For 19 years, 12 Baskets has continued to serve Nigerians with special culinary dishes in the form of small chops. Since joining Bolt Food in 2021, 12 Baskets has seen improvement in delivery timing and business growth. As a growing food delivery platform, Bolt Food leverages its expertise in innovation and technology to ensure that partner restaurants benefit from its loyal customer base and other benefits.
In this chat with Michael Afolaranmi, CEO of 12 Baskets Food Limited, he speaks on running 12 Baskets and how being a vendor on Bolt Food has augmented the growth of the business.
Kindly introduce yourself and your brand.
My name is Afolaranmi Michael, and I am the chairman/CEO of 12 Basket’s group. 12 baskets food limited is a company under the group with a speciality in culinary dishes like small chops and other foods.
12 Baskets is a beloved small chops brand in Nigeria. When did you begin and what motivated you to venture into the culinary field?
12 baskets has been operating for 19 years. I began the culinary business because I loved it. My mom is a caterer so it was natural for me to have a strong affinity for it.
You are one of the most popular vendors on the Bolt Food app. What inspired your decision to register on the platform?
I joined the Bolt Food platform in 2021. We decided to register on Bolt Food because they are a strong brand with wider coverage and it’s been a pleasure being on the platform. Our engagement since joining the platform has been really encouraging.
We have been approached by other food delivery platforms, but our board chose to only register on Bolt Food. The other platforms had unfavourable conditions to join their platforms, so the 12 Baskets management wanted to be associated with Bolt Food instead.
Can you describe your experience since you joined the Bolt Food platform and how has it impacted your operations?
Although 12 Baskets can offer logistics for its services, Bolt Food gives us extended publicity and reach, which drives sales. Bolt Food handles its own delivery, while 12 baskets has separate logistics on their own also. So our operations on Bolt Food are just an extension of our services. With Bolt Food, we just decided to extend our publicity and reach.
So it was not like Bolt Food was the first platform that approached us, but the 12 Basket management preferred them. We have always had our own logistics, but Bolt Food improved our delivery timing to customers, bringing us efficiency and productivity.
As a food vendor in Nigeria, what would you say are the challenges or difficulties you face in the industry?
Almost every business in the country has logistics problems. For us, we have been able to solve this with our internal logistics services and with huge support from the Bolt Food platform.
Lastly, what advice would you give to fellow restaurateurs looking to expand their market share?
First one is to believe in one’s ability. The second is to have control over the quality of one’s product and that is what 12 Baskets has been able to practice over the years. Our products have remained the same in Lagos Island, Abuja and Lekki. Number three, one must work according to the guidelines of the government. Every plan must abide by government policy.
