Just Start It! We started with N2000 – Cofounders Wilson’s Lemonade Company
This week, we had a long ride to Iju Ota in Ogun State, to feature the Wilson’s Lemonade Juice on the Startup Show.
Ever since we started the “Go There” episodes, it has never been this adventurous, first the long ride, the roads, the traffic, then the walk through the factory, this would be the first time I will enter a production factory and so it was like an excursion.
The first time I saw the Wilson’s Lemonade on the shelves at the Barcelos, I thought that it was a foreign drink and so I ordered it with my friend and we liked it, I looked through the bottle and found that it was a Nigerian drink, being a startup lover, I started digging for info about them immediately.
When I got to know it’s pure fruit juice, I thought it was just like the smoothies bar at the back of my office where I walked down to get fresh juice daily, but it was so different, it was a state-of-the-art modern fresh juice factory.
Walking through the factory, one will think it’s a multi-million naira business, but while sitting down for a few gist with Seyi and Seun Abolaji (Cofounders of Wilson’s Lemonade) I was made to understand that the whole thing started only with N2000, yes you heard right, two thousand naira only.
On the video, you will see how blank I looked, I could not understand, how do they keep doing these things, how can a factory of this magnitude be created out with 2000 naira investment, it still a misery.
We talked about their life as African-American kids, the return to Nigeria and their early beginnings.
Seyi and Seun said they were told at a very young age that everything in Nigeria were natural and fresh, but when they returned to Nigeria after their study they realized that most fruit juice in Nigeria was from concentrate, so they just wanted to make fresh juice for themselves but now they have built a premium juice brands, that would give every Nigerian an opportunity to drink healthy and to live a healthy life.
The Abolaji brothers disclosed that they have not spend any money on placement, on marketing or advertising but how did they get to where they are, with over 400 distribution outlet, partnership with Shoprite, Spa, Barcelos etc. It is all on this week episode of the Startup Show, tune in and be inspired.
