Francis Kofigah is a budding serial entrepreneur with a BSc in Physics from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. After completion, he applied for one of MEST’s technology incubator programs, where he trained as a software engineer.
The entrepreneur started several startups, which failed, but that did not deter Francis. After garnering some experience and proceeds in 2016, he made an unconventional pivot into the food and pastry business. He founded Dough Man Foods with his co-founders, Karen Kofigah and Prosper Adzigbli. Over the past five years, Dough Man Foods has grown to become a household name and largest doughnut manufacturer in Ghana, with the three founders being a full force behind the business. Francis has received several young entrepreneurship awards and remains determined to build Dough Man Foods into a Pan-African franchise.
Dough Man Foods have grown to be the purveyors of the most amazing doughnuts to penetrate the Ghanaian market. Known as Ghana’s best restaurant for everything pastry; doughnuts, pastries, snacks, finger foods, breakfast options, lunch ideas, gift ideas, food ideas, the company leverages technology, branding, and leadership developments to offer the best to the Ghanaian market.
“Recently, we introduced the new line of business, the Dough Man Xcafe, where we serve delicious breakfast and brunch meals to our customers of pastries including doughnuts, dough burgers, samosas, spring rolls, muffins and more. We deliver across Accra and Tema at affordable fees,” the founders shared.
The founders tell DT Africa that the first doughnut was sold and fried in June 2016. Now, Dough Man Foods has four branches in Greater Accra and a customer base of over 100,000 individuals.
The young entrepreneurs further revealed that a typical day for the company starts as early as 4 am with several pounds of dough kneaded and prepped, ready to make delicious doughnuts and other pastries, including the famous dough burger. They receive numerous calls from as early as 6 am to deliver to several destinations within Accra. The company’s socials (WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter) and its website are always buzzing with order notifications.
“Once the orders arrive, we package and deliver within minutes via our stand by courier drivers. Our day normally ends around 10 pm after all orders have been delivered. Our topmost priority has always been our customers; that is why we spend countless hours working on better serving them and how we can always be there for each of life’s moments. Whether it’s a birthday, party, board meeting, a congratulatory gift, or to say “I miss you”, Dough Man is the right call to make. We take orders via call or text message and directly online on our website.”
“The journey so far has been both rewarding and challenging. Our delicious delicacies have made waves on social media and traditional media alike. Also, partnering with companies such as Uber, GT Bank, Vodafone Ghana, Cadbury and Cowbel have stamped our reputation as a credible brand. We strongly believe in the potential of this company to be Africa’s next multi-million franchise,” the team expressed.
On the other hand, it has not been all rosy for the company. They have had to deal with the ever-increasing cost of production without the mercy of customers to pardon price increases. They’ve had challenges locating available qualified personnel and reliable delivery and delivery aggregators. But like all success stories, Dough Man Foods rose above the hurdles and today are uniquely defining their business to present to their clientele a new way of celebrating life’s moments and dissipating cravings.
“Convenience just got redefined, and that’s what we are about at Dough Man Foods. Our quality assurance routine allows us to scrutinize each order before it’s delivered so our customers can be guaranteed the best sumptuous pastries every time.”
“At Dough Man, our quest is to redefine convenience and grant our customers the experience of that “kneaded” taste whenever they wish to celebrate life’s moments. In simple terms, if not food from Dough Man, then we’d rather not have food. It’s our goal to be around Africa serving the best pastries on the continent.”
Presently, Dough Man Foods has an industrious team of over 20 individuals, with 30% being women.
