Chowdeck, Nigeria’s rapidly growing food delivery startup, has achieved a major milestone, surpassing one million orders in October 2025, marking its strongest month to date.
The announcement was made by Femi Aluko, the company’s co-founder and CEO, in a LinkedIn post celebrating the achievement.
According to Aluko, the feat reflects not only Chowdeck’s scale but also the strength of its business fundamentals. He revealed that the company closed October with a positive gross margin of 26%, underscoring that it is possible to grow rapidly while maintaining profitability and operational sustainability.
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Part of his statement reads,
“I am thrilled to share that Chowdeck in Nigeria fulfilled over 1 million orders in October, marking our strongest month to date. Beyond the scale, this achievement reflects the strength of our fundamentals. We closed October with a positive gross margin of 26%, demonstrating that it is possible to grow aggressively while building a sustainable business model.
“The past few weeks haven’t been perfect. We have had some tough moments with support and operations as we entered into a new era of growth. We are listening, learning, and fixing things quickly. Our daily order volumes in Nigeria grew from an average of ~30K daily orders a few weeks ago to over 40K daily orders presently and still increasing day on day. This is more than just numbers. For us, it’s a story of trust: – Trust from customers who choose us every day, Trust from vendors who continue to grow with us, and trust from riders who show up rain or shine to deliver on our promise.”
The company’s success comes after securing $9 million in Series A funding in August 2025, led by Novastar Ventures with participation from Y Combinator, AAIC Investment, Rebel Fund, GFR Fund, Kaleo, and HoaQ, among others. The fresh capital will fuel Chowdeck’s quick commerce strategy, enabling ultra-fast delivery through a network of dark stores and hubs.
The startup plans to open 40 dark stores by the end of 2025 and 500 by 2026, launching two to three stores weekly. Over the past four years, Chowdeck has evolved from a startup idea into a full-fledged logistics and quick-commerce ecosystem, connecting millions of customers to food, groceries, and essential items. The startup’s model is designed to cut average delivery times below 20 minutes and strengthen its competitive position in a space once dominated by Jumia Food and Bolt Food.
Founded in October 2021 by Femi Aluko, Olumide Ojo, and Lanre Yusuf, the company now operates in 11 cities, including Lagos, Abuja, and Accra, serving over 1.5 million customers with a network of 20,000+ riders. Operating profitably since its inception, Chowdeck’s success is rooted in its strong partnerships with top brands such as KFC and Burger King, as well as several local vendors, which offer customers a mix of African, Asian, and healthy meals. The platform reportedly maintains an average delivery time of 30 minutes, with most orders concentrated in high-density areas.
Even as it scales, Aluko acknowledges the operational strain that growth brings. “At 10,000 daily deliveries, a 90% success rate still leaves 1,000 unhappy customers,” he said, a reminder that customer experience remains central to sustaining long-term growth.
Notably, Chowdeck’s acquisition of order-management platform Mira and its continued investments in logistics innovation signal a broader ambition to not only dominate Nigeria’s delivery space but also redefine quick commerce across Africa.