Packed goods are synonymous with high quality in Liberia. This comes from two factors, safety and consistency.
The most pervasive example is safety. Bagged or bottled water means disease-free water. In a place where illnesses like dysentery are major killers, placing a high value on processed goods can save lives.
Consistency of quality helps consumers believe they will get what they expect. Packaged goods do not vary greatly from one purchase to the next. In contrast, the open-air markets have bulk goods with low prices, but unknown value. Half of the beans in a pound could be inedible. The buyer doesn't know which half. The good portion may be perfectly safe, but the cost is double what one initially expects. Contamination is uncommon, but far more likely than something from a western style factory. The risk factor also adds to the cost and lessens the appeal of the purchase.
While Liberian's place high value on packaged goods, few Liberians produce them. Jacqueline's Productions is one of the few and an example of a product that can work.
Jacqueline, the proprietor, started making snacks 2 years ago after a trip to Benin. She tasted a coconut and ginger snack and decided to make her own. After a lot of trial and error, she developed a few recipes and started selling in open-air markets. She's expanded to about 7 varieties of snacks and several local super markets distribute her snacks.
She wanted the quality of her product to be high, so she got help on the business end of her project. While she learned about bookkeeping and commercial kitchens, she also looked for commercial packing. She had to go to Togo to find it.
Jacqueline's Productions now has an industrial label with a bold logo and an ingredient list too. While Westerners expect this and laws mandate it, it is not a part of market culture in Liberia. Also, 50% of people in Liberia can't read, so text on packaging doesn't have much meaning to many. Machine packaging and labeling set Jacqueline apart and achieve the goal she set, to be professional.
Jacqueline's products could be exported to America and the western world. Legislation like The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and Aid organizations, including USAID, are helping African businesses like Jacqueline's to do that. They reduce barriers to entering the market by providing technical assistance and access to capital. They also subsidize travel to trade shows and for trade missions. Trade shows aren't just for the biggest players in industry, small businesses like Jacqueline's can have their lives improved dramatically through the contacts they make at a show.
It's a complex process, but the potential rewards are worth the expense and while Liberia's packed good industry is just beginning, Jacqueline proves that it can work.
If any of you are in the Washington D.C. or Kansas City area in early August, check out the The African Growth and Opportunity Act Forum for more insight into African business.
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