Catch-Up: Habib Yoghurt

According to Wikipedia, Yogurt is a food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. Hence, yoghurt is regarded as a “milk food”. The bacteria used to make yogurt are known as yogurt cultures. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bacteria produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to give yogurt its texture and characteristic tart flavour. Cow's milk is the milk most commonly used to make yogurt. Milk from water buffalo, goats, ewes, mares, camels, and yaks are also used to produce yogurt. Cow’s milk is used in the United States and north-central Europe; sheep’s and goat’s milk are preferred in Turkey and south-eastern Europe; milk from the water buffalo is most commonly used in Egypt and India. Yogurt may also be produced from non-dairy products.

The milk used may be homogenized or not. It may be pasteurized or raw. Each type of milk produces substantially different results.

Now, that is not all you need to know about ‘yoghurt’. Catch-Up at this time focuses on Habib Industries Limited, a company established in January 2013 and duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission in Nigeria has over the years turned yoghurt into an irresistible product with the brand name “Habib Yoghurt”

HIL’s strategic mission according to a publication on its website is to be the leading producer of nutritious meals made from locally harvested agricultural products through a societal marketing attitude to business.

Following from its Mission Statement are the company's objective which rests on the following tripod: 

•             Economic viability for the business

•             Developmental impact objectives for the host community based on sustainable   development goals.

•             Corporate social responsibility goals for the society.

This particular project is in line with its strategic corporate objective.

The firm's current production assets seats on around 2,400 square meters of land located at No.3 Emir Road, where it produces about 17,500 litres of Habib Yoghurt daily. In addition, the company intends to expand into other liquid consumables leaving its present distribution network. The products have export potentials and are presently exploring market opportunities in Niger Republic, Benin Republic, Ghana, Cameroun and Chad.

HIL’s strategic mission is to be the leading producer of nutritious yoghurt-based drinks and agricultural produce made from local agriculturally based activities through a societal marketing attitude to business.

Deriving from its mission statement are the following strategic initiatives that are now being embarked upon and are made up of near term (low hanging fruits) and longer-term goals:

1. Improve revenue and profitability through increased production capacity of the company from 17,500 litres to 37,500 litres daily and automate our process.

2. Wealth creation and sustainable cattle farming through the proposed funding and support for nomadic pastoral cattle breeders in its community under the out-grower's scheme. The target for this is 200 herdsmen farmers at start-up which it intends to scale up to 500 by the end of the first 3 years. Habib Industries currently has over 100 cattle of its own currently being reared.

3. Purchase of minimum of 500 hectares of farmland for the cattle breeders to create a ranch for backward integration leading to additional job creation. 

4. Purchase of new trucks and other mobile units to shore up logistics both in raw material procurement and finished goods distribution. This will lower cost of procurement presently done through middlemen and significantly increase our distribution network. 

5. Job creation: Reduce rate of youth unemployment in Kaduna by creation of more direct and indirect jobs. Number of direct and indirect jobs that will be created is estimated to be about 500 in the first year. 

6. Corporate social responsibility program that will see the company investing in things such as trainings, amenities provision and scholarship program for the locals.

HIL is largely into production and sales of yoghurt [including related products], various liquid drinks and select agricultural commodities; however, our focus is more on processing of the Habib brand of Yoghurt and Fura from the milk processing and packaging same for sales to mostly sub-dealers and retail outlets, which includes Citimax and Shoprite. The company has its own branded flagship products called Habib Fura. Its products are fortified with vitamin A and meet very strict regulatory quality control and environmental guidelines.

These products [especially the flagship products - Habib Fura] are major part of daily meals consumed by most Nigerians and visitors from neighbouring countries that include Chad, Niger, Benin, Mali and Cameroun. It is highly nutritional and widely accepted which has led to the opening of over 600 Habib Yoghurt branded outlets across the country and Ghana while the products are also certified by Standard Organization of Nigeria.

The company's Habib Fura and Yoghurt is consumed nationally, and it is a delight across tribes, age brackets and religious affiliation. HIL presently has over 600 registered outlets for its products located in all States across Nigeria.