A Chicago couple has teamed up with Whole Foods to bring frozen traditional West African meals to locations nationwide.
Perteet and Fred Spencer are the owners of the food company AYO Foods.
AYO means joy in Yoruba, one of the languages spoken in West Africa where some of their traditional recipes were born.
“As we thought about building a business together, nothing inspired us more than using our strong industry experiences to create these moments for others by sharing some of our family’s favorite recipes that were under-represented in mainstream grocery stores,” the couple told Black Enterprise.
The frozen meals are expected to be available in Whole Foods locations in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and in the Chicago-based grocery store, Green Grocer.
The Spencer’s said they hopes their meals will open more Americans up to trying food from West African countries.
“We’ve watched the explosive growth of frozen as more and more premium items transform freezer doors across America,” they added. “In many instances, the source of that growth is ethnic food as people look to explore the world one bite at a time. Frozen was a natural fit as an easy way for people to experience the flavors of West Africa.”
For more information about AYO Foods, visit AYO-Foods.com