Nigerians consume over 39 million litres of Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSD’s) per year. In Lagos, the population exceeds 20 million people; who all live and work in one of the most congested cities in the world. Millions commute across the city every day, presenting a golden opportunity for ‘on-the-go’ consumption of CSD’s.

Entrepreneurs have created a unique distribution system of street hawkers who traverse the streets selling 600ml CSD’s from buckets.

Alternative routes to market are found all over the world; what makes this one unique is the cooling and informal sales network that drives it. At the heart of the system are networks of refrigerated cooling points – within the backstreets of the city – which hold up to 600 units of product.

Street hawkers bring buckets to these points, stock up with product and ice every hour before heading back out into the busy roads to sell their beverages.

This distribution is not some first world solution, but rather an innovative way to get chilled product into the hands of ‘on-the-go’ consumers. This system adapted to the needs of the market and is an incredible display of entrepreneurship and ingenuity! Millions of consumers quench their thirst daily with a cold, affordable beverage that is quite literally ‘an arm’s length away’!