11th Nov, 2016
Fourteen years ago in Malaysia, Robert Omole set upon a journey in a new country as a lecturer. At his core he knew another adventure awaited him. There was an unnerving urge to set upon his own journey and be completely independent of the shackles of daily life’s struggle.
While immersing himself in the Malaysian culture, Robert encountered a unique delicacy – personalized chocolates. It was this simple confectionery item that peculiarly struck a nerve with his forgotten creative side. He saw an opportunity present itself and in a larger sense, a feeling of relief.
Robert officially launched Chocolate World in Kenya in 2015. During his time in Malaysia, Robert immersed himself in understanding the creative process of being a chocolatier. Even during his market testing process in 2014, Omole knew that his product would find a niche in the market.
“We essentially created a market for it [personalized chocolate], it was something that wasn’t there two, three years ago and we turned it into something that corporations could embrace as a branding tool. It’s not only for corporations, we additionally knew that we could market this for the retail platform” Omole stated.
Robert was naturally apprehensive about easing onto a new career path – especially one that directly placed him as the sole developer. It was his “risk-taker” attitude that motivated him to continue with his journey. Besides the many unknown factors yet to present themselves, Omole felt comforted in the strength of his product.
“When you wake up, you know this is something you want to do long into the future. I loved lecturing but being able to make chocolate is something you can’t compare with any other job. I can interact with my customers directly and see how my product impacts their businesses and my retail customers. I can directly see my contribution to other business and individuals.” Omole stated.
He began doing market research in 2014 and was overjoyed, but not surprised, when the reception was well-received. Omole relied on his savings, profits and support from family and friends to maintain the growth of Chocolate World, but he knew he’d quickly need to find a solution to match the growing demand.
When he heard about the Lions’ Den opportunity, he immediately knew this was the solution he was seeking. The opportunity for partnership provided by the Lions’ supported the vision that Omole had in mind for Chocolate World.
Omole presented on the third episode of Lions’ Den watch here where he pitched his product for an investment of KSH1.6 million for 20 percent of the equity.
“As I was standing there I thought, you don’t have a good product for them, they don’t like your product and all of sudden there was this overwhelming response to it! It was basically like, you have to make the decision here and now, so it was a mixed reaction.” Omole amusingly said.
Darshan Chandaria and Olive Gachara offered Sh 1.6 Million for an equity of 40 percent, which Omole happily accepted.
“By and large, I was very relieved. It was a confirmation that, hey I think you have a good product on your hands.” Omole stated.
It’s the connections that his partners maintain that provided Robert comfort in that sudden moment of pressure. Robert will use the funding to acquire additional equipment to meet his increasing demand and to support marketing communications.
Darshan’s extensive background in production, manufacturing and retail development and Olive’s understanding of marketing were a perfect fit for the expansion of Chocolate World.
“You can spread yourself thin with the various parts of running a business – marketing, finance, production, but you can’t do it all. When you find the right partner, you can concentrate on your strengths and others can bring in their unique strengths” Omole stated.
