Chowdeck, the Nigerian on-demand food delivery startup backed by Y Combinator, has achieved a major milestone—crossing over one million customer orders in a single month.

Founded in 2021 by Femi Aluko, Lanre Yusuf, and Olumide Ojo, the company has grown rapidly from a small logistics venture into one of Nigeria’s most efficient delivery platforms.

Operating in major cities like Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan, and Port Harcourt, Chowdeck recently expanded into Ghana, where it reached 1,000 daily orders within its first three months—three times faster than it did in Nigeria. The platform currently has over 1.5 million users and more than 20,000 riders across 11 cities, handling an average of 40,000 orders daily.

The company’s record comes after other international players like JumiaFood and Bolt Food exited Nigeria’s market due to high operating costs. Chowdeck’s local expertise, flexible pricing, and improved logistics management have helped it succeed where many competitors struggled.

Tech analysts say this milestone proves that African startups can achieve mass-market scale in sectors once dominated by global players. However, challenges remain: high fuel prices, traffic congestion, and thin profit margins threaten sustainability. Users have also highlighted delivery delays and inconsistent customer service as areas needing improvement.

Despite these challenges, Chowdeck plans to deepen its presence in Ghana and expand into other West African markets. The company is also eyeing diversification into groceries and other fast-moving consumer goods, positioning itself as a one-stop logistics platform for daily essentials.

The next phase of growth will depend on improving rider efficiency, strengthening customer experience, and achieving profitability while scaling.

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