Ugo Aliogo
Barely six months after the launch of its multimillion-dollar factory in Ondo State, Johnvents Industries Limited, has announced that it has processed about 5,000 metric tonnes of cocoa for export, aimed at boosting Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings.
The Managing Director of Johnvents Industries John Alamu, made this revelation during a stakeholder session on the company’s milestone achievements since its launch last December.
According to him, “Cocoa cake and cocoa butter are the two major derivatives of our cocoa processing business at Johnvents Industries, and since we launched last December, we have processed about 5,000 metric tonnes worth of products for export to countries in Europe, the US, and some part of southern Africa. We operate one of the largest cocoa processing factories in Nigeria and have invested over 3 billion naira to revamp and kickstart operation, we are proud to be the leading company in the processing of cocoa cake, butter, and powder.
“One of our goals at launch was to contribute our quota in helping to realise Nigeria’s cocoa export potential estimated to the tune of $4B – $5B. We are proud to say that in six months, we are well on our way to achieving this goal. Our production capacity utilization has moved from 20% in December 2021 to 66% in May 2022.”
Continuing on the feats of the agribusiness, Alamu explained that at the beginning, we envisioned massive job creation for our indigenous talents and we are on that path already.
He hinted that the company has engaged over 200 people working at the Cocoa processing factory, part of whom are top talents in the industry with a world-class experience.”
Speaking on the company’s integration agenda, Manager, Business, Sales, and Operations, Johnvents Industries, Caroline Omotosho, revealed that Johnvents is very much eager to impact the global ecosystem with sustained value to the local value chain within a short time.
She noted: “As we have been able to achieve impressive growth in our production within a short window, we are excited about the audacity of our forward and backward integration plan and what it means for the industry. We have introduced our retail product, the Johnvents pure cocoa powder, into the local market. Cocoa is of one nature’s greatest gifts to mankind packed with bountiful health and nutritional benefits. We believe it is not enough that we export cocoa cake and cocoa butter, we also want Nigerians to incorporate healthy meals in their diets and enjoy the benefits of Cocoa.”
She revealed that while the product is available in 200g and 100g respectively, we also have it in 5g sachets to allow a majority of the population access and afford the awesome nourishment of pure cocoa, “and so far, the reception has been encouraging.”
In her words, “Johnvents Industries Limited is also well aligned with the global realities of traceability and responsible sourcing. This has informed our backward integration plans bordered on sustainability. We are heavily invested in our farmers and local buying agents. Within our ecosystem, we have 5,000 farmers some of whom are Cocoa farmers. We educate the farmer clusters on good agronomy practices and also provide support around seedlings, and globally approved pesticides amongst others. As an organization, we have always adhered to the highest standards to ensure sustainable agriculture.”
It would recalled that Johnvents Industries limited launched its 15,000 metric tonnes automated cocoa processing factory in Akure and announced its first export to the tune of 1 Million dollars in February 2022.
