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Acumen invests in Pullus to expand fair poultry markets for smallholder farmers in Nigeria

Investment supports a women-led agribusiness building a more reliable poultry supply chain.

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  • West Africa

Acumen has invested in Pullus Africa Solutions Limited, a Nigerian agribusiness working to create fairer and more reliable markets for smallholder poultry farmers. The investment will support Pullus in expanding its aggregation and cold-chain infrastructure, enabling farmers to sell chickens year-round at stable prices.

Across Nigeria, many smallholder farmers depend on informal middlemen who offer extremely low prices for chickens and frequently delay payments. Without reliable buyers, farmers often restrict production to festive seasons such as Ramadan and Christmas to avoid selling under pressure. The result is unstable incomes for farmers and periodic shortages in poultry supply.

Pullus is building a different model. The company aggregates chickens from smallholder farmers and supplies retailers, restaurants, hotels, and food chain stores across Nigeria. By purchasing birds directly and negotiating fair prices with buyers, Pullus helps farmers access dependable markets while reducing their reliance on exploitative intermediaries.

The company also provides training, extension services, and input financing to improve poultry management and flock health. Through these services, farmers gain access to practical knowledge and resources that help increase productivity and reduce losses. Among farmers receiving extension support, more than nine in ten report lower flock mortality rates.

“Acumen’s investment accelerates our mission to make poultry farming more profitable and resilient for smallholder farmers. Together, we are building a scalable, market-driven solution that strengthens food security and livelihoods across Nigeria and Africa.”

Opeoluwa Fayomi, CEO and Co-Founder of Pullus

Building a stronger poultry value chain

Opeoluwa and her co-founder bring more than a decade of experience in the poultry sector. Opeoluwa began by building a poultry farm, growing it from a small operation of 500 birds into an agribusiness producing tens of thousands annually. Together, these co-founders have witnessed how limited market access, weak distribution networks, and lack of technical support held many smallholder farmers back.

Pullus was founded to address these challenges across the poultry value chain. Today, the company connects farmers to reliable buyers while providing the services needed to improve productivity and incomes.

Pullus has registered more than 6,000 smallholder farmers on its platform and trained over 28,000 farmers in poultry management and business practices. The company sold approximately 246,000 birds in 2025 and aims to sell more than 2 million birds by 2029.

Pullus is also notable for its leadership. Opeoluwa is a female founder with deep sector expertise, and women make up half of the company’s senior management team, reflecting a commitment to building inclusive leadership within Nigeria’s growing agricultural sector.

Why we invested

At Acumen, we believe strengthening agricultural value chains is essential for improving farmer livelihoods and building resilient food systems. Pullus addresses a critical gap for smallholder poultry farmers: access to fair and reliable markets.

Acumen’s investment will help Pullus acquire solar-powered cold rooms and refrigerated trucks, allowing the company to store poultry across seasons and expand distribution across states. This infrastructure will reduce losses, stabilize supply, and allow Pullus to reach more farmers and buyers.

The investment will also provide working capital to purchase chickens from farmers and support the expansion of the company’s farmer financing and extension programs.

“Acumen’s investment is a catalytic step in advancing Pullus’ mission to make poultry farming more profitable and resilient for smallholder farmers in Nigeria. When we first met Opeoluwa, Pullus was still pre-revenue, but her clarity of vision and conviction stood out. The speed and discipline with which the company has scaled reinforces our belief that this is a durable, market-driven platform with the potential to strengthen food security while improving farmer livelihoods.”

Feyisola Adekogbe, Investment Manager at Acumen West Africa

With Acumen’s support, the company will deploy new cold-chain hubs in Nasarawa, enabling Pullus to better service Abuja and other surrounding states, while contributing to a more equitable poultry market for Nigeria’s smallholder farmers.

This work is supported by the CFYE (Challenge Fund for Youth Employment).

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