The journey so far

Nile Nut Co.

Small-batch peanut butter made for busy urban households and neighbourhood retailers.

Nile Nut Co.FreshHome SchoolFlow Kigezi Grain

Sold asOne 500g jarUrban households and mini-supermarkets

Made inOne 20kg production runUnit economics come from this run

Prototype versions22 rounds of testing

Still assumed1Statements nobody has confirmed

Empathize and define

What the team learned, and what it still only believes

Every statement carries how it is known. A quotation and a guess are both numbers on a screen; only one of them should carry a funding ask.

Households buy peanut butter weekly but complain it separatesFourteen of eighteen households mentioned oil separation without being asked.

We saw it ourselvesSomething we saw

Retailers reject jars with inconsistent fill levelsThree of four shopkeepers had returned stock in the last month.

We saw it ourselvesSomething we saw

Locally made peanut butter is inconsistent between batchesConsistency, not price, was the reason given for switching brands.

A customer confirmed itA problem

Consistency is worth more to retailers than a lower price

A customer confirmed itWhat it means

Households will pay 15,000 for a 500g jarTested at cycle one and not supported at that price.

A customer confirmed itSomething we are assuming · testing did not support this

Retailers will stock an unknown brand without a listing fee

An assumptionSomething we are assuming

Ideate

What was considered, and why this one

The ideas that were set aside are kept. An answer to “why did this team choose this?” that lists only the winner is not an answer.

Sell in refillable 1kg tubsCheapest per gram and retailers already stock tubs.

Chosen

Sell in single-use sachetsRetailers would not stock them without a listing fee.

Set aside

Partner with an existing brandWould surrender the consistency the venture is built on.

Set aside

Prototype

Every version, and what each one actually cost

Cash spent and cost consumed are different numbers. Buying a hundred jars and using thirty eight leaves sixty two on the shelf, and charging all of them to one run makes the next run look free.

Version 1

Prototype V1

Prove a consistent grind is achievable with rented equipment

Yield86.4%22 kg in, 19 fit to sell

Cash spentUGX 400,000What actually left the bank

Cost consumedUGX 317,000UGX 83,000 still on the shelf

Cost per saleable unitUGX 16,684Divided by what can be sold, not by what was made

What it took	How it was obtained	Bought	Used	Cost of what was used
Industrial grinder hire	rented	—	—	UGX 50,000
Two people for one day	purchased	—	—	UGX 30,000
Groundnuts, grade A	purchased	25 kg	22 kg	UGX 154,000
500g jars with lids	purchased	100 jar	38 jar	UGX 38,000
Collecting groundnuts from Masindi	purchased	—	—	UGX 45,000

What workedThe grind was consistent across the whole run.

What did notThree kilogrammes were lost to over-roasting at the start.

What changed nextRoast in two smaller loads rather than one.

Version 2

Prototype V2

Reduce loss and test tubs instead of jars

Yield96.0%25 kg in, 24 fit to sell

Cash spentUGX 362,000What actually left the bank

Cost consumedUGX 312,200UGX 49,800 still on the shelf

Cost per saleable unitUGX 13,008Divided by what can be sold, not by what was made

What it took	How it was obtained	Bought	Used	Cost of what was used
Industrial grinder hire	rented	—	—	UGX 50,000
Two people for one day	purchased	—	—	UGX 30,000
Groundnuts, grade A	purchased	30 kg	27 kg	UGX 189,000
1kg refill tubs	purchased	40 tub	24 tub	UGX 43,200

What workedSplitting the roast removed almost all of the loss.

What did notTubs needed a heat seal the workshop does not own.

What changed nextPrice a seal, or pay the workshop per run.

Test

What happened when customers saw it

Willingness to pay is kept as the several observations it is. One number would be a guess wearing a decimal point.

Cycle 1 · tested prototype V1

Blind tasting at a market stall

Asked10People who saw it

Would use it9Said they would use it

Would buy it6Which is the harder question

Price put to customers	Asked	Willing to buy	Share	Note
UGX 15,000	10	6	60.0%	Jar, first cycle
UGX 12,000	10	9	90.0%	Jar, first cycle, lower price

Objections Two said the jar was too small for the price.

What this changed Test a larger size and a lower price per gram.

Cycle 2 · tested prototype V2

Repeat tasting with refill tubs

Asked12People who saw it

Would use it11Said they would use it

Would buy it9Which is the harder question

Price put to customers	Asked	Willing to buy	Share	Note
UGX 25,000	12	5	41.7%	1kg refill tub, higher price
UGX 22,000	12	9	75.0%	1kg refill tub

Objections One asked whether the seal would survive transport.

What this changed Confirm a heat seal before quoting retailers.