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From Corner Shop to Billionaire Status: How Amoke Oge Became Chowdeck’s First Woman-Led Billionaire Food Vendor

In the bustling labyrinth of Nigeria’s food delivery ecosystem, where thousands of vendors vie for attention and consumer loyalty, one local food business has emerged as a shining beacon of possibility, grit, and digital-age entrepreneurship. Her name is Amoke Oge, and her story is not only redefining how Nigerians perceive the local “mama put” industry but also setting new benchmarks for women-led businesses nationwide.

As of May 2025, Amoke Oge, a local Nigerian food vendor owned by Hajia Amoke Odukoya, has recorded a whopping ₦2.3 billion in revenue and achieved an unprecedented 500,000 deliveries on Nigeria’s leading food delivery platform, Chowdeck.

This milestone officially makes her the first woman-led business to hit that mark on the platform, with an average order value of ₦4,600 per transaction. For a business rooted in traditional Nigerian dishes and humble beginnings, this is nothing short of revolutionary.

Last week, it was Korede Spaghetti, the iconic street spaghetti brand, who crossed ₦1 billion in sales. But today, it is Amoke Oge whose meteoric rise has set the entire industry abuzz. The success is not just about numbers—it is about rewriting the playbook for small business owners, particularly women, across the country.

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Hajia Amoke Odukoya started cooking out of necessity. Like many Nigerian women entrepreneurs, her journey into the food business was sparked by a desire to support her family, keep her children in school, and rise above the crushing pressure of urban poverty.

She began with a simple kiosk in the Opebi area of Lagos, serving steaming bowls of amala, ewedu, gbegiri, and assorted meats to construction workers, bank tellers, and students. Her food was not only delicious—it told a story. The spices sang of her Yoruba heritage. The portions were generous, and her prices remained empathetic to the average Lagosian.

What she lacked in capital, Hajia Amoke made up for in discipline and consistency. And when the opportunity came in the form of Chowdeck, she didn’t hesitate to take a bold leap.

According to Chowdeck, Amoke Oge was among the first 100 vendors to join the platform, having onboarded around 2–3 years ago. Chowdeck was then an emerging digital logistics and food delivery app trying to build a network of quality vendors who could deliver quickly and reliably.

Unlike many traditional food vendors who scoffed at the idea of “selling rice on an app,” Hajia Amoke saw the future.

“She was early. That’s part of her secret,” said a Chowdeck executive who preferred anonymity. “She didn’t wait to be 100% ready. She brought her food, her values, and her work ethic, and we provided the tech infrastructure.”

And just like that, the partnership blossomed.

Through Chowdeck, Amoke Oge was able to:

• Accept and fulfil orders seamlessly via digital channels
• Tap into a younger, working-class demographic
• Gain access to data analytics that guided pricing and menu adjustments
• Expand operations beyond her immediate locality

Her ability to adapt her operations to include logistics, hygiene upgrades, customer feedback, and real-time inventory management positioned her far ahead of her peers.

Let’s do the math.

With an average order value of ₦4,600 and over 500,000 completed deliveries, the numbers check out:

₦4,600 × 500,000 orders = ₦2.3 billion

It’s important to note that this doesn’t account for walk-in customers, catering gigs, or B2B orders from corporate clients. The actual total revenue may be even higher.

What this proves is that volume is power. Food, a basic human need, if scaled effectively, can be a multi-billion-naira venture—even without flashy branding or Michelin stars.

What can young Nigerians—especially women—learn from Amoke Oge’s success?

1. Start Where You Are

You don’t need a fancy kitchen, a logo, or a restaurant. Start from that tiny stall. Start with the ₦10,000 ingredients in your hand. Start with five customers. The key is to start.

2. Embrace Technology

Had Amoke Oge ignored the Chowdeck opportunity, she would have remained a local favourite, not a national legend. Leveraging tech platforms gives small businesses the power to scale beyond their immediate environment.

3. Consistency Trumps Glamour

While other vendors chase aesthetics, Amoke Oge focused on taste, hygiene, portion control, and prompt delivery. She knew the food had to taste great every single day.

4. Listen to Your Data

By tracking which dishes sold best, at what times, and in what locations, Amoke Oge was able to refine her menu, pricing, and packaging. Smart business decisions are data-informed.

5. Build a Strong Team

At 500,000 deliveries, Amoke Oge is no longer just a one-woman business. Behind the scenes are dispatch riders, kitchen assistants, customer service reps, cleaners, and tech liaisons. She has built a mini-empire with clearly defined roles and a shared vision.

Amoke Oge’s story is a game-changer for Nigerian women. In a country where access to capital, mentorship, and technology is often skewed in favour of men, her success challenges every limitation.

She proves that women can lead at scale. That a woman selling amala can out-earn top professionals. That gender should never be a barrier to financial breakthroughs.

“Women in tech doesn’t only mean coders,” said startup mentor and gender advocate Lola Fashola. “Amoke Oge is a woman in tech. She’s using tech to feed, grow, and hire. That’s impact.”

Credit must also go to Chowdeck, the Lagos-based startup rapidly disrupting how Nigerians access food.

By providing vendors with logistics, marketing, and payment processing, Chowdeck reduces the friction associated with traditional restaurant business models. Small businesses like Amoke Oge benefit immensely from such innovation.

This success also proves that Nigeria’s food-tech sector is not just viable, but scalable. As more Nigerians adopt on-demand food delivery, vendors who plug into the ecosystem early will reap enormous rewards.

“We believe that great food shouldn’t be limited by geography,” said a Chowdeck spokesperson. “Vendors like Amoke Oge are at the core of that vision.”

Just days ago, Korede Spaghetti, a street pasta vendor, crossed ₦1 billion in sales. He did it by selling simple, spicy spaghetti from pop-up booths and via delivery services.

Now, Amoke Oge has shattered that record with ₦2.3 billion in revenue.

The common thread? Volume and visibility. The more people who buy your food, the more you smile to the bank.

In a digital-first economy, what matters is not what you sell—but how accessible, reliable, and scalable your product is.

Nigeria’s food services industry is estimated to be worth over ₦10 trillion annually, with street food accounting for nearly 50%. But very few players know how to scale operations, harness data, or use tech platforms to maximize potential.

Amoke Oge’s story shows that the next billionaires will not necessarily come from oil or real estate—but from rice, beans, soup, and stew sold efficiently and digitally.

Hajia Amoke is now more than a food vendor. She is a mentor, a pioneer, and a symbol of what’s possible when you dare to believe in your small beginnings.

Young people, especially women, now quote her story on Twitter, WhatsApp groups, and TikTok as motivation.

“You don’t need to be ready. Just start,” they say, echoing her life principle. “Great things can be done from a small place.”

Sources say Hajia Amoke plans to expand into packaged meals, possibly launching a line of frozen local dishes for supermarkets across Nigeria. There are also whispers of her opening a culinary school for underprivileged women.

Whatever she does next, one thing is certain: the amala queen is only just getting started.

And for every young Nigerian hawking puff-puff, making zobo, or serving jollof at motor parks—this is your sign: from corner shop to tech-enabled kitchen, your billion naira dream is valid.