L-R: Kola Aladuge, Regional Technical Director, Coca-Cola Quality & Food Safety, US & Canada; Florence Nwaneri, Head of Research and Development, Sundry Foods Limited; Kojo Brifo, MD, Freddy Hirsch Nigeria; GodsPresence Ihezuo, Lead, Marketing and Communications, Freddy Hirsch Nigeria; Kofi Abunu, MD/CEO, Food Concepts Plc during the everything smoky jollof event in Lagos

 

Freddy Hirsch Nigeria has introduced a Smoky Jollof flavour system designed for food manufacturers, businesses to recreate the authentic taste and aroma of homemade jollof rice across multiple commercial food applications.

The Managing Director of Freddy Hirsch Nigeria, Kojo Brifo, said the flavour system was developed to preserve the smoky jollof taste familiar to many Nigerian households while making it commercially viable. He said the company sought to bridge the gap between homemade jollof and commercially produced food.

According to him, the Smoky Jollof flavour system is designed for use beyond jollof rice, with applications in noodles, pasta, sauces, mayonnaise, tomato paste, spice blends and other food products while maintaining a consistent flavour profile.

He said the company combined different natural wood smoke profiles, including hickory, mesquite and apple wood, to complement the spice blend, adding that the flavours were developed by Africans for African consumers.

He added that the company’s ingredients are already used in several food products available in the Nigerian market.
It’s Head of Product Development and Ingredients, Aishat Lamidi, said the company engineered the Smoky Jollof flavour system to perform consistently across different food applications.

“Every application presents a different technical challenge. Our goal was to engineer one authentic Smoky Jollof profile that could perform consistently across multiple formats without losing its identity,” she said.

Lead, Marketing and Communications at Freddy Hirsch Nigeria, GodspresenceIhezuo, said the event was designed to give manufacturers and technical partners first-hand experience of the flavour system. Ihezuo added that the initiative demonstrated how manufacturers can achieve consistent product quality through tailored flavour solutions.

The event featured live cooking demonstrations by Chef Seyitan, who prepared dishes including Jambalaya Rice, Stir-fry Jollof Noodles, Smoky Beef Sliders with Jollof-dusted Peri Peri Fries, Stir-fry Penne Pasta, Spicy Chicken Sandwiches with Jollof-spiced mayonnaise and Peri Peri Whole Grilled Chicken to showcase the versatility of the Smoky Jollof flavour system.