CONSUMER SERVICES
CREAM OF THE CROP
W ith its range of ice creams, yoghurts and
juices, Fan Milk International is helping
customers across West Africa to keep cool.
The company, which sells its refreshing
products in Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire,
Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso, was founded
in 1960 by Danish entrepreneur Erik Emborg.
The business still retains a link to Denmark,
where it has a team of technical staff but,
since 2013, the firm has been owned by
France’s Danone Group and the UAE-based
Abraaj Group.
“The group maintains an unparalleled
frozen distribution chain in its operating
markets and sells the majority of its product
via a dedicated network of agents and street
vendors,” says Edouard Spicher, CEO of Fan
Milk International. “Given the strong levels www.fanmilk.com
of urbanisation we are witnessing across Sector: Consumer Services
our markets, we have focused on optimising Country of operations: Multiple
our distribution system to ensure product
availability in high-density areas.”
Challenging economic conditions in recent
years have had an impact on consumer
Fan Milk uses bicycle
vendors to deliver its
products to customers
Ice creams, yoghurts
and juices are all part
of the company’s range
23,000
purchasing power, and the company has
taken steps to improve its own productivity to
ensure it can continue to provide high-quality
products to customers at affordable prices.
The firm has also revamped its executive
management team and invested in production
capacity, while increasing the number of
distribution agents and vendors to 23,000. distribution agents and
Fan Milk International still uses bicycle vendors currently sell
vendors, but it’s experimenting with other
methods too, such as solar-powered kiosks.
Fan Milk products
Edouard expects changes ahead. He says:
“Fan Milk will continue to be a household
name and a leader in the dairy and juice
space, but the mode of distribution is likely to
change as the indoor channel matures in our
markets and we’re adjusting for this impact on
our business model.”
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