Charlotte Flavienne Binya, an innovative agri-food processing entrepreneur from Cameroon — Lionesses of Africa

What inspired you to start your company?

I have always been a fighter and I have done several varied jobs so far. I created my business from all this experience because it was an obvious choice for me.

Why should anyone use your service or product?

Apart from the fish sausages which were our first innovation in the business, the uniqueness of our products is that they are natural and without chemicals, have a long shelf life, and are made from natural ingredients.

Tell us a little about your team

My team is mainly made up of women, headed by a woman like me. Our accountant is a young graduate of the University of Douala with 2 years’ experience, she is 25 years old. The sales manager is a 32-year-old and a graduate of business school with over 8 years of experience in marketing and customer management.

Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?

My classic day starts at 4:30am. I get up, I say my prayers, then at 5.00am I go to the market to do my restaurant’s shopping (I forgot to mention, Country Foods is at a branch called Kontry Tchop which is a restaurant chain based in Douala since May 2021). After the shopping I spend time in the kitchen where I cook until 10.00am at the most. After that, I then get ready to go to Country Foods where I supervise the production of our food products and oversee the smooth running of things until 6.00pm, where I then return to the restaurant until 9.00pm…and so on.