Cecilia grew up in Accra, studied in the UK and Germany, and worked in impact consulting and at Ecosia. Lockdown in Berlin showed her how fast grocery apps could deliver. In late 2021 she and her partner moved back to Ghana and launched Konzoom, which buys direct from suppliers and delivers across Accra and Tema with its own riders.
Shopping for groceries in Accra can take two to four hours. Supermarkets are far apart, neighbourhood stores carry a short range, markets are crowded and traffic is heavy. During the 2020 lockdown in Berlin, with a two-year-old at home, Cecilia watched Gorillas and Flink deliver in minutes. She and her partner were already thinking of starting a business in Ghana, and this became the one.
Konzoom could have collected from supermarkets and used courier companies. That would have meant no control over prices, timing or what happens when a delivery goes wrong. So they took the Gorillas and Flink route: a facility centre stocked direct from suppliers, their own pickers and riders, and their own app to track every order. That lets them keep prices fair, deliver in paper bags and create jobs.
Before moving, Cecilia asked 20 to 30 friends and family what they buy each weekend and found suppliers through LinkedIn, search and WhatsApp. Her brother-in-law found a central site and registered the business. After launch, people did not trust a new online store, because fake ones were common. Konzoom switched to cash on delivery, ran billboards and street teams, and Cecilia delivered orders herself to hear from customers directly.
For each product line, Konzoom has two or three suppliers, so weekend shelves are never empty. Cecilia knows all 30-plus of them personally, which helps her negotiate prices and get late orders filled. She counts the jobs behind those suppliers too: buying from them supports 400 to 500 families.
New hires spend their first week watching every part of the business: customer service, pickers and riders. Customer service starts with a script until it comes naturally. Riders wear the Konzoom uniform and keep it clean. Bonuses reward good customer feedback. The team hears about the highs, the lows and the fundraise at stand-ups, and salaries have been paid every month, even when money for stock was short.
Konzoom has more demand than it can meet. The plan is to raise in 2025 to hire, buy more assets and improve the technology, then expand to Kumasi and Takoradi, and later to Nigeria and Ivory Coast.
“Patience and consistency is what has gotten us to this point.”
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