₦292bn half year profit behind it, BUA Foods takes Bakers Pride Flour to Kano's bakers

BUA Foods has spent 2026 proving it can make more money while selling for less. Revenue fell 16% to ₦765.12 billion in the first half, yet profit after tax climbed 12% to ₦292.27 billion. Now it wants a bigger slice of the bread business, and it went to Kano to ask for it.

At a trade launch in the city over the weekend, the company unveiled Bakers Pride Flour, pitched at the bakers, distributors and wholesalers who decide what ends up in Nigeria's ovens. The brand is built on three promises: Smart Choice, Dependable Baking and More Possibilities. It is aimed at everything from the conventional loaf to gurasa, the flatbread that is a staple across the North.

"Today, we are not merely launching another product," said Ayodele Abioye, BUA Foods' managing director, adding that the company is "opening a new chapter of opportunity" for consistency, productivity and value.

Why a flour launch matters for a sugar giant

The numbers explain the move. BUA Foods' gross margin jumped from 37.2% to 47.5% between the first halves of 2025 and 2026, and its net margin rose from 28.5% to 38.2%. That is the profile of a company squeezing more out of every naira of sales, which is exactly what you want to stretch across more product lines. Its half year release flagged expanding wheat milling capacity, and a branded flour aimed squarely at commercial bakers is the obvious way to put that capacity to work.

The catch is the competition. Flour is one of the most contested aisles in Nigerian food manufacturing. Flour Mills of Nigeria, which bought Honeywell Flour Mills in 2022, and Olam Agri's Crown Flour Mills have spent years locking in baker loyalty, and bakers are famously price sensitive. Switching brands means retesting recipes, and few small bakeries want that risk on a busy week.

Selling through the trade

BUA Foods is leaning on its distribution network to win them over. "Our distributors, wholesalers and retailers are critical partners in our success," said Alim Liman, general manager for sales, who said the company would work with them to widen availability. Adewunmi Desalu, general manager for brand and corporate communications, framed the pitch around bakers' margins: "Baking is both a skill and a business."

The company did not disclose prices, pack sizes or volumes, so it is too early to say how hard it plans to compete on cost. That is the number investors will want next.

BUA Foods has the margins to fund a serious push into flour, and launching in Kano puts it at the heart of northern baking demand; whether bakers switch, and what it costs in price, will show up when its full year results land.