MUSCATINE, Iowa—Now in its fifth year in business, DJAAGOU-A EXPORT LLC has grown to provide American goods, particularly food items, to numerous places overseas, especially in Africa. Over the past year, DJAAGOU-A EXPORT LLC’s founder Ognadon “Eddy” Djagou has embraced numerous opportunities to keep his business thriving and to expand its reach to new markets.
During the summer of 2022, Djagou traveled to Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Togo to meet in person with the staff of his Togo office and to build relationships with both new and existing clients. From these meetings, Djagou secured a contract for monthly exports to Togo, which he feels has helped move his business forward.
Later this year, Djagou plans to travel to Africa again to continue to cultivate the connections he formed in the past. He elaborated that he will focus on making, “sustainable relationships between us as a supplier and the buyers and to keep them updated with inflation.”
Outside of his travels, Djagou has formed other partnerships in the United States that have benefited his company. As an exporter of American grown and prepared foods, DJAAGOU-A EXPORT LLC now has a partnership with the Food Export Association of the Midwest. This partnership gives him access to multichannel marketing, such as print and online advertisements, social media marketing, and billboard ads, among others. Djagou may also use this marketing to help his clients sell the products they purchase from him in their own areas, giving them one more reason to want to work with his business.
To better connect with clients online, Djagou has also secured an Iowa Economic Development Market Trade Assistance Program grant to allow for the initial development of a new website. With his new, custom built, website now up and running, Djagou has more opportunities to connect with clients worldwide and to help them understand everything his company has to offer.
As Djagou continues to look to the future, he has big plans to continue growing his business and provide products to receptive markets around the world. To that end, Djagou enrolled in the New Chip Business Incubator, an online program designed to prepare entrepreneurs to find and work successfully with potential investors. As Djagou explained it, he personally hopes the program will allow him: “to find new investors who will be able to assist us financially. The New Chip program will be a great asset for us, especially for the long-term growth of the company.” By clarifying his business plan and making it easy for investors to quickly grasp, Djagou intends to find investors interested in helping him expand the number of shipments DJAAGOU-A EXPORT LLC makes and to increase the size of his team.
By continuing to grow DJAAGOU-A EXPORT LLC’s presence in Africa, taking advantage of opportunities through the Export Association of the Midwest and Iowa Economic Development, and by participating in the New Chip Business Incubator, Djagou has found many more ways to help his business succeed. He looks forward to another year of progress and positive opportunities.
