Nigerian Entrepreneur Visits Hershey Headquarters and Meets Mentor in Person
Ebun Feludu has been entrepreneur from her early days in college when she was designing and sewing clothes for her peers. She also started a marketing firm at one point, but the desire to build not just a business but a legacy lead to the birth of the JAM Coconut Company in 2016. Today, Ebun has a staff or 31 and her company produces coconut oil and other coconut products.
About a year ago, Ebun joined the PFS program through a serendipitous encounter with our program manager in Nigeria, Toju Ukubeyinje. They got to work on several projects, including an ‘Ask-an-Expert’ to evaluate equipment for coconut ball production. Additionally, PFS offered Ebun a spot in our leader-to-leader mentorship program.
Ebun was matched with Dan Mohnshine, Hershey’s vice president of marketing for US confection, grocery, and protein snacks. She was connected with Dan who was thinking about a way to use his expertise beyond his everyday work. Together they partnered on what has become a journey of learning and growth for both of them.
“While I’m incredibly busy with my day job, I’ve found working with Ebun to be very rewarding,” said Dan. “She’s a very spirited entrepreneur and I love hearing when she has a big ‘win’ for her business.”
In February, an opportunity arose for Ebun to travel to the U.S., and Dan graciously agreed to host her at The Hershey Company headquarters. The three days were incredibly rich for her, filled with meetings with scientists, marketing specialists, branding experts, and business development experts from across The Hershey Company. These specialized teams helped Ebun consider new and different ways to grow her business, develop her product and better position herself on the market. Another major highlight was having endless Icebreakers to chew on, a mint that Ebun is particularly fond of which is made by Hershey.
The distance between the US and Africa makes this type of immersive experience rare, but is one that can help clients reimagine the possibilities for their business, reignite that entrepreneurial spirt within them, and also provide practical advice.