When Rite Foods Limited, makers of Bigi Sausages and Bigi Beverages, triggered a fresh war in the cola drinks market with its launch of Bigi Cola, not a few people treated the brand like an overambitious bug that would soon be squashed by competition from the big players. Barely two years later, the likes of Coca Cola and Pepsi are nursing bloody noses as Bigi continues to eat into their market share.
When the then-duopoly of Coke and Pepsi was broken by Big Cola from the stable of Aje Group, Rite Foods needed no invitation to join the fray with their own offering. In no time at all, their “bigger content for same price” strategy captured the imagination of Nigerians who began to dump Coke and Pepsi for the welcoming arms and unique taste of Bigi Cola.
The brains behind Rite Foods, Alhaji Suleiman Adegunwa, is a veteran of clasic business warfare who has brought his nous to bear in placing Bigi on a pedestal of pride and profitability despite having to face great odds with fewer resources. The one hundred percent Nigerian company, led by the man who made his name with digital photography with Fototek, has brought the big guns to the fight and is not backing down.
Ask the average Nigerian and they will tell you that Bigi Cola, along with the other five flavours that make up the Bigi Beverages lineup, is a breath of fresh air when compared to the monotony of Coke and Pepsi that have held sway in the market since time immemorial.
Unlike a few minor brands that feed off scraps of the turf war between Pepsi Cola and Coca Cola, Bigi has become a key player in its own right. Its ever-growing consumer base has become a source of lingering headache for the other players who have withdrawn to the drawing board to stop Bigi from completely taking over the market.