February 28, 2022

New markets for poultry: availing nutritious chicken products to low-income consumers in Ethiopia

Animal Production Related

Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, the partnership between Chico Meat Ethiopia (CME) and 2SCALE aims to reach more than 30,000 Urban Base of Pyramid (BoP) consumers with a consistent supply of quality chicken products at competitive prices.

Chicken meat is an important component for a healthy and well-balanced diet due to its high nutritional content. However, its consumption in Ethiopia remains low.

To enhance local consumption, the partnership aims to develop two new products- chicken meat sticks (chicken kebab) and marinated chicken cuts - targeting BoP consumers. CME is taking the lead role in the product development process. Since the inception of the partnership in April 2021, chicken meat stick (chicken kebab) has been introduced to the market. Despite being an international cuisine it is not common in Ethiopia and is mainly available in a few eateries.

Product development process

Developing the chicken kebab recipe took around three months. To ensure quality, CME engaged a professional chef to lead the process. It entailed picking out the most appropriate chicken cuts, identifying well-accepted local spices, product preparation, best processing techniques (grilling skills and methods), and tasting events targeting random consumers.

According to Mr. Jaco Dekker, the General Manager of CME, the introduction of such products will not only lead to an expansion in the consumption of chicken but will also serve to improve the nutrition of BoP consumers. He explains :

Though the market share of chicken meat sticks (chicken kebab) is small compared to other products we currently sell, it is an important step towards CME’s business ambition. This product will serve as affordable chicken meat in the local markets with emphasis to improve the nutrition of urban BoP consumers.

Introducing the product to consumers: the 4As

After a successful product development process, the pilot product marketing activity to BoP markets officially began in November 2021, in Bishoftu town, central Ethiopia. BoP consumers are characterized by their low income and purchasing power. Despite being the largest consumer segment, they are also the most difficult to access. To ensure efficient marketing and distribution strategies, the 2SCALE marketing team is continually supporting MSMEs to conveniently reach their products to low-income consumers. Ms. Dehab Araya, 2SCALE BoP marketing specialist explains the marketing approach adopted by 2SCALE:

In this partnership, 2SCALE supports all marketing-related activities. We are mainly guided by the 4A’s marketing principle-Awareness, Acceptability, Availability, and Affordability. Awareness creation ensures potential consumers get to know about the product, Acceptability ensures consumers are socially and culturally able and willing to fit and integrate the food products into their daily consumption behavior, Availability means geographically and physically availing the product to consumers, while Affordability is about the willingness and ability among consumers to pay and a reasonable price level compared to alternative food products

Although chicken kebab as fast food to be grilled and sold on roadsides is a novel idea in Ethiopia, acceptability levels by consumers are commendable! This is evident since over 150 chicken kebabs are sold each day, since the product’s launch. It is also affordable to BoP consumers as a single chicken kebab is priced at 20 ETB (USD 0.40). To support the process, a total of four staff have been employed to support product development, tasting events, and product marketing.

By supporting the development of nutritious products for BoP markets, 2SCALE through partnerships like CME continues to fulfill its goal of building commercially viable and inclusive business models.

Share this update: