THE now Emigoh Ghana Limited, a diary producing company at Pantang on the Aburi Road did not start as such. It begun as Steaks and Chops, then a food joint operated by the company’s current Chief Operating Officer at the Ashongman Estates, Accra.
The same applys to the company’s Yomi Yoghurt, a hot cake among the nutritionally conscious individuals. This product also started as ‘Fresh Yoghurt’, in the retailing drinks, Chops and Sticks food joint of Mrs Eku.
But with vision, dedication and a true commitment from her husband, Mrs Eku said the two have successfully turned the Chops and Steaks fast food joint, particularly her Fresh Yoghurt into a giant diary food producing company.
Taking the GRAPHIC BUSINESS through the roots of the company to its present stage, Mrs Eku said Fresh Yoghurt which has evolved to be known as Yomi Yoghurt was at the time heavily patronised by many people.
“Yomi Yoghurt started as Fresh Yoghurt as one of the products that I sold in the Steaks and Chops fast food joint. It was then under my drink menu and had a lot of patronage,” she recollected amidst smiles.
As a result, Mrs Eku said she together with her husband decided to package the product well for its teeming patrons, and perhaps for her husband whom she said also “loved the product.”
But as demand for the repackaged Fresh Yoghurt continued to soar, Mrs Eku said she, again with her husband resolved to devise more innovative ways of making the product even more appealing to meet the demands of its customers.
“We then started saving towards expanding the business” she said, adding that “while my husband saved from his salary, I also saved from the little that came from Steaks and Chops.”
Citing the then continuous high demand for the freshly prepared Yoghurt from Steaks, Mrs Eku said “the company reorganised its operations as a food joint at Ashongman Estates and later moved into full producing of Yoghurt products at Pantang, along the Aburi Road in 2005.”
family and businesswoman
Not all family businesses in the country and the world over have survived the test of time and expansions. Some of them die as they grow while others are left to stagnant mostly due to lack of co-operation or vision from the initiators.
According to Mrs Eku this is what she and her CEO-husband are fighting to avoid. “We are doing all possible to sustain Emigoh to reach the heights that we want it to be and we hope God would make it work.”
According to her, the Eku family had invested its time and resources into the company such that seeing it succeed would gladden their hearts.
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| Mrs Naadu Eku says the ECG's plays discos to the country's industry. |
Businesswomen are arguably faced with unfair competition from their male counterparts. For the men who are into business, family matters barely matter. As a result, most businessmen can be assured of their business time and mind to make and take business decisions.
For the businesswoman, however successfully operating a business would very much depend on how such a woman is able to tactfully combine family issues with teething business problems especially when one is married.
Mrs Eku thus advised businesswomen “to know how to manage their time and issues, especially when it comes to family and business matters.”
“You would always have to work hard to impress your husband when it comes to family matters and also do well to keep the business running,” she said
She, however said the continuos support from her husband and other family members from both sides had helped in diverse ways to push the six year-old company to its present status.
ecg’s discos
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has never impressed any industrialist in this country. For the business community, especially manufacturers who depend heavily on electricity for their operations. ECG has been a failure; it transmits inconsistent power to industry, a criticism the power provider has often attributed to lack of finance from he government to enable it sort out its numerous challenges.
As we speak now (referring to the time of the interview) the lights are off. It went off in the morning and is still (2:45pm) not yet on”.
She recollected that electricity in the area in some time past went off for close to two weeks causing them to rely on the company’s alternative power plant, a generator to fuel production.
interesting arrangement at emigoh
Aside its interesting product line of Yomi (the name of Mr and Mrs Eku’s first born) Yoghurt, Emigoh Ghana Limited also have interesting arrangements at its management level that are undoubtedly pulling the company to successful heights.
Prior to granting this reporter an interview at the company’s premises at Pantang, Mrs Eku asked the reporter to “please come and say hi to my boss.” While in the boss’ office, Chief Operating Officer of Emigoh said to the reporter: “Please meet my boss, Mr Eku. He is the CEO of the company.”
Little did this reporter realise that the said Mrs Eku’s Boss, the CEO of Emigoh Ghana was the husband of the lady in question.
“But he is my husband,” Mrs Eku later said adding that the two of them had resolved to handle office work as such and house matters as necessary.
“Whenever we are in the office, he is my boss and I address him as such but when we get home, he becomes a friend, my husband and everything that a wife and husband and husband-wife rules apply ,” she further noted.
To Mr Eku, the CEO of the Emigoh Ghana, continuous learning, both from the work and the family side has often done the trick. “Yes, we are at times faced with difficulties but by the Grace of God, we handle them successfully,” he added.
So, how does Mr and Mrs Eku handle their office matters, especially whenever there is a husband-wife hiccup in the house prior to coming to office?
Mrs Eku said “in the office, we handle office matters and back home, we also handle family matters.
Very well written article. God speed to you both. Will meet you both soon, in the New Year.
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