Born in the UK as the youngest of seven children, Chika was inspired from an early age by her Nigerian family who loved to cook and create recipes using unique African ingredients.
Africa is at the heart of her family. With every holiday spent in Nigeria immersed in the culture and food, the young Chika fell in love with the sights, smells and sounds. In particular, she fell in love with traditional street food made by Nigerian women to snack on, including fried “dodo” (plantain), roasted yam and “epa” (toasted groundnuts).
Her Nigerian childhood and the time spent with her friends and family cooking traditional recipes and sharing food, had a lasting impact on the young Chika.

As an adult, in the UK, she realised that African food is still hugely under-represented in the snack market. With a deep breath, Chika left the world of finance to share her passion for African inspired foods. Her ultimate purpose was to support girls, just like her childhood friends, through education to become confident women.

And so CHIKA’S the brand was born.