If you have not tasted Beloxxi cream cracker, you probably have seen it in shops and market places. And if you have not, your child probably has had a romance with it. It is a delight for both children and adult.
But many people perhaps don’t know the biscuit is made inNigeriaexcept for those who care to look at its wrap. It is a proudly Nigerian product made by Beloxxi Industries Limited.
Recently, a team from the Managing Business for Christ including Church Times Nigeria paid a visit to the company’s site on a fact finding mission.
“A member of the MBFC had cause to make some inquiry concerning the cream cracker and we were surprised at the way the company responded and the way it took the pain to offer some explanation. That was what prompted the visit. We feel that a company that is so concerned about its customers and with the level of standard we have seen so far must have the fear of God” says the managing director of MBFC, Dr. David Abraham.
The company which is situated on the outskirt of Agbara Industrial Estate in OgunState, indeed has a touch of class. You can’t miss the serenity. An unusual equanimity seems to define the environment. As the MBFC team got to the company’s arena it was ushered into the biscuit factory by the head of personnel of the company, Augusta Awiaka and the company’s customer care cum business development officer, Stella Emenike. Just at the entrance of the factory one has to go through a ritual of hand cleansing; first with water and then with disinfectant.
The factory is a massive site to behold with high tech equipment occupying a reasonable part yet with a lot of space to maneuver within. The machines range from the mixer to the machine that molds and processes the biscuit down to the one that cuts it and processes its packaging. A long winding process gives birth to the cream cracker after which they are allowed to undergo a natural cooling process before they are finally packaged into wraps and then cartons.
The wraps, according to Awiaka are of such high quality “It is literarily difficult for anybody to clone. We take the pain to have a packaging material that is of world class. The wraps are of such high quality that it will not make any sense for anybody to have a fake version of the biscuits. We have not had that experience,” She stated.
Giving an insight into the making of the biscuit, the Quality Control executive of the factory, Irehorbude Abijah explained that a total of 19 different ingredients including butter and flour go into the production of the cream cracker. “Here we don’t joke with quality. That is why we follow due process in the production of the biscuit.”
She says the cream cracker has a life span of one year though they are almost consumed as soon as they are supplied to the market adding that the company is yet to meet market demand. “Because we can’t meet demand the company had to introduce the third manufacturing line. Presently about 1200 cartoons are produced on a daily basis.” she said.
Corroborating Abijah’s claim, the company’s head of marketing, Abigail Okafor disclosed that “two airlines: Lufthansa and Ethiopian Airlines patronise the company. The airlines actually called to request that we supply them our biscuits for their customers. So, it is what they serve their customers on board”
Continuing, Abijah who took the pain to answer questions from the MBFC team, said the biscuit has also been packaged to meet the health need of consumers. “These days there is a general warning against massive consumption of sugar. For those who care for their health and especially for children, eating our kind of biscuit is the best thing that can happen to them because it is low in sugar,” she affirmed.
In a later interaction Awika who heads the company’s personnel pointed out that the company has deliberately maintained a policy of engaging young people and training them. “Most of the heads of departments and the general staff are young people. It is a deliberate policy to encourage young people and give them opportunity to grow. We employ and train rather than ask for experience. That is why we are different” she says.
In a short meeting to wrap up the visit, Dr. Abraham of the MBFC noted that the company has demonstrated its commitment to God and the service of humanity. While praying that God will continue to strengthen it, he encouraged the management to keep on doing what is right and hold on to the principles of Christ.
He said further, “We had occasions to make some observations and we are enthused by the way you responded in a way more than we expected and we do also appreciate the corporate culture of greeting by the staff of the company. I discovered that every staff who passes by us greeted us. We have been to factories in other nations of the world and we see that Beloxxi is not left behind. We are impressed proud and satisfied that God has given us a gift in making Beloxxi stand out and we do express our appreciation to the staff and management of the company.”
While disclosing that that MBFC is a charity organization, he said, “Our vision is to help both growing and well established business achieve their utmost potential.”
