Enegesi: Food Technology Will Address Basic Human Needs

Co-founder and CEO of Eden Life, Nadayar Enegesi, speaks about how his food company is using technology solution to bridge the gap between talented home cooks and discerning food lovers yearning for traditional meals that can be delivered during busy schedules.. Emma Okonji presents the excerpts:

Food technology has been rapidly evolving. Could you provide an overview of how it’s changing the way people approach cooking and dining?

Technology has always enabled us to get more done with less. These days as time is becoming more of a scarce resource, food technology is helping people meet the number one essential need of human beings which is eating. 

Food technology is revolutionising the culinary landscape by making quality meals more accessible and convenient. From meal kit delivery services to advanced cooking appliances, technology allows individuals to enjoy their favourite meals without the time-intensive preparation. 

Food tech also helps people skip cooking entirely. That is where food delivery becomes very important. People order food through a variety of channels now, including websites, WhatsApp, Instagram, and apps like Eden Life and it gets delivered to them quickly. 

Your brand, ‘Homemade by Eden Life’, addresses the challenge of preparing high-quality meals in today’s fast-paced world. How does it contribute to the larger food technology ecosystem?

Homemade by Eden Life contributes to the food tech ecosystem in a variety of ways. From the consumer standpoint, we have built a technology that allows people to easily access great homemade food.  We are also building some tools that would enable us to make these deliveries efficient, and we are going to open up opportunities for other food businesses to use them as well. 

We have our state-of-the-art food infrastructure facility where all our meals are made with care and rich ingredients. Ensuring quality through our process – from the way we receive ingredients, to the way we prepare them, to the way we actually cook them and package them. 

We see ourselves supporting the ecosystem in different ways by giving them access to our processes and our facilities.

In a country where hectic schedules are commonplace, how do you perceive the relationship between technology, culinary traditions, and the need for convenient dining options?

The relationship is symbiotic. Technology preserves culinary traditions by making them accessible to time-strapped individuals. While fast-paced lives might limit cooking time, technology bridges the gap by allowing people to savour traditional flavours through innovative solutions like ours, preserving the cultural importance of homemade meals.

Can you discuss the challenges that food tech companies face when striving to maintain the balance between convenience and nutritional value, especially in Nigeria?

The ideal world for businesses like ours is when our customers know we offer the very best meals in town, that are affordable and they know they can order these meals and can get them delivered in record time.

The challenge that food tech companies however face when trying to balance these three factors – quality, delivery time, and affordability, is ensuring that convenience or pricing doesn’t compromise nutritional integrity and vice versa.

As food tech evolves, companies must find ways to sustain all three and keep their customers happy. Striking the right balance requires continuous innovation, collaboration with nutritionists, and a commitment to delivering nourishing options.

Research shows a significant number of career-oriented individuals in hectic roles. How does the food technology industry contribute to their well-being and work-life balance?

In order for these career-oriented individuals to actually live and work well, they need to properly fuel their bodies. It is very easy to fall into the trap of working really hard and eating unhealthily. When you eat poorly, your body doesn’t feel good and you fall ill,  but at Eden Life, we understand that because people are working so hard and they are time-pressed, we make sure that when we offer them the convenience of getting food quickly, the food they are eating is one that properly fuels their bodies and that’s why we pay more attention to the food processing than most other options on offer across Lagos.

This industry strives to enhance well-being by freeing up time for other essential activities. That is why nutrition is important, and it is not just about making food. It has to be good food. 

We also partner with companies to provide healthy meals more accessible to their employees at their offices.  

As the food tech sector expands, what innovations do you foresee that could redefine how Nigerians dine in the future?

The first will have to be the technology that goes into how we make food. There are some meals that require very intense preparation, for example, pounded yam. Imagine if there was a machine that could pound yam and it would taste and feel the same way as though someone pounded it manually. I believe the appliances that we use to make food will evolve. There are foods that have remained the same since the beginning of time and there are also so many food entrepreneurs that are experimenting with new flavours. 

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Analytics, and sustainable sourcing could reshape the industry. AI-powered recipe recommendations and personalised nutrition plans might become mainstream.

In the same way, you have afro-fusion music, the same can be applied to food, where people are taking our food and are adding different twists to it. So imagine there is an open-source database of all the recipes and all the foods in Nigeria and it is made available to ensure people are able to experience the true variety our culture offers. It would bring everybody and our palettes closer. 

Additionally, advancements in sustainable sourcing and reduced food waste can contribute to a more eco-conscious and efficient food chain.

What role do consumer preferences and feedback play in shaping the evolution of food technology and brands like Homemade by Eden Life?

Consumer preferences and feedback are pivotal. They guide the development of new products and services that align with changing lifestyles. 

Food is also a deeply personal experience. If on one level people look homogenous, we all want to eat sort of the same things. There are national favourites we like as a people, so data is important in determining what kind of meals we make. 

Then there are also different individual preferences like how people prefer their spice levels, how some people might have allergies, some people may be more adventurous with food, and some less. 

All of these things are what influence how we approach our food at Eden life. We aim for things that are familiar but are also different enough to be interesting. We also aim for meals that are tasty and appeal to the Nigerian palette but not so spicy that it completely eliminates a group of people. 

Brands like ours continually refine offerings based on customer input, ensuring that we meet their needs while also driving advancements in the larger food tech landscape.

Discuss the role of experienced chefs in the Homemade by Eden Life ecosystem. How do they ensure the quality and taste of the meals offered on the platform? 

First of all, every individual who works in our kitchens at Homemade by Eden Life is a certified chef and has also passed a food handler’s test. So we take pride in the quality of training and safety practices followed. 

What sets us apart is our unwavering focus on authenticity and convenience. Unlike traditional food tech services, we have re-imagined the concept of homemade meals in a scalable manner. It’s like having a personal chef create a meal in your own kitchen.

Every meal we make goes through an intense research and development process where we make sure that after defining the experience we want people to have from a particular dish, the process that produces each meal is always consistent and part of that includes measuring each ingredient and the nutritional value so we know exactly what we are making and giving to people, and without skilled chefs, it is impossible to do that. 

Nigeria’s food service market is competitive. How do you plan to build and maintain customer trust and loyalty in Homemade by Eden Life’s meal offerings, especially considering the importance of hygienic and safe food preparation? 

Indeed, Nigeria’s food service market is dynamic and competitive, that’s why trust and loyalty are paramount to our mission at Homemade by Eden Life. Ensuring the safety, quality, and hygienic preparation of our meals is at the core of our strategy to build and maintain customer trust and loyalty.

We are deeply committed to transparency. We believe in fostering an open and honest relationship with our customers. This means sharing information about our sourcing practices, ingredient quality, and the stringent hygiene measures we adhere to in our kitchen facilities. We want our customers to be well-informed about every aspect of their meal’s journey, from farm to table.

People trust you by doing what you say and in Nigeria, that’s not different. To solidify trust, we prioritise food safety. Our kitchen operations are designed with the highest industry standards in mind. Anybody can come and get a tour of our facility to see how detailed we are. We implement rigorous sanitation protocols, maintain strict temperature controls, and regularly audit our processes to ensure compliance with hygiene regulations. We take these measures not only to meet standards, but to exceed them, offering our customers an unwavering assurance of the safety of our meals.

Secondly, it is in the experience of the delivery, ensuring we keep to time and our delivery partners adhere to the experience protocol such that anytime you order from Homemade meals, you know the food is going to be safe quality food, would taste good, and would arrive when it is meant to arrive.

Statistics show a significant amount of money being spent on eating out. How do you anticipate Homemade by Eden Life impacting the local economy and consumer spending patterns in the food sector? 

Our approach is centred on convenience, quality, and authenticity, which can lead to a shift in consumer behaviour. As more individuals embrace the idea of enjoying restaurant-quality meals in the comfort of their homes, we anticipate a positive influence on local spending patterns.

By offering high-quality meals prepared with meticulous attention to detail, we provide an alternative to dining out that doesn’t compromise on taste or experience. This can lead to a redirection of consumer spending from traditional restaurants to our platform, benefiting our local economy.

Our commitment to sourcing high-value ingredients means that we engage with local suppliers and producers. This collaboration supports local businesses and contributes to the growth of the local agricultural and food production sectors. As demand for our services increases, so does the potential for job creation and economic stimulation within these sectors.