Brands/Products
Sainte Croix Brings French Cognac Heritage to Nigeria
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Lovers of cognac in Nigeria who have yearned for long to have a taste of a quality drink do not have to worry again as the premium quality cognac, Sainte Croix, is now in the country.
The brand was brought into Nigeria by Punch Marketing and at an exclusive event held to present the brand to Nigerian consumers in Lagos on June 17, 2021, it was stressed that Sainte Croix delivers the best cognac experience that the Charente and Charente-Maritime regions of France have come to be known for.
The company described the introduction of Sainte Croix into the Nigerian market as the arrival of the French cognac heritage to the country.
The company’s Country Manager (Nigeria), Mr Chris Parkes, said Sainte Croix has been made with passion since 1756 and celebrated around the world.
“Cognac is a native of France and named after the town of Cognac, which is about 250 miles south of Paris.
“Sainte Croix is a proud ambassador of this origin, delivering the same top quality that has distinguished Cognac and France from every other country that produces brandies. This is the heritage that the brand is bringing to the Nigerian market,” he assured.
He referred to Sainte Croix as a masterpiece, for connoisseurs and friends, saying that the superb quality that the brand has been associated with and celebrated across the world over the centuries, is an attestation to the quantum of patience and meticulousness that go into the making of Saint Croix, it is truly the spirit of courage. He painted the picture of the rigorous process that goes into the making Sainte Croix thus:
“We pick only the finest mature white grapes at the annual harvest to ensure that the white wines that are produced from them are perfect.
“These selected wines are distilled twice to create the flawless eau-de-vie variants and only the boldest and distinctive variants are selected to be placed in aged wooden barrels for a minimum of not two years as is normal for VS but for four years. VSOP is not just the normal 4 years but eight and the XO… not just 15 years but 30.
“While the Sainte Croix VS Cognac is the perfect partner on its own or with a premium mixer it can create refreshing cocktails beach-side or impress while entertaining guests; the Sainte Croix VSOP comes into its own when you need to impress your top clients to secure those lucrative deals or celebrating in true style; and the distinguished Sainte Croix XO is a rare gem that is best enjoyed neat or on the rocks to be enjoyed in the VIP at an exclusive club or to set the scene on the most special of occasions,” he said.
While he encouraged consumers to explore their own creativity with Sainte Croix Cognac and cocktails, he informed that there are hundreds of cocktail recipes out there that Sainte Croix takes to the next level.
Mr Parker further noted that the entry of Sainte Croix, which is the most luxurious brand new to Nigeria, has excited the consumers of cognacs and has actually upset the existing status quo in the country, challenging consumers and offering them a chance of a real rich and quality cognac that satisfies both connoisseurs and friends.
“Our entry into the Nigerian market has elicited a lot of excitement among Nigerian consumers, understandably.
“The same premium quality that has come to be associated with Sainte Croix across the globe is the reason for this excitement.
“One thing is sure, this feeling is going to be much more in the coming days as the brand gains a stronger foothold in the country,” he concluded.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
An institutional investor, First Ally Capital, has strengthened a leading Nigerian financial technology company, Mathesis Analytics, to scale its proprietary credit decisioning infrastructure.
It made this possible by injecting fresh capital into the firm, which specialises in AI-powered credit decisioning infrastructure, an action that will directly support the growth and scaling of Mathesis’ core mission of providing the intelligence and infrastructure needed to bridge the credit gap for millions of unscored or underscored individuals across Nigeria.
With this investment, Mathesis will enable financial institutions to confidently assess and extend credit to borrowers who lack a formal credit history by leveraging an expanded pool of alternative behavioural and transactional data.
To date, Mathesis’ systems have supported more than 8 million loans for over 2 million unique borrowers in Nigeria, and the company is actively deploying its infrastructure to establish a growing pan-African footprint.
With the investment from First Ally Capital, Mathesis is well positioned to transform how the credit ecosystem operates, driving financial inclusion in partnership with lenders across the continent.
A significant barrier to credit access in Nigeria, which prides itself on being Africa’s largest economy, is data fragmentation. Borrowers frequently build positive financial behaviours across multiple digital platforms by repaying microfinance loans, saving through fintech wallets, or servicing Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) facilities.
However, under traditional credit infrastructure, these achievements remain invisible to new lenders.
Mathesis addresses this challenge through the concept of Personal Equity—the quantified expression of an individual’s financial behaviour aggregated across every institution with which they have transacted.
By translating these disparate signals into a precise, portable measure of creditworthiness, Mathesis creates a comprehensive credit identity that reflects the full breadth of a person’s financial life.
“True financial inclusion cannot be achieved in a vacuum; it requires structural collaboration in which lenders and fintech companies work as partners within the ecosystem.
“This investment from First Ally Capital validates our approach to reshaping credit infrastructure. By quantifying Personal Equity, we empower lenders to safely look beyond the constraints of formal credit histories and recognise a borrower’s true creditworthiness. This capital enables us to accelerate our pan-African expansion while maintaining the robust, institutional-grade infrastructure our partners rely on,” the chief executive of Mathesis Analytics, Winston Osuchukwu, stated.
On his part, the chief executive of First Ally Capital, Mr Ebenezer Olufowose, said, “At First Ally Capital, we pride ourselves on being a one-stop destination for financial solutions, offering a diverse portfolio of services ranging from investment banking and asset management to trusteeship, inclusive banking, and real estate.
“Our investment in Mathesis Analytics reflects our strong belief in the company’s vision and our commitment to supporting forward-thinking enterprises that deliver excellence.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The chief executive of Canal+ Africa, Mr David Mignot, has disclosed that MultiChoice is now fully integrated into the media group.
Mr Mignot disclosed this via a statement issued on Thursday, noting that this development marks a new phase in the evolution of one of Africa’s leading pay television operators.
He noted that the integration positions MultiChoice within a global media organisation with an extensive international footprint.
“MultiChoice is now a full subsidiary of a truly international media group operating in 70 countries. The group was founded in France, is listed in London and Johannesburg, and has a strong African presence with operations in more than 45 countries,” Mr Mignot said.
The statement underscores the scale of the combined business, highlighting Canal+’s global reach alongside its significant investments across Africa.
The completion of the transaction is expected to strengthen MultiChoice’s position in the African media and entertainment market by giving it access to the broader resources, expertise and international capabilities of the Canal+ Group, while reinforcing the group’s commitment to the continent.
MultiChoice operates across sub-Saharan Africa through platforms including DStv and GOtv, serving millions of subscribers with entertainment, sports and news content.
By Adedapo Adesanya
FoodCourt, a Nigerian cloud kitchen startup backed by Y Combinator, has suspended operations after months of unpaid salaries and mounting debts to vendors triggered a staff strike and forced the company to halt customer orders, according to a report by TechCabal.
The publication reported that customers first noticed on March 4 that they could no longer place orders through the FoodCourt app after the company disabled ordering as kitchen workers, delivery personnel and branch staff embarked on strike over unpaid wages. The company also owed outstanding payments to vendors.
By April 19, FoodCourt had temporarily shut its last operating branch after suspending activities across its Lagos and Abuja locations while seeking fresh funding and restructuring the business, according to the report.
The company’s chief executive, Mr Henry Nneji, said the decision to pause operations was not caused by a single issue but by a combination of operational, organisational and working-capital challenges.
“It’s important to clarify that the decision to pause operations wasn’t driven by one single issue. We reached a point where it became clear that continuing to patch those issues while operating wasn’t the right long-term decision,” he said.
“The objective is to build a stronger business than the one that existed before the suspension. We fully intend to bring FoodCourt back,” he added in an emailed response.
The company acknowledged outstanding obligations to employees, vendors, riders and service providers, but declined to disclose the number of affected workers or the total amount owed. It said efforts were underway to resolve the liabilities as part of its restructuring process.
It was also reported that the startup’s financial difficulties worsened after expansion into additional locations increased operating costs, while its cloud kitchen model came under pressure from rising labour, logistics, food and marketing expenses.
Despite the shutdown, Mr Nneji said FoodCourt intends to relaunch after completing its restructuring, adding that the company believes demand for its products remains strong.
Founded in 2021 by Henry Nneji and Paul Adokiye Iruene, FoodCourt operates cloud kitchens under multiple virtual restaurant brands through its consumer app. According to TechCabal, the startup had previously disclosed raising $1.7 million, delivering more than one million meals and reaching $4.3 million in annual recurring revenue by the end of 2024.
