Our Story

SIMKAY FOODS LIMITED

 

Simkay is an agribusiness with a clear, dedicated vision to capitalize on sustained interests in the agricultural sector of the African economy and become a globally recognized brand for natural tomato products.” Taking advantage of the abundant supply of tomatoes in Kaduna state where the company is situated, we focus on bridging key identified gaps in the tomato value chain in Nigeria, so as to boost the productivity of the agricultural sub-sector.

 

Simkay is managed by a team of highly qualified experts with about 39 cumulative years of industry and management experience. With vital competencies such as Operations Management, Financial Management, Procurement and Informal Sector Liaison, Administration and Project Management duly represented in our team, our primary focus is on solving two problems:

1. High levels of post-harvest wastage among Tomato farmers

2. Off season shortages

 

Our innovative edge as a business is two-pronged:

 

a. An innovative model based on off-taking produce from Tomato farmers at competitive rates, thereby curbing wastage to the barest minimum levels and helping to prevent the exploitative activities of unscrupulous middlemen.

 

b. A highly innovative product - Simkay Tomato Powder is a relatively novel form of processed Tomatoes, which is aimed at by-passing all the major downsides of other processed Tomato forms (like pastes and purees). After offtaking the tomato produce from the farms, we transport it to our production site in the heart of Kaduna where it is converted to our premium product. Key features of our product include:

1. Over 95% nutrient retention, through the adoption of an improved dehydration technique.

2. 100% natural product - no additives or preservatives required, none included.

3. Self-preserving product form - no refrigeration required.

4. Hygeine-centred processing.

 

In addition to partnering with farming communities, to offtake their produce, we partner with agricultural experts to train farmers (with preference to women and youth) on innovative ways to produce tomatoes, for better yield. In Kaduna (Northwest Nigeria) where the bulk of our operations currently take place, we have successfully trained about 400 farmers on vertical sack farming - a knowledge-based, improved cultivation system designed to the quantity and quality of improve farm yield while optimizing land usage – since the addition of training services to our activities.

Going forward, we project the expansion of our activities to include Tomato farming communities in Jos, Plateau state, as well as those in the Tomato-producing state in south-eastern Nigeria.