Case Study - Superfood of Africa

Products with multiple benefits...where to start? With a story.

BRINGING YOU THE ANCIENT SUPERFOODS OF AFRICA, STRAIGHT FROM THE SUPERWOMEN WHO GROW THEM, FOR A HEALTHIER AND HAPPIER LIFESTYLE.

Superfood of Africa came to me with a fantastic range of products with real benefits for anyone that wants a bit of a health boost or is interested in trying new superfoods. The business founder, Dienaba, was emotionally invested in her business and had a lot of good things to say about her products. African superfoods such as moringa, baobab and fonio grains are not common on the UK market, but they are available in health food and specialist shops and are sold by quite a few small and medium-sized companies online. All of SOA’s competitors shouted about the benefits of adding these foods to your diet; the many vitamins and minerals that they boast to prevent illness and tiredness, promoting immune system strength and energy levels. Although it’s important to lay out the facts for people to take on board the benefits of your products, some of these sites felt like spreadsheets - a sea of letters and numbers. How many can you actually take on board before going snowblind? So the challenge was laying it out clearly, but focussing on what was tangible and pulling out the benefits that would be most recognisable to most people. 

But I’m a story person and always push the value of telling your customers how and why the products exist through personal stories and anecdotes - particularly when most of your customers are women and you can identify and empathise with them personally. The About section is key to constructing this, it’s the backbone of your presentation and something that you should touch on in all of your marketing and content. SOA’s main selling point is the story behind the superfoods, Dienaba’s story, not the vitamin and mineral content of the products. So, we had a discovery session and we talked about everything; her work, her family, her health, her friends, her hopes and dreams….and after we’d talked I showed her how relevant her story was to her products. SHE HAD TO TELL IT! When Dienaba moved to London, she got a job in the city and quickly found that her health floundered as she tried to work hard, play hard and fit in. It was only when she hit rock-bottom from exhaustion and poor health generally, that she asked her Senegalese family for help. They sent her some of their staple-foods - foods that her family had been growing and eating for centuries. Once she went back to a plant-based diet rich in the grains and roots of Senegal and West Africa, she returned to good health quickly. And the best part of the story? Her own grandmother and great grandmother were farmers themselves, part of a rich heritage of West African women farmers keeping their families strong and solvent by growing these foods that have been around as long as African civilisation. What a story! 

Superfood of Africa is a wonderful business based on heritage, integrity and genuine enthusiasm for African superfoods. You don’t just buy the foods, you learn how to use them with Dianaeba’s expert recipe cards and beautiful instagram photos showing the roots, grains and powders off in their delicious technicolour glory. And because Dienaba’s voice is so strong and consistent throughout her website and social media, you feel safe in the knowledge that you know where these foods come from and who’s growing and harvesting them - the women farmers of West Africa, like Dienaba’s grandmother and great grandmother.

For more on Superfood of Africa click here

To discuss your brand story and how best to market your products to women, contact me here