One of Abuja finest chef, Taylaw just launched an online grocery store The Colony Market after opening The Colony Restaurant barely a year ago. We met up with him and he had this to say.
It’s Been 1 year and 2 months Since we opened in wuse 2 and Over 2 Years When We Opened Our First Spot In Partnership With Cafe Neo And The Ventures Park And Almost 3 Years When We First Had Our Pop Up Restaurant “The Colony”. We opened in Wuse 2 as the brand grew bigger and needed a new home with full artistic control and presence. We needed to establish our presence in the city.
TheColonyMarket.com is an online Supermarket with A Wide Range of Fresh Produce and Products Sold at the Lowest price you can find where you can buy now or Pay Later
Our Motivation is mainly to bridge the gap. As a business expanding and adapting is necessary during these times and It was our response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many people weren’t having adequate access to groceries nor cash to afford them and the palliative weren’t getting to people who truly needed them, so The Colony Market was created to solve these problems
Providing credit facilities to income earners who aren’t earning a salary due to lock down restrictions, so they can get essential groceries and household needs via our relief fund, identifying communities and people in need and providing weekly supplies for their families. Our Goal Is Over 200 Families Weekly
About competing with well established brands, he said:
The Sky Is Big Enough For Everyone To Thrive. Our Focus Now Is Ensuring People Can Shop At The Lowest Price As Affordability Is Key! And Providing Access To Shop On Credit As Cash Is King Now
On his expansion to Lagos, he had this to say.
Our Expansion to Lagos was me going back home and opening a true fine dining experience. I grew up in Lagos and moved to Abuja for Nysc about the same time when I started my company Chef Taylor. I was really excited about the Lagos opening Before the lockdown and in fact, we had planned to open Easter weekend but the whole situation now is placing all plans on hold as we continue to assess the situation. We need to survive first
On how the pandemic has affected his brand, he said: “We have seen a sharp drop in revenue, having to furlough 80% Of Our Work Force It’s Been Tough! We Are In A Sink Or Swim Situation Right Now! It’s Hard! But We Praying To Survive”
On his future plans he said: “Necessity Is The Mother Of Invention. You just wait and see”