Yolélé Unifies Distribution
BROOKLYN, N.Y.— Yolélé, the Revolutionary African Food company and leading purveyor of the ancient West African grain fonio, is shaking up their business model. The purpose-driven company has transitioned out of a license arrangement with its long-time collaborator Woodland Foods that governed sales of Yolélé Fonio and Fonio Pilafs. Now, those two product lines join Yolele Fonio Chips in a distribution channel operated directly by Yolélé.
Concurrently with this shift (or at least as quickly as distributors allow), the company is reducing the price of Yolélé Fonio and Pilafs to distributors, which will result in a lower cost for retailers, allowing them to sell the products at a lower retail price. The company anticipates a reduction in the retail price point of its signature fonio and the fonio pilafs from the current $6.99 to $5.99.
“We consider ourselves lucky to enjoy a warm on-going relationship with Woodland Foods,” said Yolélé co-founder and CEO Philip Teverow. “Woodland has been with us since the beginning, playing a key role in getting our company off the ground. Both companies have evolved since then, and we are in agreement that the move away from the license will be best for all stakeholders and customers. We remain grateful for Woodland’s support.”
The transition should be invisible to retailers, who can continue to order all Yolélé Fonio and Fonio Pilaf products through distributors just as they have been. The only changes are that Yolélé will be the vendor, providing all promotional support for its brand; and the upcoming price reduction. The company hopes that the support it can lend as the vendor of record will contribute to programs that increase visibility and awareness for the brand and the products.
The ultimate beneficiaries of increased volume are the smallholder farmers who grow fonio for Yolélé. To accommodate growing demand for fonio among consumers and food manufacturers, the company is building industrial scale processing capacity for fonio in West Africa. This capacity makes the ancient grain a viable ingredient for global companies to use in their products as a way of meeting their sustainable development goals and documenting their achievements. Experts celebrate fonio as a climate-smart crop that thrives in poor soil with little water. Yolélé recognizes the grain’s untapped potential to re-green a region suffering from rapid desertification and climate change. The company plans to expand their line into other traditional and impactful African ingredients in the future.
About Yolélé
Yolélé was created to share delicious, vibrant West African ingredients with the world, beginning with fonio. Yolélé’s purpose is to create economic opportunity for smallholder farming communities; to promote biodiverse, regenerative farming systems; and to introduce Africa’s ingredients to tables around the world.
For More Information:
https://yolele.com
