What began as a holiday trip to Nigeria eventually became a decades-long business journey for Haresh Aswani, Managing Director of Tolaram Group in Africa, the company behind Indomie and several other well-known consumer brands.

Aswani recently shared his story during an interview with School of Hard Knocks, explaining how his connection with Nigeria developed into a major business operation.

According to reports, Tolaram’s business is expected to exceed $2 billion in revenue as the group continues expanding across consumer goods, manufacturing, infrastructure and other sectors.

Tolaram’s best-known Nigerian product is Indomie instant noodles, which helped establish the group as a major player in the country’s consumer-goods market. Aswani has previously explained that the company identified an opportunity in Nigeria because instant noodles were not widely consumed at the time, while consumers needed affordable and convenient meals.

The company initially imported Indomie before moving into local manufacturing. Its first Nigerian manufacturing plant was established in Ota, Ogun State, in 1996, followed by further expansion of its production and distribution network.

Over the years, Tolaram expanded beyond noodles into a broad portfolio of businesses and brands, including Minimie, Hypo, Power Oil, Gino and Kellogg’s products. The group has also developed interests in logistics, infrastructure and the Lagos Free Zone.

In 2024, Tolaram further expanded its Nigerian footprint by acquiring Diageo’s controlling stake in Guinness Nigeria, adding one of the country’s major beverage companies to its portfolio.

Tolaram has also been involved in major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos Free Zone and Lekki Deep Sea Port. BusinessDay reported in 2025 that the company’s expansion from consumer goods into infrastructure was driven partly by the need to solve logistics and supply-chain challenges associated with its growing operations.

Aswani said the group’s growth was built over decades rather than through a quick expansion. He has previously described the company’s approach as one focused on long-term investment and building manufacturing capacity locally.

Today, the story of Tolaram’s Nigerian journey illustrates how an unexpected connection with the country developed into a large-scale business operation spanning consumer products, manufacturing, distribution and infrastructure.