Entrepreneurship Zone: 24 March 2023 :: Interview: Miya founder reveals strategy for selling water in Senegal

Fri Mar 24 04:48:55 CAT 2023

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Entrepreneurship Zone: 24 March 2023 ::   Interview: Miya founder reveals
strategy for selling water in Senegal

*          

Although over 80% of the Senegalese population has basic access to water
services, a considerably smaller number can access safe water. Contaminated
water persistently contributes to the spread of diseases.

Established in 2019, Miya is a Senegal-based water company that aims to
provide a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to the predominant
brands in the West African nation. In this interview, Miya’s founder, French
businessman Pierre-André Térisse, who formerly headed Danone in Africa,
provides insights into the company’s operations.

* The answers have been slightly edited for clarity.

Discuss the approach Miya has taken to increase its customer base and gain
market share in the face of competition from larger companies with bigger
marketing budgets?

Our goal at Miya is to give access to high quality water. From the very
beginning, our focus has been on setting the lowest possible prices without
compromising our business model, as we need to generate profits. By opting
for large reusable bottles, we manage to keep our costs low, enabling us to
sell 19-litre containers at 1,200 CFA (US$1.97). This is in comparison to
the main market offering of a 10-litre disposable bottle at 1,000 CFA. Our
pricing presents a 35% saving for the consumer, making our product
inherently appealing.

To make our water widely available, we’ve established a direct distribution
network, which currently supplies over 2,000 stores in the greater Dakar
region and continues to expand. Although our marketing efforts have been
limited to door-to-door activation so far, we’re considering the use of more
prominent communication channels as we grow.

In an earlier discussion, it was mentioned that Miya operates decentralised
production facilities across various locations in Dakar. How has this
approach influenced the company’s business operations?

Initially, we established small-scale plants and stores in various areas of
Dakar, including Médina, Grand Yoff and Niary Tally. However, we realised
this approach was unsustainable for two reasons. First, maintaining
high-quality standards required scaling up to absorb the associated costs.
Second, the convenience of our 19-litre water dispensers relies on extensive
distribution, which could only be achieved through existing shops.

As a result, we invested in a modern facility in Thies and developed a
distribution fleet comprising small trucks and tricycles. We believe this
approach strikes the optimal balance between affordability, high quality and
wide distribution to effectively compete in the market.

Could you elaborate on the potential growth opportunities and prospects for
the company?

As Miya continues to grow and reach breakeven in Dakar, we are exploring an
even more affordable solution: a water ATM named Odissi. This solution
offers 10 litres of bulk water for just 300 CFA, half the cost per litre of
the Miya’s product and 30% of the price of the competition’s popular
10-litre option. Similar offerings already exist in various areas of Dakar
but we believe this presents a significant opportunity to serve additional
customers that Miya can reach, thanks to our established network and teams.
These water ATMs would be a breakthrough in terms of access to high quality
drinking water for mass market consumers.

The company’s new Odissi water ATMs.

With Miya and Odissi, we’re confident that we have two offerings capable of
success in numerous cities across sub-Saharan Africa, as both address key
regional issues: access to clean water and plastic waste reduction.
Consequently, we are considering expanding our presence to other cities in
the coming years.

- Howwemadeitinafrica

Invest Wisely!

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