Seven years after launching his first food-processing venture, Togolese entrepreneur Salim Tebonou is starting a new chapter with HORI, a brand developed by HORI Group. The relaunch follows his departure from his previous venture, Fiowo. In this interview with Togo First, Tebonou discusses his entrepreneurial journey, his decision to rebuild from scratch and his ambition to establish Togolese tiger nuts in regional and international markets.
Togo First: Tell us about yourself and the origins of HORI.
Salim Tebonou: I am an agribusiness entrepreneur. I have invested heavily in processing and adding value to local agricultural products to help address health and nutrition challenges. I am the founder and managing director of HORI Group, which processes these products and markets them under the HORI brand.
My entrepreneurial journey began during my junior year of high school, when I started working on small projects. I moved into the digital sector at university before turning to food processing immediately after graduating. I had observed that most raw materials on the local market were sold unprocessed, only to return as higher-priced finished products.
I chose to focus on tiger nuts because they are widely available in Togo but rarely processed on a large scale, and their nutritional value remains largely unknown.
TF: Why did you choose tiger nuts in particular?
S.T.: The benefits customers said they experienced encouraged me to keep going, even during difficult periods. Tiger nuts are gluten-free, making them suitable for people with gluten intolerance. They are also naturally sweet and can be incorporated into flour blends and infant cereals without adding sugar.
They are highly nutritious and filling. A tiger nut-based meal in the morning can keep you full until 3 or 4 p.m. Tiger nuts also contain magnesium, zinc and calcium, nutrients that contribute to overall health. Many conditions attributed to other causes may actually be linked to nutritional deficiencies that a better diet can help address.
TF: What products does HORI currently offer?
S.T.: Our product line is built around staples such as tiger nuts, corn, millet and sorghum, as well as tubers including cassava and yam. We also process beans into flour for making petit gaou, a local bean fritter, and other types of fritters. Our aim is to make these foods more accessible and simplify cooking, particularly by reducing women’s daily workload.
Three new products set HORI apart in the market. HORI Booster is an energy product for adults made with tiger nuts and other ingredients, with no additives or chemical preservatives. HORI Choco combines tiger nuts, Togolese chocolate and dates. We have also developed a baby food based on a modern take on a traditional corn-based recipe, enriched with coconut to provide energy and support healthy development.
Alongside these new products, HORI offers an affordable flour blend aimed at a broad consumer market. Called HORI Croissance, it combines tiger nuts, corn and millet.
TF: Where does the name HORI come from?
S.T.: It is more than a name; it represents a philosophy. It comes from the word “horizon.” After everything I went through, starting over meant giving myself a chance to build a better future. The name expresses resilience.
I had to leave the company I had founded and start again from scratch, rebuilding the foundations so I could go further. HORI represents hope, resilience and the ability to keep looking toward the light without allowing setbacks to defeat you.
TF: What mistakes from your first venture did you want to avoid this time?
S.T.: The first lesson was not to mix friendship with business. I brought some people onto the team because they were unemployed rather than because they had the right skills. You have to hire based on what the business needs and assess objectively what each person can contribute.
The second lesson was that every employee and partner must sign formal agreements from the outset. At first, you may feel that everyone is on the same page, but that is not enough over the long term. I had no robust written agreements in place, only informal arrangements. As a result, part of my former venture continued operating under the old brand, and I was unable to prove that I owned it outright.
The third and most important lesson was that protecting a venture involves much more than registering a trademark. You must document and safeguard the concept, know-how and production process, while clearly establishing who originated the concept and controls its development, even when others have contributed capital or labor. Otherwise, taking legal action against someone who copies the venture may only cost you time and money if you lack the necessary evidence. With my three latest products, I have learned to disclose production methods strictly on a need-to-know basis, even to business partners.
The fourth lesson was not to underestimate anything, including in-kind contributions. I had allowed the venture to use a family property without properly valuing that contribution or formalizing my status as a salaried employee. Small details like these can become very costly later.
The final lesson was resilience. On the day I resigned, I did not even give myself 24 hours before starting again. You have to accept setbacks, but more importantly, you must recover quickly rather than waste time complaining.
TF: How did you manage the transition with your partners and customers?
S.T.: The first step was to meet with my partners and explain that I was no longer operating under the former brand. Some did not immediately understand, especially because my former colleagues kept that brand on the market, creating confusion.
Within one quarter, I had reconnected with about half of my partners. I have given myself until the end of December 2026 to complete the transition. I am also investing in trade fairs and other events to raise awareness of the new brand.
TF: How is the business performing financially?
S.T.: This relaunch comes with many challenges. We have to acknowledge that. The former company generated annual revenue of about CFA20 million. In HORI’s first quarter, revenue remained below CFA5 million.
We had to reinvest in equipment and working capital and take on substantial debt to keep the business running. Our current strategy is to consider bringing in equity investors while ensuring that the venture is properly protected from the outset this time.
About 95% of our market remains concentrated in Lomé and elsewhere in Togo, although market tests in Europe have generated positive feedback.
TF: Who are your current partners?
S.T.: The Business Restructuring and Upgrading Office, or BRM, a government agency, has supported us. For distribution, we work with pharmacies, supermarkets and platforms that promote locally made products, including Togo Mall.
Under our model, we focus on processing and rely on partners that are closer to local communities and consumers for distribution.
TF: What are your ambitions for the next three to five years?
S.T.: Entrepreneurship is not simply about starting a company and selling products in Togo. Our goal is to develop a strategy for expanding across the regional market, beginning with neighboring countries before entering more competitive markets such as Europe, where we have already received encouraging feedback.
This will require adequate equipment and financing, as well as more sophisticated packaging and branding so our products can compete internationally. Our ultimate goal is to reach an industrial scale.
Our vision is to establish Togo as a regional hub for tiger nut processing and make HORI a globally recognized brand in this segment.
TF: What final message would you give young entrepreneurs?
S.T.: I encourage young people to become entrepreneurs, but they must prepare before taking the plunge. Today, many people go into entrepreneurship because it is fashionable or because they want to be their own boss, without first acquiring the necessary management and personal development skills.
A company reflects its founder’s mindset. Training and preparing before launching a business gives entrepreneurs the best possible chance of overcoming difficulties instead of shutting down when they encounter their first setback.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi