Obi Ezeude CEO Beloxxi Industries Ltd Nigeria Speaks On Biscuit Industry

Obi Ezeude is president/chief executive officer, Beloxxi Industries Limited located in Agbara Estate, Ogun State . Beloxxi, a biscuit and sweet manufacturing company, was commissioned last week by President Goodluck Jonathan. Obi Ezeude, who studied Banking and Finance, started business in 1994 as a trader and walked into manufacturing in 2003, less than nine years after trading. He spoke to SIAKA MOMOH, BusinessDay’s Industry Editor about his business.

Importation of cream cracker Ezeude, whom this writer met a day before his ultra-modern biscuit and sweet factory was commissioned by President Goodluck Jonathan Thursday last week, was one of the largest importers of cream cracker in Nigeria, importing about 600 containers every year from Malaysia by the year 2000. Armed with this robust import business portfolio, he entered into discussion with his Malaysian suppliers to join him to set up shop in Nigeria but they backed out. Said he: “They told me one million reasons why they would not produce in Nigeria . And I decided to prove to them that manufacturing was not nuclear science.” The two parties kept on talking about it until March 3, 2003 when former President Olusegun Obasanjo banned importation of biscuit into Nigeria . And when Ezeude called them, they were shocked. They discussed smuggling with him, but he told them he wouldn’t do such thing. 

more on

http://www.businessdayonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12354:how-i-moved-from-trading-to-manufacturing--beloxxi-industries-ceo&catid=81:entrepreneur&Itemid=323

Nigeria would have biscuits from new Beloxxi factory

Beloxxi Industries Ltd is all set to produce Nigeria's popular brands -Beloxxi Cream Crackers and Fine Tea biscuits.The plant would have two biscuit lines designed and erected by world famous Anglo/Italian company Imaforni. Along with technopack and Bn B silos they have completed the plant and production is all set to be commenced from end of this month .

Beloxxi started manufacturing biscuit three years ago and became popular in very short span where demand out striped supply .Hence requirement for larger plant at Agbara Industrial estate.
Federal government has put a ban on Imported biscuits hence to get a bigger plant become a national priority said Beloxxi CEO Obi Ezeude .
Beloxxi Industries Ltd biscuit plant at Agbara would be the most modern, automated and integrated biscuits factory in sub-Sahara Africa with the arrival of its load of machines”, with a firm promise to commence commercial production at the end of September. The company chief noted that with the new lines fully in operation, the firm targets an output of 150,000 cartons of biscuits per day, and with the tempo sustained, it looks forward to manufacturing for exports in the next two years. He said such step would be the beginning of a long dream of placing a Nigerian-owned factory as major multinational player in the biscuits sector in Africa with top quality world class cream crackers, digestives and confectioneries. It would also provide jobs to the local population .

Read