How much did Hilda Baci’s Guinness World Record jollof rice cost? Find out!

Nigerian chef Hilda Baci recently cooked the world’s biggest pot of Jollof rice in partnership with food brand Gino, which supplied many of the products used. The 28-year-old prepared the dish in a six-metre-wide steel pot that stood 1.1 metres tall and 1.3 metres deep. The final weight was 8,780 kg of Jollof, which produced 16,600 servings. According to her team, the cooking took nine hours of fire, teamwork, and an estimated 1,200 kg of gas.

The rules required that rice must constitute at least 80 percent of the total weight, so she poured in 4,000 kg of washed basmati rice. Other ingredients included 500 cartons of tomato concentrate, 750 kg of cooking oil, 600 kg of onions, 600 kg of her jollof pepper mix, 220 kg of seasoning cubes, and 164 kg of goat meat.

With such a massive scale of ingredients, one question stands out: what would it have cost to prepare that pot of Jollof rice if everything had been bought at market price?

Rice

Hilda Baci used 200 bags of 20 kg basmati rice, totaling 4,000 kg. At an average wholesale price of ₦68,000 per bag, the total cost of the rice comes to approximately ₦13,600,000.

Vegetable oil

Hilda Baci recorded using 612 kg of oil, supplied in 25 L Kings Oil kegs. This amounts to approximately 27 kegs. At an average price of ₦75,000 per keg, the estimated total cost of the oil is ₦2,025,000.

Tomato paste

Hilda Baci used 800 kg of tomato paste, incorporating three different Gino products: Asun flavoured tomato paste, Party Jollof, and Peppered Chicken tomato paste. With Party Jollof cartons priced at ₦10,000 and Peppered Chicken and Asun flavoured cartons at ₦8,000 each, the estimated total cost of the tomato paste comes to approximately ₦2,776,000.

Seasoning cubes

Hilda Baci used 220 kg of seasoning cubes, including Gino Peppered Chicken and Asun flavoured cubes. The estimated total cost of the seasoning cubes is approximately ₦1,000,000.

Spices

Hilda Baci used 20 g of Gino curry and 7 g of Gino thyme, with the combined cost estimated at approximately ₦500.

Goat meat

Hilda Baci used 164 kg of fresh goat meat. At an average market price of ₦9,500 per kilogram, the total cost of the goat meat comes to approximately ₦1,558,000.

Onions, Garlic and Ginger

Based on recommendations from professional caterers, the 300 kg blend of onions, garlic, and ginger was estimated in a 4:1:1 ratio. The total cost of this blend is approximately ₦600,000.

Jollof pepper mix

Hilda Baci’s 600 kg jollof pepper mix was made using rodo (scotch bonnet), tomatoes, tatashe (red bell pepper), and bawa (cayenne pepper). Based on proportions recommended by experienced caterers, the mix was estimated in a ratio of 35% tomatoes, 25% tatashe, 20% rodo, and 20% bawa. At wholesale rates, 50 kg of tomatoes costs ₦20,000, 50 kg of rodo ₦63,000, 50 kg of tatashe ₦85,000, and 50 kg of bawa ₦126,000. Using these rates, the total estimated cost of the 600 kg pepper mix comes to approximately ₦942,000.

Cooking gas

1,200 kg of cooking gas was used by Hilda Baci for the nine-hour cookathon. At an average price of ₦1,200 per kilogram, the total cost of the gas is approximately ₦1,440,000.

Total

Adding up the estimated wholesale costs of all ingredients and gas, the total expenditure for Hilda Baci’s record-breaking Jollof rice is approximately ₦23,941,500 million.

The prices listed in this article are estimated wholesale costs at the time of publication and are intended as a guide to the potential cost of ingredients used in Hilda Baci’s record-breaking Jollof rice. These figures do not include additional expenses such as the construction, size, or maintenance of the giant cooking pot, labour, logistics, or other operational costs that may have gone into the preparation of the meal. Prices are also subject to change depending on factors such as seasonality, location, and market fluctuations.

However, Ogbomosho Focus Tv gave an estimated budget showing a likely spend between ₦52 million to ₦111 million

According to the TV, the ‎independent estimates, drawn from 2025 market prices and reported ingredient volumes, suggest a plausible total b𝒖𝒅get between ₦52 million and ₦111 million.

‎This figure covers:

‎Ingredients: 4–5 tonnes of rice plus tomatoes, oil, proteins – roughly ₦15 – ₦30 million.

‎Venue & P𝒆𝒓mits: Premium Eko Hotels outdoor/convention space, ₦2.5 – ₦20 million.

‎Custom Equipment: 22,619-litre steel pot, industrial burners, crane rental, ₦5 – ₦15 million.

‎Fuel & Logistics: LPG, packaging for 20k–30k servings, security, staff, media, ₦20 – ₦35 million.