A Taste of Nigeria: How Coca-Cola is Bottled Locally

While the Coca-Cola Company guards its secret formula closely, in Nigeria, the production and bottling process showcases a successful model of franchising and adaptation. Let’s delve into the refreshing journey of how Nigerians enjoy their favorite fizzy drink.

1. The Local Player: The Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC)

The Coca-Cola Company itself doesn’t bottle Coca-Cola in Nigeria. Instead, they partner with the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) [1]. Established in 1951 [2], NBC is the sole franchise bottler for Coca-Cola in Nigeria, also responsible for distributing other Coca-Cola Company brands like Fanta and Sprite [1]. Interestingly, NBC has also ventured into producing its own beverages like Eva water [3].

2. Sourcing Local Ingredients: A Sustainable Approach

NBC prioritizes sustainability in its operations [4]. They’ve established a maize farm in Edo State to produce fructose syrup, a key sweetener in Coca-Cola [4]. This not only reduces reliance on imported ingredients but also creates jobs and supports local farmers.

3. Manufacturing Hubs: Bottling Plants Across Nigeria

NBC boasts several bottling plants across Nigeria, ensuring efficient distribution throughout the country. Their flagship plant in Ikeja, Lagos, is the largest in Africa, with a staggering annual capacity of over 225 million unit cases [5]. Other notable plants include Maiduguri in Borno State, which caters to the North-Eastern region [5].

4. The Global Recipe, Locally Bottled: Matching Global Standards

While the exact Coca-Cola formula remains a secret, NBC adheres to strict quality control measures set by The Coca-Cola Company [4]. The syrup concentrate is shipped from Coca-Cola to NBC, ensuring a consistent taste profile across the globe. At the bottling plants, the concentrate is meticulously diluted with filtered water in precise proportions to achieve the perfect balance of sweetness and carbonation [6].

5. The Fizz Factor: Achieving Bubbly Perfection

Just like anywhere else in the world, the bottling process in Nigeria involves carbonation. Filtered water is saturated with carbon dioxide gas under pressure, creating the tiny bubbles that give Coca-Cola its refreshing fizz [6]. The exact level of carbonation is precisely controlled to match global standards.

6. Hygiene First: Stringent Cleaning and Sanitation

Maintaining hygiene is paramount throughout the bottling process. In Nigerian plants, just like anywhere else, bottles go through a rigorous cleaning and sanitization process before filling [6]. This eliminates any potential contaminants and ensures the final product is safe for consumption.

7. Quality Control: Ensuring Consumer Satisfaction

NBC maintains rigorous quality control measures throughout production [4]. Samples are taken regularly and tested for taste, carbonation level, and visual clarity. Bottles also undergo pressure tests to guarantee they can withstand the pressure from the carbonation.

References:

How Chocolate Power is made

Chocolate Powder

Chocolate powder

Chocolate powder, also known as cocoa powder, is a dry powder made from cocoa beans that have been fermented, roasted, and ground into a fine powder. The powder is commonly used as an ingredient in baking and cooking, as well as for making hot chocolate and chocolate milk.

Chocolate powder can be either natural or Dutch-processed (alkalized), depending on how it is processed. Natural cocoa powder is made by grinding roasted cocoa beans into a powder, while Dutch-processed cocoa powder is treated with an alkalizing agent to neutralize the natural acidity of the cocoa.

Chocolate powder is a rich source of flavonoids, which are antioxidants that have been shown to have several health benefits, including improved heart health and reduced inflammation. However, it’s important to note that many chocolate powders contain added sugars and other ingredients that can reduce their nutritional value, so it’s important to read labels and choose high-quality, minimally processed products.

How cocoa is processed to make chocolate powder

Cocoa beans are processed to make chocolate powder through several steps, including fermentation, drying, roasting, grinding, and pressing. Here is a brief overview of the cocoa powder production process:

Fermentation: Freshly harvested cocoa beans are placed in large containers and left to ferment for several days. This process helps to remove the pulp surrounding the beans and develop the flavor of the cocoa.

Drying: The fermented beans are then spread out on trays or mats to dry in the sun or in a drying chamber. This process helps to reduce the moisture content of the beans and prevent them from spoiling.

Roasting: Once the beans are dried, they are roasted to bring out their characteristic flavor and aroma. The roasting time and temperature can vary depending on the desired flavor and color of the final product.

Grinding: The roasted cocoa beans are then ground into a paste called cocoa liquor or chocolate liquor. This paste is made up of cocoa solids and cocoa butter.

Pressing: The cocoa liquor is then pressed to separate the cocoa solids from the cocoa butter. The solids are then ground into a fine powder, which is the chocolate powder or cocoa powder.

The cocoa powder can be further processed into chocolate by adding sugar, milk powder, and other ingredients, as well as by conching and tempering to develop the desired texture and flavor.

Health benefits of chocolate powder

Chocolate powder, also known as cocoa powder, has been found to have several potential health benefits, although it’s important to note that many commercially available chocolate powders may contain added sugars and other ingredients that can reduce their nutritional value. Here are some of the potential health benefits of chocolate powder:

Rich in antioxidants: Chocolate powder is a rich source of flavonoids, which are antioxidants that can help protect the body against oxidative stress and inflammation.

Improved heart health: Studies have found that consuming chocolate powder or dark chocolate may help improve cardiovascular health by reducing blood pressure, improving blood flow, and reducing inflammation.

Improved brain function: The flavonoids in chocolate powder may also have a positive effect on brain function, including improved cognitive performance and memory.

Reduced risk of diabetes: Some research has suggested that regular consumption of chocolate powder or dark chocolate may help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Reduced stress and anxiety: Chocolate powder contains several compounds that can help improve mood and reduce stress and anxiety, including serotonin, phenylethylamine, and theobromine.

It’s worth noting that many of these potential health benefits are associated with dark chocolate or chocolate powder with a high percentage of cocoa solids, and that chocolate powders with added sugars and other ingredients may not provide the same benefits. As with any food or supplement, it’s important to consume chocolate powder in moderation as part of a balanced diet.

4 Simple Soap Recipes for you to experiment with at home

Soap making

Transparent apple soap

This is a transparent soap with apple fragrance.

Recipe:

4 ounces clear glycerine soap base

1 tablespoon liquid soap

1 teaspoon liquid glycerine

½ teaspoon of apple fragrance oil

2 drops of red food colour

½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Procedure

Melt the soap base ( you can use your microwave to do that).

Add the liquid soap and glycerine and stir the mixture.

Add the apple fragrance oil, red colour and cinnamon and stir well.

Pour the mixture into  moulds and let it harden overnight

After the soap has fully hardened, remove from mould and it is ready to use.

Foaming liquid soap

Recipe

245ml Castile liquid soap base

5ml vitamin E

10 drops of lemon oil

10 drops of Lavender essential oil

Directions

Mix the ingredients thoroughly and use.

Exfoliating cream soap:

Nice soapy and creamy soap that is soothing to the skin.

Ingredients

3.5 ounces of creme soap base

1 teaspoon D- Limonene

1 teaspoon fine pumice

2 teaspoon orange peel granules

5 drops of orange essential oil

Pure distilled water.

Directions

Mix all the ingredients except distilled water in a glass bowl. Use pure distilled water to thin out the mixture into your desired constituency. Store in a glass jar.

Sand soap

A good soap for cleaning oily and greasy stains.

Ingredients

1 pound of glycerine melt and pour soap base.

½ cup of fine sand

2 teaspoons Eucalyptus essential oil

Directions

Melt the soap base

Mix with fine sand and eucalyptus oil

Put into moulds and allowed to set

About soap making (part 1)

soap

Soap is the salt of a fatty acid. This salt is the product of the combination of an acid and alkali and it is different from the type of salt we eat.

The acid used in soap making is known as fatty acid, while the alkali is generally sodium hydroxide or caustic soda. 

Saponification is the process of making soap, when the fatty acid is mixed with the alkali it produces a tablet of salt and glycerine which is the soap.

How soap cleanses

When soap combines with water it acts as a surfactant, The surfactant has water soluble and oil soluble parts. Due to this property, soap molecules can surround grease or dirt particles and bring them into the water to be washed away.

Why you should make your own soap

Glycerine is a bye product of soap making and it’s function is to soothe and clean without irritation.

Commercially made soap are made in a cost effective way, making this type of soaps able to clean but hash on the hand and skin because it lacks glycerine.

Making your own soap helps to regularise the soap making ingredients to your advantage.

Soap making ingredients

Basic materials used for soap making are fat and sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) with the addition of essential oils and fragrances to personalize your soap.

Fat can be animal or  plant fat. Fat of cow, goat, buffalo is ok. Suitable fat from plants include the various types of cooking oil such as 

Olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, sher butter, sunflower oil etc.

Colouring ingredients include;

Cocoa powder,

Cinnamon,

Bentonite clay

Turmeric

Curry powder

Paprika

Fragrance ingredients include;

Cinnamon

Lavender

Peppermint

Orange

Rosemary

Other ingredients for health benefit includes

Oats

Coffee grounds

Pumice

Olive stone

Apricot stone 

Lavender

Nettle

 and many more.

To add moisturizer to soap you can add glycerine. Some glycerine is already produced in the saponification process.

Beeswax is an ingredient to to harden the soap, salt can also be added to hasten it.

Borax and sugar are added to give the soap bubbles.

Types of soap

Novelty soaps: 

These soaps are made for children. They are mild on the children’s skin.

Perfumed soaps: 

Strong scented soaps

Guest soap:

As the name implies, they are small sized soaps used in hotels, motels, guest houses by guests in the bathroom. They can be taken home by the guests.

Beauty soaps:

These soaps are special soaps that beautify the skin by removing wrinkles, spots, makes the skin clearer and so on.

Medicated soaps:

These soaps are designed to treat all kinds of skin infections, such as acne, pimples, prickly heat, eczema and so on.

Translucent soaps:

These are soaps containing glycerine. These types of soaps are very gentle on the skin.

Transparent soaps:

A special type of soap that feels better against your skin when compared to other soaps.

Liquid soaps

As the name implies, these types of soap come in liquid form. As with solid bar soaps, some are suitable for bathing, others for washing clothes and others for washing dishes.

How Ceramic Cups are Made

Ceramic cups being produced in a factory

Clay is the main ingredient used in the making of different kinds of ceramics including ceramic cups.

Water is added to the clay material to make it workable enough to mould into the required shape of the cup.

The cup 🍵 can be moulded by hand only, hand and spinning wheel or industrially. Industrial moulding gives the best finish followed by the hand and spinning wheel method.

After moulding, the cup is left to dry after which it is engraved, painted/glazed. Glazing is very important, apart from giving it it’s aesthetic look, the cup will  be impervious to water and have a smooth finish. Another method used after drying the cup is to oven dry to remove most of the moisture before paint/glazing.

The final stage is the oven drying of the cup. The cup is subjected to temperatures of over 1200 °C. This process will remove all the moisture inside of the cup and  give the cup it’s characteristic hardness. The heating and then cooling process can take up to half a day.

How Ceramic Floor tiles are made

ceramic floor tiles

The main material used in the production of ceramic tiles is clay. Clay is readily available in different types and in large quantities. Different types of clay and other similar binding materials can be combined in a particular proportion to create ceramic tiles.

The 3 major types of clay available are earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. 

earthenware clay
stoneware clay

The earthenware clay is red in colour while the stoneware and porcelain are classified as white clay. All the 3 above mentioned types of clay are suitable for making ceramic floor and wall tiles.

The process of making ceramic tiles industrially will be discussed under the following stages.

Grinding the raw material

Moulding

Initial heating

Painting/ glazing

Final heating

Making of ceramic floor tiles in a factory

Grinding the raw material

clay and other binding and waterproofing substances are grinded in required proportions to smooth power. This is done using an industrial grinder.

Moulding 

To the powder mixture a very little amount of water is added and thoroughly mixed to make it plastic. The powdery mixture is then placed into a mould and compressed under very high pressure and temperature to form a flat solid mass that has been shaped into the required time size.

Initial heating 

Before the tiles can be glazed it needs most of the moisture to be taken out. This can be done by heating the tiles in an oven. The tiles are heated up to a temperature of over 900°C and then cooled. 

Painting/glazing

Next the tiles are painted and or glazed.

Painting gives the tiles its waterproofing properties and aesthetic look. Glazing does similar work in addition to design and engravings.

Final Heating 

After the tiles have been given its waterproof and aesthetic look. It is heated in an oven for the final time to dry up all the moisture and make the tiles stronger in the process. Temperatures in the oven are above 1000°C.The heating process can last for several hours, after which it is allowed to cool completely. After this final process, the ceramic tiles are ready for packaging and distribution to sale outlets.