Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Smoked Goat, Gari Now Available Through African Food Delivery App

By Andrea V. Watson | November 25, 2015 5:30am | Updated on February 9, 2016 5:37pm
 Boyede Sobitan is co-founder of OjaExpress. The African food delivery service launched its app Nov. 9.
Boyede Sobitan is co-founder of OjaExpress. The African food delivery service launched its app Nov. 9.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo/Andrea V. Watson

BRONZEVILLE — A new app for a food delivery service will bring hard-to-find African grocery items like smoked goat, melon seeds and gari right to your door.

Boyede Sobitan, 34, of Bronzeville, and co-founder Fola Dada launched OjaExpress this month. Sobitan said the idea to create the app came after speaking with a friend's wife.

"She uses Peapod and was like 'Wow, I wish there was something for Africans because I don’t want to go all the way to an African store with two young kids to go grocery shopping.'"

Sobitan attended University of Illinois at Chicago for nursing and he received his master’s in healthcare administration. His family moved from Nigeria in 1981. He said African and Caribbean people on the South Side have limited store options in close proximity to their homes. The app takes away the inconvenience and commute outside of the neighborhood, Sobitan said. There is also same-day delivery, and the service is available throughout Chicago.

“Gone are the days of spending hours in traffic and waiting in long lines for your cultural food,” he said.

“OjaExpress allows users to utilize their time more effectively, and spend time doing things they find more valuable and enjoyable,” Dada said.

Anyone with a smartphone can download the free app and create a profile. The operation is similar to Peapod, an online grocery delivery service.

Lola Adesuyi, the friend who sparked the idea, has already used the app and "loves it." The Hyde Park mother of two small children said going to the store is a pain when her toddler doesn’t want to behave. It’s even more challenging to purchase the Nigerian food she grew up with.

“I love my smoked goat meat,” she said. “They don’t have that in just any store.”

Treasure Island is close to her home, but they don’t cut the meat the way she likes it. With OjaExpress, customers can make special requests. Adesuyi said she’s able to get her smoked goat meat in really small pieces.

The app is still in its first stage, but Sobitan said they’re already working on version 2.0. With that updated version, people will be able to shop by recipe. If they visit an African restaurant and find a dish they like, they can use the app to look up the recipe. Sobitan said they’re in the process of partnering with local African restaurants.

As a healthcare consultant, he speaks around the country at conferences. He said that Africans across the U.S. all have similar problems when it comes to the lack of access to their meats and cultural foods.

"This is a silent growing population," he said. "More and more technology and resources are coming to aid in the assimilation into the American culture, while making it very accessible to get things back home."

The ultimate plan to is to grow OjaExpress beyond Chicago. Sobitan is looking at New York City, the DMV area, Houston and Atlanta.

The app can be downloaded in the App store.

For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here: