Varo Jollof Rice

Agency: Family(and friends)
Type of work: Commercial work
Location: United Kingdom

Varo. Nigeria’s food ambassador

Family (and friends) have helped bring a unique product, Jollof rice, to the shelves of Britain via its largest supermarket, Tesco.

Varo is a young company founded by Omamo Binitie, a Nigerian-born entrepreneur living in London.

The brand’s mission is to ‘bring the taste and spread the word’ for West African cuisine across Europe, USA and beyond.

Fueled by their passion for West African foods and the dynamic wave of trade happening across Africa’s most populous region, Varo has sourced the best quality ingredients and has faithfully followed traditional recipes – providing an authentic taste of home cooking and an unforgettable culinary experience.

“We love our national dishes – everyday foods, party foods and snacks – all with the true taste of home, but without you having to spend hours in the kitchen,” says Binitie.

Varo launched in February 2013 with its first product, ‘Moinmoin’, but Family (and friends) were appointed to help take the brand to a new commercial level to gain the interest of the multiples.

F&f helped Varo to uncover the special differences of the brand. New positioning was developed around the concept of ‘Nigeria’s Food Ambassador’ – uniquely bringing the authentic taste of Africa to the world in a convenient format, a territory usually reserved for Asian, Indian and Mexican style dishes.

The new packaging reveals the new strapline, “Come Home To…” both Varo and Nigerian dishes, along with bright, bold graphics that are inspired by African prints and traditional ways to serve the product.