Most weeks, the story of MOBKILISHI happens quietly. Meat is sourced, spiced, dried, cut, weighed, sealed into 60g packs, and sent out. Nobody sees any of it. Then there are the Sunday mornings.
Twice a month we set up at the National Stadium in Surulere for Sweat Therapy — a workout session that starts at 8am, when Lagos is still cool and the traffic hasn't woken up yet. People run, stretch, sweat, complain, and then stand around afterwards deciding what to eat. That last part is the interesting bit for us.
What we learned standing in a car park
You can read a spreadsheet of orders for years and still not understand your customer. Thirty minutes at the end of a workout tells you more. Three things came up again and again.
People underestimate how much protein a small pack carries. A 60g pack of Kilishi looks like a snack. It doesn't behave like one. More than one person has taken a pack at 9am and told us later that it held them until lunch. That surprises people every single time.
Nobody wants to buy thirty packs to try one. Our wholesale pricing exists for shops and resellers who move volume, and it makes sense for them. But a person who has just finished a 5K doesn't want a carton. They want two or three packs to keep in their bag. For a long time we made the small order feel like the awkward option. That was our mistake, not theirs.
The bag is the real use case. Kilishi doesn't need a fridge, doesn't melt, doesn't leak, and doesn't get crushed at the bottom of a gym bag. Half the people who order from us regularly aren't buying a treat. They're solving the 4pm problem — the hour where you're hungry, still out, and the only options are fried and disappointing.
Why we keep showing up
We have no marketing budget. Not a small one — none. Every naira goes into meat, spice, packaging and getting orders delivered. So we do the thing that costs nothing but a Sunday morning: we show up, we sweat with people, and we let the product do the talking. If someone tastes it and never orders, fine. Most of them order.
The honest version of our business is that we don't need to convince anyone twice. Our reorder numbers are the strongest thing about us. The hard part is the first pack.
So if you've been meaning to try it and waiting for some reason to — this is it. Order two or three packs directly from us at mobkilishi.shop and keep one in your bag. No carton, no minimum, no commitment. Just see whether it lasts you to lunch.
And if you're in Lagos on a Sunday morning, come find us at the stadium. Bring your own water.