Puff puff is a common delicacy in Nigeria; a delight that sisters Marianne, Fola, Yossie, and Lola Olaleye shared while growing up in their mother’s bakery. 

To advance their education, the family moved to the United Kingdom in 2007, where they settled in North London, and pursued degrees that have propelled their personal career goals. Starting a family business was something they each dreamed about. So, when their father suggested the name “Puff Puff Ministry” in their family group chat, Yossie immediately went to register the company, and buy the domain names. At this point, the family did not have a clear vision of what Puff Puff Ministry was going to be.

Birthed during the COVID-19 global pandemic, Puff Puff Ministry, through extensive preparation and hard work has grown tremendously. The various global lockdowns and social distancing forced people to be online more, and this made it easier for the business to build a solid community.

As the world slowly moves back into the rhythms of normalcy, the founders of Puff Puff Ministry are looking forward to meeting their community and new customers through live pop-ups.

AMAKA sat down with the sisters to talk about their heartening journey so far…

AMAKA: The primary inspiration for Puff Puff Ministry is your mother as she owned her own baking business. Was continuing what she started the goal for your business?

Marianne: Growing up, we were always quite close, not as close as we are today, but we did most things together as siblings. We always knew that we were going to start a business, and we knew we were going to start it together.

For us, this business was very much about legacy, and the way to ensure that is to do it as a family. So that’s why it had to be us, as sisters.

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AMAKA: Speaking of legacy, was it important for what your business produced to be Nigerian?

Marianne: I would say so, because as the story goes, we grew up in our mom’s bakery in Nigeria. We moved here, and so many people complimented her puff puff. We saw a gap in the market; there wasn’t really any West African desserts, and we knew everyone knows puff puff [sic]. You go to a party in Nigeria, or an African party, and everyone is eating puff puff. So, it was important that we shared that part of our upbringing and culture, and take it on that global scale. 

AMAKA: According to Heels and Hustle UK, you spent one year researching before launching Puff Puff Ministry. What did that one year look like, and what difference did it make? 

Yossie: For us, it was important to understand the market landscape, and what I mean by that is, there is no shortage of dessert options across the world. Puff puff is very similar to a doughnut, so we thought if this is similar to a doughnut then what exactly is the gap that we’re filling?

Apart from the doughnut comparison, there was also an element of puff puff being something everyone can make at home, whether it’s perfect or not. All you need is flour, sugar, yeast, water, and spices.

So it was one of those things where we thought if we bring this to, first, a Nigerian, then West African, and then broader African audience, what is it about this product that’s going to make them say, ‘Here’s my money. I will buy your product.’ 

It was a lot of thinking, and testing before we went live. We posted to each other to see how long it takes to arrive, and what condition it arrives in. We tested reheating so you enjoy [the puff puff] as we intended for you to enjoy [it].

There was also the practical, legal, and regulatory aspect. If we were going to start a food business, what did we need to have in place? Then just general business research went into it.

We had a phased launch plan which started by only selling to people in a certain vicinity or post code range. Then we moved to shipping across London, and finally, widely across the country. 

Fola: The reason we had to do so much research, and really take our time is because we wanted to make sure to launch Puff Puff Ministry at a certain level.We are still learning and researching now, almost two years on. But I think that one year [of research] was critical in allowing us to have a good head start, and it’s more gradual learning and improvement.

Marianne: We weren’t launching a brownie or a doughnut company, we were launching something completely new. There was no other company in the UK selling puff puff as a dessert. So we knew that a lot of Nigerians, and other Africans would know what it was, but even then a lot of them would have suspicions about posting it…people are used to eating it at home, fresh from the pot. We had to lower their anxieties about putting puff puff in a box, and sending it to anywhere in the UK.

Every single thing that we’ve put out there, we’ve tested it extensively. Especially because we’re a completely new category, and we wanted to ensure it’s at the highest possible level. 

In that year of research, we had an Instagram page set up. We made some puff puff, did all the drizzles, and posted that online to see the response, and it was all great. So, by the time we launched Puff Puff Ministry officially on August 1, 2020, we already had an Instagram feed with pictures and content where you could see the product. We had about 40 or so followers, so by the time we said, ‘Hey, we’re taking orders’ we weren’t speaking to the void. There were people who were interested, and everything took off from that moment. 

As Yossie said, we had planned a phased launch, but two weeks later, we had to move to the next phase instantly. Initially, we were supplying puff puff on Saturdays; our dad was doing deliveries for us to people in North London. In those two weeks, we had people in South London, Scotland, Wales, all over basically, asking if we could send puff puff to them.

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AMAKA: When I convert your boxes of puff puff into my currency, I believe they would be considered a luxury item. Does the same translate contextually?

Yossie: The very simple answer is yes. Our puff puff is a luxury item because it’s not just puff puff, it’s an experience — we use this language in everything we do. There is puff puff you can wake up and make, but there is our puff puff that is a box of joy.

We’ve thought about all this down to the cuts; the way we arrange the boxes. You open it, and there is a message, ‘Hey there puff puff lover…’, so we’re talking to you directly — it’s a personal experience.

Marianne: The price is also justified in the quality of the ingredients that we use; that is something that sets our product apart. There is puff puff, and there is Puff Puff Ministry’s puff puff. 

Even though it’s something you can make at home — it’s a science. That’s why you have people saying that they tried to make puff puff but the inside was still raw, or the outside was too crispy. You have to know what you’re doing, and you have to have a really good recipe, and really good ingredients.

We have received emails where people are saying, ‘How dare you charge this much for puff puff. What’s wrong with you?’ At the same time, we have repeat customers, and those are the people who see the value in what we’re offering, who see why this is more than just puff puff that you can ask your friend, or your mom, or your aunty to make — it’s a lot more special than that.

Fola: It’s also not just puff puff in the sense that we are offering you a wide variety of toppings. We’re really pushing the boundaries of what puff puff can be, and that’s something we’re really proud of. I think a lot of people recognize that. I mean who has time to be melting chocolate? We’re giving you all of that in a box; we’re giving you consistently round balls of puff puff — it’s convenience and quality that you’re paying for. We take so much time and effort to make sure that every single box gets high attention to detail. We put in care.

PuffPuff Ministry will be a vendor at AMAKA's launch/first-year anniversary party at the end of the month. Find out more information on the events page here.