How To Start And Make Money With Bitter Kola Exportation

how to export bitter kola from NigeriaThere is no doubt that Bitter kola is really a gold mine for Nigerian exporters. That is why I shall be talking about how you can export Bitter Kola from Nigeria to any part of the world. But before you start exporting Bitter Kola; you need to understand some basic things about this business (Bitter Kola export business).

You don’t need to be a millionaire before you start this business and you may not need to go through the rigors of shipping with the containers or Nigeria export promotion council (NEPC) just as I have told you before now.

Kola is usually in two varieties namely bitter kola (Orogbo) and kola nut (Obi); then kola nuts is further sub-divided into Gworo and Igbo Oji. While gworo is mostly consumed in the Northern part of the country, Igbo oji is mostly consumed in the Eastern part of the country, where they play a very significant role in the custom and tradition of the people.

Garcinia kola also known as Bitter Kola is a species of flowering plant in the Clusiaceae or Guttiferae family. It is found in Benin, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone.

Garcinia-Kola treeHow many of us know that Bitter Kola is actually plucked from the like oranges? Afer plucking the fruits; you break it and collect the seeds (Bitter Kola) in it.

Garcinia-kola-fruit-cut-openImage source: (arkive)

Bitter Kola {Garcinia Cola} is one of the varieties of kola that can be found in the Nigeria which are mostly found in Ondo, Oyo, Ekiti and southern part of Nigeria in large quantity while the return on investment of bitter kola is estimated between 10%- 15%.

Cross-section-of-Garcinia-kola-fruit--showing-seedsImage source: (arkive)

Bitter Kola Season

It will surprise you that Bitter Kola is a seasonal product. The product is usually available in the market between March to November of the year.

Uses of Bitter Kola

There are so many uses of Bitter Kola in and outside the country but here are just four major uses of Bitter Kola

  1. They are used in the preparation of drugs in the pharmaceutical industry.
  2. They are used in the production of cola soft drinks.
  3. They are used in the production of energy drinks
  4. They are used for food purposes.

Bitter Kola Quality Control and Certification

If you want to export your bitter kola; it is important your production meets the following conditions. It is a standard in the industry of Bitter Kola that must be met else…one may live to tell stories that touch.

  1. It must be FREE from STONES
  2. It must be FREE of SAND
  3. It must be CLEAN i.e FREE from dirt.
  4. It must be FREE from Nylon and Paper
  5. It must not be moldy
  6. It must Not Be adulterated

Bitter Kola Processing and Packaging

In the international market, bitter kola is always required in two forms, FRESH and DRIED. However, most importers (or buyers) always want them DRIED. The drying must be done in a way that the colour and taste of the Bitter Kola is not affected.

There are three basic ways that you can dry Bitter Kola. They are:

  1. Sun drying
  2. Natural drying
  3. Mechanical drying (using drying machines).

Though, Sun drying is the common method in our villages but exportable products for international market; it is not accepted. That is why sun drying is not used for exportable Bitter Kola because the sun will likely change the color of the Bitter Kola.

The Natural drying method: This method is the process whereby you spread your bitter Kola in a room FREE from direct sunlight and rain but with lots of ventilations for a week; then pack for export. In this method air is the only thing needed. This method is greatly encouraged among Bitter Kola exporters. If the Bitter Kola is allowed to dry naturally, the butterfish color of the product will not be affected. The purpose of drying is to reduce the moisture content.

Drying by machines: this is the process whereby the Bitter Kola is dried by a machine either fabricated or imported. It is also encouraged among exporters.

Packaging of Bitter Kola does not require a standard packaging method. The quantities of product to be exported at a point in time determines the packaging method. However, any prospective exporter can use the type of bag used in packaging rice.

Measurement Used in BITTER KOLA exportation

If you are new to this business you need to familiarize yourself with some terms. E.g tons and kg.

Ton is the recognized international unit of measurement that is used in export, it represents a total of 1,000kg weight of any product including Garcinia-Kola (bitter-Kola). That simple means that 1,000kg equals 1 TON. So mathematically 10 TONS will be seen as 10,000Kg

21 thoughts on “How To Start And Make Money With Bitter Kola Exportation”

  1. Sir, can you prescribe a good export procedure for me? I have bought a numbers of manuals both import and export. But they are all suppositions in one way or the other. This cola export sounds good to me.

    Reply
  2. pls sir concerning the bitter kolar export, i have a friend in london who promissed to get a buyer for me. if i have this buyer tomorrow how can i possibly export this good. since i dont have any registered business in this regard thanks. jphn from imo state

    Reply
    • @ John, depending on the quantity of the Bitter Kola export sir. if the quantity is small you don’t need any registration or documentation but if the quantity is large then you need some documents.
      However, if you don’t have the documents required for such large export then you can talk to an exporter to help you. If you need a register exporter to help you in this regards please send me a mail.
      thanks for visiting EarnBae

      Reply
  3. Thanks Sir,when one is registered with exportation requirements.Can you also export bitter kola in a small scale i.e like 200 kg to your buyer.

    Reply
    • @Mike, Unfortunately I am not a Bitter Kola exporter. Honestly, base on my findings; I don’t think you can do Bitter Kola in small quantity except you are sending out a SAMPLE ORDER.
      Thanks for visiting Earn Base

      Reply
  4. Thank You sir Pls where is the International market and how will help me to exporting it I am Emmanuel I live at Ifon In Ose LGA of ONDO State

    Reply
    • @Faith, the basic requirement for this business just like every other businesses is KNOWLEDGE!
      That is why you have EARNBASE; make sure you have the right knowledge before going into any business if you do not want to be a prey.
      Thanks for visiting earn base

      Reply
  5. Very intresting and useful information.
    Pls is there a market for it locally and internationally if yes pls how can one get genuine buyers, thanks.

    Reply
    • @Daniel, thanks for following this far sir. As for your question; yes there is a market for it locally and internationally! Coming to your questions of how to get genuine buyers, there are so many ways to that:
      1) Buying contacts from an agent
      2) Using B2B; most of which requires registration fee e.g Tradekey
      3) Buying contacts from EarnBase
      and many other ways…
      However, being in the circle of exporter is also very important sir; as you will always have latest information to exportation trends as it changes with time.

      Reply

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