There was an air of excitement in the Ijoko community in Sango Ota, Ogun State on Thursday 15th January 2015, as government officials, dignitaries, traditional rulers, partners and friends convened to officially commission the factory of AACE Food Processing & Distribution Ltd.

This company, established by Mezuo Nwuneli and Ndidi Nwuneli, sources herbs, grains, cereals and vegetables from smallholder farmers across Nigeria and processes them into spices, complementary food and flours for FMCGs, quick service restaurants, caterers, and the Nigerian populace. Its current product line consists of nine spices and seasonings which are sold in leading retail outlets such as Shoprite, GAME and Park ‘n Shop. The company also produces Soyamaize fortified with vitamins and minerals, which is a complete meal and fights moderate malnutrition, moringa and bulk commodities such as bean flour, chili, ginger and soya which are used by noodle, pastry and biscuit manufacturers.

In his opening remarks, Mezuo Nwuneli, the Chairman of AACE Foods reinforced the company’s commitment to working with smallholder farmers across Nigeria. He stated that AACE Foods has partnered with key international development agencies to develop a local supply chain. To date, the company works with over 800 farmers and it will extend this partnership to 5,000 farmers by 2018.

AACE trains, facilitates microfinance bodies and provides farmer clusters with storage technology. This direct relationship has enabled the company to build reliable sources of raw materials and to improve the lives of small holder farmers. He also noted that with the commissioning of its factory in Sango Ota, the company has installed new equipment which will enable it to increase its capacity to seven tons per day, produce more high quality products for the Nigerian populace, while also making social impact.