In a bold stride toward food innovation and security, Forti Foods, a Lagos-based startup founded by Adenike Adekunle, is redefining how Nigeria thinks about food production and distribution.
Backed by global early-stage venture capital firm Antler, Forti Foods is producing culturally familiar, fortified, ready-to-eat meals with a 12-month shelf life, all without preservatives or refrigeration.
Forti Foods represents a shift toward smarter, locally driven food systems that reduce waste and improve access to nutrition. Nigeria alone loses nearly 60 percent of farm produce to spoilage due to inadequate processing and storage.
The company’s mission goes beyond convenience. It is tackling deep-seated problems in Nigeria’s food ecosystem—post-harvest losses, poor nutrition, and inefficiencies in large-scale feeding for institutions, humanitarian programs, and remote work environments.
Read also: How much did Hilda Baci’s Guinness World Record jollof rice cost? Find out!
“Our role at Forti Foods is to support farmers and communities in remarkable ways. We are revolutionising not just how food is produced, but how it is distributed – introducing dignity into food and ensuring that people without regular access to nutritious meals can still enjoy fortified, convenient, and culturally relevant food,” Adekunle told BusinessDay during the Antler Africa media roundtable in Lagos.
Adekunle’s journey into food innovation began far from home. Based in London for several years, she ran a successful meal-prep company catering to busy Nigerian professionals craving home-cooked meals. She later opened a restaurant and launched Cafe NG at the Nigerian Embassy in London, a space that became a cultural hub for Nigerians abroad.
Her move back to Nigeria marked a turning point. While volunteering with food banks in Lagos in 2018, she witnessed firsthand how chaotic and unsafe food distribution could be. “During one outreach, things went terribly wrong, as food wastage, disorder, and even children getting hurt. Despite our good intentions, it showed me how broken food distribution really was. I thought, there has to be a better way,” she recalled.
That moment inspired Forti Foods, built to solve food delivery challenges with a system that’s efficient, traceable, and dignified.
At its core, Forti Foods produces Fortify Ready-to-Eat Meals, nutrient-rich, shelf-stable dishes designed for scale and safety. These meals are vacuum-sealed and sterilised to eliminate bacteria and oxygen, the main causes of spoilage, thereby allowing them to stay fresh for up to a year without refrigeration.
The process, Adekunle explained, involves no preservatives or artificial additives. “It is pure food science and precision. Once the food is cooked, sealed, and sterilised, it stays safe and nutritious for 12 months. All you need to do is heat the pack in hot water before eating,” she said.
Forti Foods’ menu features dishes Nigerians know and love, including jollof rice, beans porridge, fried rice, rice and beans, tuwo shinkafa with peanut stew and even jollof spaghetti for younger consumers. “People eat what they recognize. Give a Nigerian soldier mac and cheese and he may not eat it. But jollof rice? That is comfort food,” she added.
What sets Forti Foods apart isn’t just convenience, it’s nutrition. The company collaborates with DSM-Firmenich, a global leader in nutrition science, to fortify its meals against hidden hunger and nutrient deficiencies that often go unnoticed.
Each meal aligns with the World Food Programme’s fortification standards for West Africa, containing essential micronutrients like iron, zinc, folic acid, and magnesium. Forti Foods also uses cooking methods that preserve vitamins and minerals, minimizing the nutrient loss that often comes with traditional overcooking.
Read also: Cost of making jollof rice surges 7-fold in nine years
“We want to ensure that people get real nourishment, not just calories,” Adekunle said.
The startup’s first target market is the defense and emergency response sector. Nigeria’s military and humanitarian agencies spend millions annually importing ready-to-eat meals from abroad. Forti Foods provides a locally produced, culturally relevant, and cost-effective alternative, while creating jobs and reducing foreign dependence.
“Our meals are already being tested in Borno State by a military arm. The feedback has been excellent,” Adekunle revealed.
Beyond the defense sector, Forti Foods is in talks with schools, boarding institutions, and humanitarian agencies like the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Red Cross. The company’s traceable packaging and streamlined logistics model also ensure accountability in meal distribution, something that is often lacking in relief programs.
With its fusion of food science, local culture, and entrepreneurial vision, Forti Foods is not just preserving Nigerian meals, it is preserving hope, dignity, and the future of sustainable nourishment.
Looking ahead, the company plans to expand into the retail market through a new product line called ‘Chops by Forti Foods’, targeting consumers seeking convenient, nutritious meals for travel, office lunches, and home use.
Forti Foods’ transformation from an idea into an investable venture came through Antler, a global VC firm that backs founders at the earliest stages. Adekunle joined the Antler Lagos (LOS1) cohort after being encouraged by a friend.
“At first, I didn’t see myself as a ‘startup founder.’ I thought of myself as a restaurateur. But Antler showed me that innovation isn’t limited to tech. Antler gave me the structure, mentorship, and capital to build a scalable solution with real social impact,” she said with a laugh.
Anil Atmaramani, partner at Antler Africa, praised Forti Foods’ vision as a perfect example of African innovation meeting global standards. “Forti Foods is redefining institutional feeding and food distribution through science, efficiency, and cultural authenticity,” he stated.
Lola Masha, partner at Antler Africa, said the firm was proud to back entrepreneurs like Adekunle who are building transformative solutions that solve real problems for Africa.
Read also: Nigerians spend 40% of minimum wage to cook a pot of jollof rice
Masha noted that Antler’s Lagos and Nairobi residencies have attracted over 20,000 applications and supported 38 founders, with 42 percent female participation, a strong indicator of inclusivity in Africa’s innovation landscape.
“Forti Foods exemplifies the kind of founder-led resilience we love to see at Antler. Adenike is proving that innovation doesn’t have to come from a lab or a codebase, it can start from the kitchen and grow into a scalable, global business,” Masha said.
Forti Foods is one of three standout ventures from Antler’s inaugural Lagos cohort (LOS1), alongside Cubbes, an edtech platform transforming how African students learn, and Raba, a lease-to-own financing startup empowering SMEs in manufacturing and food processing.
Together, these startups embody Antler Africa’s mission to catalyze innovation across sectors like food security, education, and industrial financing.
