The situations people find themselves in sometimes propels them to conceive ideas which they can implement to make things better.
Kingsley Bediako Appau, a first-year Public Administration student at the University of Ghana, before gaining admission to the university came up with a business idea which is now his major source of income.
He is the founder of Omega Foods, which provides a variety of plantain chips including ripe and unripe, ginger flavour, cocoyam chips, sweet potato chips, and fresh juice for offices and events.
Kingsley got the idea to start this business in 2018; three years after he completed Benkum Senior High and could not continue his education at the tertiary level due to financial issues and also could not get a stable job.
He suggested the idea to make and sell plantain chips to the mother of his school son from SHS, whom he was staying with, at the time, in Tema.
“I suggested that we start a plantain chips business because she used to fry them for us to eat. So I thought it would be great to fry them and sell them. She said she could fry the chips but can’t sell them. So I told her that I will do the selling while she fries them,” Kingsley said.
He continued: “So I started by sending the chips to banks to sell. In the beginning, it was difficult entering the banks because the security men prevented me from going inside. I also took it to other places including La Paz.”
At the beginning of 2019, Kingsley applied to an IT school and had to leave the house of his school son’s parents to Accra. This, however, meant that he could not come to Tema all the time for the chips to sell. According to him, he explained to his school son’s mother why he can not continue working with her.
Later in July 2019, he got an opportunity that enabled him to start the business again all by himself.
“A woman, in July 2019, called me and ordered for chips for her birthday party and I felt that going to Tema to take the chips from my school son’s mother will be a waste for transportation. So I decide to make the chips on my own. At the times, I had just GHC50 on me and I borrowed GHC50 from MTN Quick Loan and used the money to buy the ingredients and cooking ware to make the plantain chips,” he narrated.
“After providing the chips for the woman’s birthday, I used the money I got to buy more ingredients to make more chips to sell and that’s how far I have come,” he said.
He added: “I’m very grateful to Aunty Rebecca, my school son’s mom because she actually taught me the business.”
Kingsley revealed that through this business, he was able to save money to pay for his University of Ghana admission fee and his tuition fee, and other things he needs.
“But once in a while I encounter some financial difficulty and my uncle helps me out. But aside from that, most of the money I use to cater to myself is through the business I am doing now,” he said.
Aside from selling at banks, he gets orders for weddings, parties, funerals, church programmes and other events. Others also take them and sell them in their shops and offices.
Aside from running his business and schooling, Kingsley is a voice-over artist.
“I’ve been doing voice over since 2018. When I started the money was little. The person I was working for when I started wasn’t playing well so I stopped. But now, things are getting better. The money is a bit okay now.”
He does the voice-over in both English and Twi. “I’ve also done Twi translations for telenovelas including Second Chance (Light TV), Flower In My Heart (TV Africa), and currently The Descendants of the Sun (MaxTV) of which I am speaking for the lead character.”
Kingsley is, however, looking forward to registering the business, expand it and set up a shop for it.
“I’m hoping to register the business soon. Currently, I produce the chips at home; so I hope to get a place where I can sell them. A place where people will come over and sit to take the chips with drinks, and also distribute to more offices and events.”
To taste Kingsley’s plantain chips, you can contact him via the business page on Instagram: omega_kingsfoodsgh
source: kuulpeeps.com
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