Senegal: how Siny Samba wants to impose its brand of infant food
Published on the Jeune Afrique website
The engineer created the Lionceau, the first brand of child nutrition 100% made in Senegal. And aims to dominate the national market, or even expand to neighbouring countries.
La Piña (Spain), Hero Baby (Switzerland), Blédina (France), etc. In supermarket shelves in Senegal, parents who introduce their babies to food diversification are quickly faced with a limited choice, consisting exclusively of foreign brands. Brands that are recognized for the nutritional quality of their products, but which, in terms of taste, are light years away from local eating habits.
This is precisely what Siny Samba said in 2017 when she stayed in Senegal for her holidays. At the time, she was an engineer in the research and development department of Blédina (nearly 700 million euros in sales in 2020), a subsidiary of the Danone group dedicated to child nutrition. Today, the 30-year-old Senegalese is the founder and CEO of Le Lionceau, the first 100% made in Senegal infant food brand.