Yatara African Foods
Yatara African Foods is a distinctive and authentic African food retail business located in Takanini, South Auckland. It has been serving the community with premium-quality African food products and offers home-cooked delights for those seeking authentic African flavours in New Zealand.
Adekemi Ajayi, the driving force behind Yatara African Foods, shared the journey of bringing a piece of Africa to Kiwis and the pivotal role that Smartpay’s EFTPOS solutions played in her growing business story.
Tell us about your business
“At Yatara African Foods, our goal is to offer high-quality African food products that are often hard to find in New Zealand,” Adekemi shared. “We take pride in bringing these products closer to the local community, enriching their culinary experiences.”
Originating from Nigeria, Adekemi Ajayi’s venture into the culinary world began as a supermarket and catering business in Nigeria. While living in Auckland, she recognised the scarcity of high-quality African food products in New Zealand. This sparked an idea. “I knew there was a large customer base within the African community that would be thrilled to have a taste of home,” she said brightly.
In 2019, Yatra African Foods was born out of Adekemi’s personal connection to her homeland and a passion for sharing its delicious flavours.
How do you manage and promote your business?
Adekemi took to platforms like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp to connect with customers seeking a taste of home. “The response was phenomenal,” she recalled. Demand continues to remain high for many of the products, as she tries to find the most cost effective ways to import more inventory.
Beyond retail, Yatara Foods is also a catering business, providing extensive menu options for various occasions, contributing to birthdays, weddings and funerals in the community.
While the business is largely driven by Adekemi’s passionate and relentless efforts, her husband also plays a crucial role in procurement and payment management. On occasion she will also hire temporary staff for busier days.
Is this your first time getting EFTPOS? Tell us about your experience
A newcomer to EFTPOS, Adekemi spent time online figuring out the ropes of EFTPOS providers and what they offer, which is how she discovered Smartpay. She had checked out around 4-5 providers and was drawn to Smartpay’s shining Google reviews, matching her search for reliability and quality.
“As a busy business owner, I don’t have much time to fiddle around with anything. I just needed a machine that was reliable, easy to use and was going to be delivered quickly because I had a deadline to have EFTPOS available within a week,” said Adekemi.
She added, “Smartpay just stood out to me because of the Google reviews and the information available online. The 12 months free EFTPOS rental offer was also attractive but most of all, I knew I needed quick service. That is exactly what I got from Smartpay! It was the exceptional support and proactive communication I got from Libby.”
“Libby was fantastic! She jumped into action getting the whole thing sorted,” said Adekemi. “She even helped with the bank side of things and I had my EFTPOS going within a week! Such a good experience.”.
Among the options you considered, what prompted you to choose Smartpay?
“I needed an EFTPOS machine that could keep up with our business. Whether it’s in the shop or at African markets or events, I needed to be able to collect payments on the go and Smartpay was able to offer that. But in particular, it was Libby’s exceptional support. Even with the tight deadlines that had to be met, she made it happen for me! It was this top-notch customer service and clear communication that was right on time, I instantly decided that Smartpay was for me,” Adekemi exclaimed.
She added, “The 12 months free EFTPOS rental offer also suited me well. Because I had done my research, I already knew the offers out there and the savings from the Smartpay rental suited me perfectly!”
What features did you find most useful in the EFTPOS solution we provide?
“A machine capable of accepting all forms of payments anywhere was my main requirement. With my Smartpay EFTPOS, I’ve got Wi-Fi for in-store use and a SIM card for when I am outdoors at markets and events. This suits me perfectly,” said Adekemi.
She also accepts payWave transactions for which Smartpay helped her set-up an automatic surcharge that adds the cost of acceptance to the customers’ payment transaction automatically.
“No need for any manual calculations from my side. Most customers don’t mind the surcharge and just tap their cards or phones. The others just insert or swipe their cards to avoid the surcharge. Either way, I am able to collect payments from my customers. I am really thankful to the helpful person in the Smartpay tech support team who set this up for me with patience and clarity. It was all done on the phone and super quick,”, said a satisfied Adekemi.
What are you most pleased with in regard to your Smartpay solution?
“For me, its’ mainly the fact that I can use it anywhere! I simply take it out at the markets and it’s good to go. As I said earlier, I am always pressed for time so I’d rather not be fiddling with technology and buttons. The machine is easy to use and the service from Smartpay is great,” she said.
“I also cannot deny that I’m very happy with the savings from the 12 months offer, because in the long run, that’s adding up to a good amount of money that I can use for my business along with the bonus savings from surcharging,” she added with a smile.
What would your advice be to other businesses looking to accept payments for their business?
“I only ask one question to those using EFTPOS and not using Smartpay: Why not? I absolutely recommend Smartpay to everyone. There’s no other payment solution that offers what they offer and their customer service is the best,” said Adekemi.
Supporting Yatara African Foods:
Providing African delights to Kiwis
We take great pride in supporting businesses like Yatara African Foods that highlight diversity, passion and bring the true grit of the entrepreneurial spirit to the forefront. It gives us immense joy to facilitate Adekemi’s business with a hassle-free and simple payment solution.
You can also grab a taste of Africa on Yatara African Foods website or follow their Facebook page and Instagram profile to keep up to date with their event updates, seasonal stocks, store specials and much more!
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