Breakfast cereals manufacturer, Weetabix East Africa, is going after the millennial market in Kenya with an expansion of its local plant, brand and distribution. The company announced its latest strategy to grow its market share in Kenya that mainly targets younger and school-going youth who, at nearly 13 million, comprise about a quarter of the country’s population.
Mr Dominic Kimani, Weetabix East Africa CEO, says research shows that there is an immense opportunity among younger people who are also changing breakfast cereal consumption habits. “For young people, high nutrient density of breakfast cereals, especially those that are whole grain or high in cereal fibre are an important source of key nutrients,” Mr Kimani said.
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He noted that millennials consider cereals a meal that can be eaten at any time, expanding it into a snack outside breakfast. “In fact, college-age millennials consider cereal a great snack,” he said.
Millennials want the ability to customize their food, creating an environment for innovative new ways to eat cereal and spawning a wide range of innovative products.
In response, Weetabix East Africa has renewed focus on the “kadogo” 37g pack version of its flagship WEETABIX breakfast cereal brand and an addition of two cornflakes variants named Fruity Fiesta and Fruit Frenzy to its portfolio.
It also includes an investment of more than Ksh85 million (US$500,000) in upgrading the manufacturing facility located in Nairobi and pushing the brands in the market. Of this, about Ksh23 Million has gone into the distribution channel, production process and consumer rewards, while Ksh62 million (US$400,000) has been pumped gone into upgrading the manufacturing capability and capacity over the past few months.
Speaking during the official kick-off of its national consumer campaign dubbed “Fyatuka na Weetabix”, Mr Kimani pointed out that diversity was driving the need for a high degree of differentiation to meet a wide range of consumer tastes and preferences.
Additionally, health consciousness is also growing, with consumers seeking natural, healthy and affordable products across the region. This, he stated, calls for a need to evolve with the times and invest in production improvements to optimize output and still deliver the right product to consumers at an affordable price.
Mr Kimani noted that the current economic times have put a strain on overall breakfast consumption in Kenya, with the new initiative designed to change this trend while at the same time bringing value to consumers as they seek to enjoy healthy choices.
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