INTRODUCTION to HATF:
Africa has hundreds, if not thousands of healthy and savory dishes, many of which have been discovered and are in use in multiple ways, over different cultures all around the world. There is still so much more to be discovered, about the versatility of authentic African ingredients.
Our mission at HATF Happy African Tropical Foods is to sort through various cultures and offer the very best authentic grocery ingredients the continent has to offer.
BACKGROUND:
When we moved to the US in 1990, my wife and i were immediately confronted with the challenge of finding the rich African cuisines and grocery items we were accustomed to, back in Nigeria.
In the early 90s, African grocery sellers in the Atlanta area were almost non-existent. We had to come up with creative ideas on how to replicate some of the African dishes and soups, with a whole lot of substitution.
These experiments often went very wrong.
It never quite felt the same and eventually became an expensive task with little rewards. It made us even more nostalgic for the tastes of home.
The African grocery market remained heavily under-served, well into the 2000s. I recall many conversations between my wife and I about the need for a grocery store in the Alpharetta area.
We thought to ourselves, we would definitely pay premium just to be one step closer to authentic ingredients from the motherland.
We waited years, until a few stores started to open up. We were so excited.
.... but our hopes were so easily dashed.
Distance to these specialty stores and hefty price tags, soon became a major deterrent. Stores were located very far from where we were situated, Products weren't as fresh as we had hoped and items were routinely out of stock.
Back then there was no real digital footprint or internet as it were, just the phone book and yellow pages. Mobile phones were existent but hadn't penetrated and saturated the market like it is today.
These mom and pop shops were often too swamped with work and operations to be available for a landline call.
So, every visit to the store was a risk. You either got some of what you wanted or sometimes, nothing at all. It was discouraging.
We finally decided it was time to see what contribution we could make to this ongoing dilemma.
After speaking with a few family, friends and business associates, we developed a plan and opened Happy African Tropical Foods a few years later, on July 3rd, 2015.
MISSION, VISION AND VALUES:
Our mission and focus then (and our goal and focus now) remains the same:
"To bring the rich African cuisines to not just the immigrant population in America, but to all lovers of delicious, authentic food across many cultures and to continue to discover all the exciting ways, food unites us".
OUR VALUE PROPOSITION:
Our vision for sustainable growth is founded on these 3 pillars;
1) Quality Products at Reasonable Prices:
Through our "Happiness...guaranteed!" promise, we will constantly work on delivering the best quality specialty grocery to our customers at very reasonable prices. We will also diligently innovate and bring new and exciting products to our customers.
2) Community:
We work with other small businesses to share knowledge and resources to grow the industry.
We want our stakeholders and business partners to thrive. Our audience comprises of; farmers, wholesalers, retailers, employees and consumers.
3) Accountability and Sustainability:
As a Christian-owned and operated company, we have always and will always use our platform to share time tested biblical principles of love, togetherness and mindfulness.
We strive to be transparent in all our dealings, offering refunds, moneyback guarantees and even lowest price guarantee.
For the continued long-term growth of the specialty grocery industry, we remain laser focused on driving industry conversations towards higher product standards and also to ever increasing standards of business ethics
OUR OFFERINGS:
We understood early on, there has been an industry-wide challenge that has existed for years, with products that have an acceptable level of contamination, due to how these products were harvested and processed by farmers who did a lot of manual processing.
It was something the industry generally accepted as normal.
We thought differently about this and continuously work with vendors and suppliers to strive to ensure that our products are truly Healthy and.....
- - 100% Natural
- - Sand Free
- - Non- GMO
- - No added preservatives
And because we are consumers before we are sellers, we also take into consideration how products will be used and stored to maintain freshness.
Our product bags are:
- - Durable
- - Resealable
- - Can be frozen or refrigerated without tear
- - ... and our labels are completely waterproof, so consumers never have to loose the nutritional facts, details and other info that's necessary about the product.
Our official website also contains links to videos, cooking links and our very own recipes page, so customers never run out of ideas to try new dishes or remake old ones in new and exciting ways.
We also have special combo deals and kits to encourage huge savings and subscription services for repeat purchases to take the stress out of remembering to reorder.
OUR COMPANY CULTURE:
1. Commitment to the pursuit of exceptional quality without compromise.
2. Ensuring that we prioritize the needs of our customers as well as all stakeholders (farmers, suppliers, employees, logistics partners, community in which we operate)
3. We take an intentional approach to reflect a Christian morale and ethical code in all our dealings. Treating others as we ourselves would want to be treated.
4. We have adopted extra measures, so you can be confident that you are getting the highest quality product while also supporting sustainable and ethical farming practices.
5. We endeavor to support other small and local businesses through fundraisers, partnerships, collaborations, purchases and referrals.
OUR CORE PRINCIPLES:
As a Christian owned E-commerce specialty grocery company, HATF Happy African Tropical Foods LLC (Home of the Shepherd's Natural and Hapi Bakers Choice Brand of products), strives to operate and grow with strict adherence to the highest levels of integrity, excellence, and fairness.
Our primary goal is to let that commitment permeate through all of our dealings with various stakeholders (Customers, employees, owners, suppliers, and shipping partners).
We will never stop holding ourselves to a higher standard and we want our stakeholders and consumers to keep us accountable too.
OUR GROWTH TRACK AND THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCE:
Founded in July 2015, our original focus was to operate a series of small retail shops with the intention of serving the needs of a rapidly growing African migrant population in the United States.
We had many family discussions about how valuable an ethnic specialty grocery store would be to the city of Alpharetta, Georgia where we resided.
We were very particular about not wanting to go into business, if we were to go with the flow and adapt to the same unique industry challenges that have always existed.
We knew customers deserved better.
We knew we could do better as an industry.
Rather than open an actual physical store, we decided to pursue the E-commerce approach, to not only keep overheads low, but to ensure we could have products that were truly affordable and good value for money.
We didn't want customers driving about town and burning valuable resources either like we once did. We wanted to bring the goodness of our authentic products and offerings right to their doorstep in the quickest, most efficient ways possible.
Though our initial target audience was local (greater Alpharetta area), we have since grown to serve a national audience (all 48 states in the United States).
Our partnerships with E-commerce giants like Amazon and Walmart helped fuel this growth and continues to give us the ability to expand to new and exciting markets and locations.
TESTIMONIALS:
Our Google reviews and Amazon feedback offers a unique insight into just how committed we are to consumer satisfaction and delivering products that meet and surpass expectations.
Customers have said:
"HATF is my go to Palm Oil - very fresh with a nice taste - any time I cook with it I get compliments. You can't go wrong with this product."
"I recommend this crayfish Product. fast shipping and i have been using them for a couple of months with no issues."
"Wonderful texture and flavor, this is a good brand for Garri"
"I’ve been looking for some good quality honey beans and I’m so glad I came across this store! The beans were very well packaged, no bugs or mess! The shipping was so fast! Definitely will order again!"
We definitely take every feedback seriously and continuously use the information to better our products and services.
At HATF Happy African Tropical Foods (fondly known as HATF by our customers), we have a Vision:
To be a global household name, known for product authenticity, pursuit of excellence and admirable business ethics.
Our vision for sustainable growth is founded on these 3 pillars which we encourage our customers, stakeholders and Industry, to hold us accountable to:
1) Quality Products at Reasonable Prices.
2) Community: We want our stakeholders and business partners to thrive. Our audience comprises farmers, wholesalers, retailers, employees and consumers.
3) Accountability and Sustainability: we remain laser focused on driving industry conversations towards higher product standards and to ever increasing standards of business ethics.
Let us know if we ever fall short of our promise and your expectations.
Visit www.happyafricantropicalfoods.com for more information about our products and services.
You can also email us at: info@happyafricantropicalfoods.com
Or call us on 770-740-9515
"HAPPINESS....GUARANTEED!”
