013 and 2018. Many restaurants and commercial businesses that count on the country’s grocers fall in line with Foodstantly’s marketplace model — which gives participating vendors further promise for growth.

As Foodstantly is an online business, continental and international expansion depends on a solid technical team. As of now, Ariolu’s priority is gathering up more ICT business partners, a task he says is surprisingly difficult.

“It’s actually hard getting skilled manpower who understand how an ICT startup works, especially in the nascent ICT Industry in Africa.”

Launching last year at DEMO Africa, Foodstantly was chosen as one of the top 40 most promising startups in Africa. Describing himself as a serial entrepreneur, this isn’t Ariolu’s first venture. He also dabbled in the entertainment industry founding Ticket My Pal.

A larger interest and concern over the trouble and price hikes farmers face when trying to get their products to markets pulled Ariolu back around to the food industry.

“I have been in the food industry for a long while and am passionate about it. I noticed the difficulty people experience in accessing food,” he added. “There is need to disrupt the way Africans buy and sell food and farm produce. Food is a universal basic necessity of life — so food has initially been the product.”