I can’t say that I particularly love going to the market to do my grocery shopping. So when I learned about Olumo Foods a month ago, I thought it was a great initiative to help people who are either too busy to go to speciality stores for their African food shopping or didn’t even have such stores in their neighborhood to begin with.

 

 

 

They say the best business idea comes from the need to solve a problem and that’s exactly what the founders did. They had gone away on a country side holiday only to discover that there were no grocery shops around to get their African food supplies. And the little e-commerce stores online couldn’t deliver as far out as they were located. Thus, Olumo Foods was born!

After testing their service for myself, I can testify that theirs is truly a quality service, upholding the 24 hours delivery time promised.

 

 

 

In addition to this, the customer service was great as the courier they have chosen to help deliver their service was on their A- game! I got really good updates about when my order went in transit and at what time to expect it the following day which meant I was able to plan my day appropriately to make sure I didn’t miss the delivery.

As for the quality of the products, I wasn’t left disappointed. Everything was expertly packaged with care and thought. It was great to find out that they used recyclable material to preserve the cold temperature of the fresh produce. I had intentionally ordered turkey drumsticks and chicken gizzard in order to see how it would arrive and again, no disappointment there.

 

 

However, I was a bit disappointed with one particular item- Ata agoyin, which was declared as their pride and joy. If you grew up in Lagos then you’d already know what at a agoyin is. It was actually one of my favorite breakfast as a child. And whenever I go back now, I always try to have it as much as I can. Ata in Yoruba means pepper, while agoyin is beans. So ata agoyin basically refers to the peppery oily sauce used to eat beans cooked until it’s very soft. This ata agoyin sauce is what I found very disappointing. It was bland and lacked the fond taste I know very well. So I had to get rid of it and enjoyed the beans with the gizdodo(plantain and gizzard in a peppered sauce) I had made.

 

Likes

Quality service

Easy to use website

Detailed nutrition information & guide one every item page

Fast & quality delivery service

Mostly quality products

 

 

Dislikes

Some items can’t be found in the categories and has to be searched for. So you might think they don’t sell it at first glance

Have to make an account before buying(I personally prefer not to most times, but it isn’t a deal breaker)

Delivery fee of 10 pounds(In their defense, they ship in 24 hours to all of UK, so that’s worth it but would be great to have other delivery options)

Some items has to be bought in large quantities

 

 

Conclusion?

I’d recommend Olumo Foods to everyone seeking a reliable and convenient way to shop their African food groceries without stepping a foot out of the house. It’s also a great initiative for people who live in areas with a small African community with less to no African food shops. Based in Darlington, they are able to deliver to you anywhere in the UK in 24 hours as long as you order before 1pm and alternatively, you can pick up the items from their warehouse if you live in the area.

 

Note: I relayed my disappointment with the ata agoyin and my criticism was met humbly. It was taken on board and I was told that they’ll be an analysis with their chef, so I felt listened to. Not once was I ever challenged or met with defense which is great as it shows they’re willing to improve on their short comings.

PS. I was allowed to order from them for free in order to make the review. However, I wasn’t paid nor did this affect my opinion.

 

To get 5% off your first order, use SEWAFOLIE100 at the checkout. Offer valid to first 100 users only with a minimum spend of £50.

I hope this review has been helpful to you if you’re looking for a reliable store to shop online for all your African food. Happy shopping and eating!

SaveSave

Share