Lirios

Lirios was founded as a premium gifting brand, pioneering Nigeria’s artisanal chocolate-covered strawberries and chocolate-covered dates category. I built the brand from concept to market, developing not only its visual identity and product portfolio, but the broader commercial and operational model behind it — from sourcing and pricing to customer experience, partnerships and seasonal growth.

My Role

Brand Strategy & Identity

• Developed the brand from concept to market, defining its positioning, visual identity and overall customer proposition.
• Established Lirios as a premium gifting brand centred around handcrafted products, elevated presentation and experiential gifting.
• Developed the brand's visual language and ensured consistency across packaging, product presentation, digital touchpoints and the customer experience.
• Defined the product portfolio and pricing strategy around the brand's premium positioning.

Product Development & Sourcing

• Developed the artisanal chocolate-covered strawberry and chocolate-covered date offering that became central to the brand's positioning.
• Managed supplier relationships and sourcing across ingredients, packaging and other product requirements.
• Developed processes to maintain product quality and consistency while supporting the brand's premium positioning.
• Continuously refined the product offering based on customer preferences, seasonal demand and market opportunities.

Commercial Strategy & Customer Acquisition

• Developed and executed the brand's commercial growth strategy across digital marketing, seasonal campaigns, partnerships and customer engagement.
• Built the business around strong seasonal demand, developing strategies to maximise key gifting periods.
• Successfully scaled operations to meet peak seasonal demand, achieving full booking capacity every Valentine's season since 2023.
• Developed the brand's customer acquisition strategy to build both repeat purchasing and long-term brand equity.

Strategic Partnerships & Product Expansion

• Identified and developed a strategic partnership with an established premium florist whose brand reputation, retail location and customer base aligned closely with Lirios' target audience.
• Structured a 30% preferential wholesale arrangement that allowed Lirios to offer the partner's floral collections at standard market pricing while generating incremental margin without holding floral inventory or managing fulfilment.
• Used the partnership to create an asset-light product expansion model, broadening the gifting proposition while minimising additional inventory, operational complexity and fixed costs.
• Identified opportunities to extend Lirios beyond its original product category, which ultimately led to the development of Fresa by Lirios as a separate consumer brand.

Operations & Customer Experience

• Developed the operational processes required to support product preparation, sourcing, fulfilment and delivery while maintaining the premium customer experience.
• Built supplier and fulfilment relationships that could support increasing seasonal volumes without compromising product quality.
• Designed the customer journey around the principles of premium presentation, convenience and experiential gifting.

The result was a premium gifting brand built from the ground up into a recognised category pioneer, combining distinctive product development, elevated presentation, strategic partnerships and a commercially disciplined operating model. Lirios achieved full Valentine's booking capacity for four consecutive years from 2022 and created the foundation for the development of Fresa as a new consumer brand.