How to Produce Detergent and Sell in Nigeria

Read the step-by-step guide on how to produce detergent and sell in Nigeria and make money from it. This post will guide you from idea to actualization.

Hi there! I am usually pleased whenever a new person decides to make that life changing decision to become an entrepreneur. The benefits of owning your own business by far outweighs the cost. This is even more fascinating when the costs are minimal, which in this case is true.

Being an entrepreneur doesn’t necessarily require large capital. In fact, most entrepreneurs that are successful today, actually started on a small scale. This helped them to carefully understand their business – every little bit of it – before they started expanding. They were able to take risks because in reality, risks are easier to take when the stakes are small.

They didn’t have so much to lose, so they had the opportunity of being creative and taking risks. This is one of the benefits of starting a business like the production of detergent.

You can start on a small scale with minimal capital, and expand with steady pace as your business grows. In this article, I am going to take you through the series of processes involved in the production of detergent and give you a breakdown of the perks of entering this very lucrative business.

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WHY THE BUSINESS OF DETERGENT IS LUCRATIVE IN NIGERIA

First of all, what is detergent? I just want to make sure that we are all on the same page here. Wikipedia explains that a detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with cleaning properties in dilute solutions, similar to soap, but more soluble in hard water.

Alright, forget the grammar and jargons, simply put, detergents are mixtures in powder or liquid form that are capable of breaking up and removing grease and grime. Some say that soap is a kind of detergent, but in Nigeria, what we understand by detergents are those powder things that we use in washing our whites or for other domestic and production purposes.

It can also be in liquid form. This is what the focus of this article is on. If you are Nigerian, then you are definitely familiar with brands like omo, klin, Ariel, etc. You should also have come across the liquid kinds in tubes and bottles.

These substances are used in every household. You just have to wash your clothes, or wash plates or clean tiles or other surfaces that need to sparkle. And from my experience, anything that is useful in every household is definitely a lucrative product to produce. The only problem here is that Nigerians are scared of change.

Nigerians get addicted to a brand to the extent that they call everything in that category by the name of that brand. From Maggi to Omo to Indomie. Once a Nigerian finds a product that works for him, he sticks to that brand. So your task as a new entrant into the industry is to try to lure him away from his favourite brand and make your own brand his favourite.

This can be done in many ways. Marketing is key. However we are talking about a product that is used in EVERY household in Nigeria. How are you going to market across the country without spending way too much, using the conventional means? That is why you must have a plan.

You are still going to advertise, yes. You are still going to give promos, you are still going to do all what not. But the first thing you must consider is that the already established products are also advertising. They are also doing promos.

They are also doing every thing you might plan to use as your marketing strategy. But you have one advantage over them. Your disadvantage. You have to turn your disadvantage to your favour.

What is your disadvantage? You are new. Simple as that. How does this help? You still have the luxury of determining your own price. The bigger companies will maintain their prices except in times of promo. But you can start at a lower price.

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Then you can show the users that a lower price does not mean lower quality. This implies that you will try to make sure your detergent does the job effectively. If a Nigerian finds another product that does what the one he is currently using does. And the other product is cheaper… He will move to the other one and think to himself ‘Nothing spoil’.

The next thing you should consider is packaging. If you want to compete with established brands, your packaging must be catching, convenient and conform with the trend in the market. Dont try to be too creative with packaging.

If you are going into the biscuit business, then make sure that if someone sees your product from afar, he already knows its biscuit. If you are going into the detergent business, dont package your product like powder milk. The three C’s of packaging popular products.

1. Catching
2. Convenient
3. Conformity

Also note that if you are going to be selling at a lower price, then your cost of production must not be too high. Therefore you must always seek the cheapest yet quality sources of material. Remember, quality. Equally, if you want to be creative and stand out, just make sure your creativity makes you outstanding, and not an eventual bystander in the business.

If you have any questions or face any difficulties, do not hesitate to contact us via email or using the comment box. We will get back to you and try to help you to the best of our ability so that you get into business on the right foot. Also remember to check back frequently as video guides will soon be made available, to give you the best assistance possible. Now to the main part most of you might be waiting for.

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HOW TO PRODUCE DETERGENT IN NIGERIA

Things you need:
1. Colourant/Dye : Most people prefer fresh blue.
2. Caustic soda solution
3. Unsaturated fatty acid oil
4. Sulphuric Acid: Not sulphunic acid
5. Perfume: This is not necessary, but hey, you want to entice your customers as much as possible, so you have to give them a pleasurable sensation when they use your product.
6. Soda ash
7. Catalyst
8. Ammonia solution

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STEPS REQUIRED to PRODUCE DETERGENT

Step 1: Pour 5 litres of the fatty acid oil (unsaturated) into a bucket. Make sure it is a big container, of maybe about 30 litres.

Step 2: Measure 5 litre of caustic soda solution in another bucket.

Step 3: Add the colourant into the first bucket. You can also add your perfume at this stage.

Step 4: Add soda ash into the mixture. You can also add hydrogen as a catalyst.

Step 5: Add sulphuric acid. Some people prefer to use sulphonic acid because of the dangerous nature of sulphuric. Sulphuric acts faster, however.
Note that add this stage, you the mixture begins to dry up, harden and break down. You have to be quick with whatever you intend to add next. Quickly add your colour and perfume if you have not added it earlier.

Step 6: Turn the other bucket of caustic soda solution into the mixture.

Step 7: Add ammonia solution to turn down the heat. Make sure your perfume is strong enough to overcome the smell of ammonia. Some people leave it out, though.

Step 8: Leave the mixture to dry or put it in an oven, and once its fully dry, grind it into powder.

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Congratulations, you are done and ready to start marketing and selling. Remember to package it very well and decide the sizes of packets you want to use. Who are you selling to? What will be the biggest size of your product? After you are done making these decisions, then you can start your business right away. Dont be afraid to make adjustments even while you are in business. However, you should always maintain quality. You can use any empty space as your factory for a start. Then you can expand with time.

I hope this article was useful to you. Remember to always check this site from time to time and contact us if you face any difficulties. Make your comments in the comment box and we will get back to you in time. We love to hear from you.

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