Our Story

Africa's Premier School of Hospitality & Food Business.

Almond Rouge is a food-centric lifestyle consulting business established to serve enterprises and entrepreneurs in the food business market across Africa.

2020

Founded in Lagos

Who We Are

Bridging passion and profit in Africa's food market.

Almond Rouge addresses a critical gap in Africa's food business sector. Many entrepreneurs enter the food market with passion and creativity, but lack the business acumen to scale profitably. We teach comprehensive business management — not just culinary skills.

Our food-specific mini-MBA curriculum is taught by successful food business leaders, giving entrepreneurs direct access to the kind of industry expertise that is typically unavailable to them. Students leave equipped to become astute food business managers — with the systems, knowledge, and network to grow.

Our mission is to grow food brands and businesses by empowering them with specialised market knowledge to capture business value and sustain their financial health. With over 1,000 students trained and 20+ restaurants launched by our alumni, Almond Rouge is the definitive institution for food business education in Africa.

1000+

Students Trained

Industry Partnerships

120+

Jobs Secured

20+

Restaurants Launched

What Drives Us

Our values, in practice.

Excellence in Practice

Every programme is designed and taught by people who have actually built restaurants, not just studied them.

Genuine Transformation

We measure success not by certificates awarded, but by businesses launched and lives changed.

Real-World Focus

No fluff, no theory for theory's sake. Everything we teach can be applied the next morning.

Community First

Our alumni network is a living ecosystem of support, referrals, and collaborative growth.

Meet the Team

Led by a practitioner, not a theorist.

Zainab Almond has built and operated food businesses across Africa. Her real-world experience is your curriculum.

Zainab Almond

Founder & Lead Trainer

A seasoned hospitality professional with deep expertise in food business strategy and culinary education. Zainab founded Almond Rouge to close the gap between culinary passion and business acumen — empowering African food entrepreneurs with the market knowledge and systems needed to build profitable, sustainable brands.

Our Faculty

Meet our faculty members

Operators, founders and industry professionals who teach from what they have actually built.

Adetutu Onadeko

Business Development Executive & Media Consultant

A seasoned business development executive and media consultant with over a decade of experience in media strategy, marketing and brand communications. A Mass Communication graduate of Caleb University, she has built a strong reputation in media sales, advertising and consumer engagement. That expertise now shapes the hospitality space, where she co-owns a thriving food brand and leads a premium concierge service in Lagos. Through strategic visibility and curated experiences she is redefining modern hospitality, bridging traditional marketing and evolving consumer expectations.

Areas of Expertise

Media Strategy
Brand Communications
Marketing
Media Sales & Advertising
Consumer Engagement
Hospitality
Concierge Services

Olajumoke Raji

Owner, Better Jollof

A restaurant entrepreneur and hospitality professional with experience building and managing successful food businesses. As founder and owner of two growing restaurant chains, she specialises in restaurant development, operations, customer experience, leadership and brand growth. At Almond Rouge she brings practical industry experience into the classroom, helping students understand how to build, operate and grow successful hospitality businesses.

Areas of Expertise

Restaurant Entrepreneurship
Hospitality Operations
Brand Development
Customer Experience
Business Growth
Leadership
Food & Beverage Business

Steve Harris

Business Strategist & Executive Coach

A globally recognised business strategist, management consultant and executive coach with over 19 years of experience helping organisations and entrepreneurs achieve sustainable growth. He is CEO of EdgeEcution Consulting Nigeria and The Steve Harris Company LLC, and has worked with leading organisations including Shell, TotalEnergies, NLNG, Oracle, GTBank, Stanbic IBTC and Nokia. At Almond Rouge he brings that experience in strategy, leadership and organisational growth to help hospitality professionals build profitable, sustainable and scalable businesses.

Areas of Expertise

Business Strategy
Entrepreneurship
Leadership
Business Growth
Executive Coaching
Organisational Development
Hospitality Business

Omotunde Omojola

Storyteller & Filmmaker

A storyteller and filmmaker exploring the intersection of food, culture, travel and visual storytelling. At Almond Rouge she teaches students to uncover the stories behind dishes, cuisines and destinations, helping them develop compelling narratives through both words and images.

Areas of Expertise