Bango startup helps shoppers compare food prices

Ask two traders for the price of a basket of tomatoes and there’s a good chance you’ll get two different answers. Even then, the baskets may not hold the same amount of produce. For shoppers who don’t visit traditional markets often, it’s difficult to know whether the price they’re being quoted is reasonable. Bango thinks that information gap can be narrowed. The Nigerian startup has built a platform where shoppers share what they paid for food, where they bought it and when. Instead of relying on a single trader’s price, users can compare recent purchases from different markets before deciding where to shop.

The idea came from a shopping trip. During the 2024 Sallah celebrations, co-founder Ademuyiwa Taofeek was buying tomatoes and peppers in Lagos when he noticed they were selling for far more than they did in Jos, one of Nigeria’s main farming centres. Traders blamed transport costs. Taofeek wasn’t convinced. He bought the same produce in Jos, paid to have it transported to Lagos and compared the final bill. It still worked out cheaper than buying directly in Lagos. For him, the problem wasn’t only the price. Buyers had no easy way to see what those products cost elsewhere. He later shared the experience with Caleb Adenegan. The conversations that followed eventually became Bango, which launched in November 2025.

Built on shared information

Every price listed on Bango comes from someone who has already made a purchase. Users upload the item they bought, the quantity, the amount they paid, the market, the seller and a photo. The next person looking for tomatoes, onions or peppers can search those listings and compare prices before leaving home. Adenegan said the platform formalises something many Nigerians already do. “People used to ask neighbours where they found cheaper food,” he said. “We’re simply making that information easier to find.”

Looking beyond price comparisons

The founders soon realised that price information solved only part of the problem. Finding cheaper onions in another city doesn’t help much if getting there costs more than the savings. That prompted Bango to add Shopr, a service that allows customers to buy produce through the platform. The service currently operates in Abuja, where the startup buys directly from farmers and suppliers before arranging deliveries to customers. Since launching in June, it has fulfilled between 40 and 50 orders. Rather than sending each order separately, Bango groups customers living in the same area and delivers their purchases together. Some products are only available on certain days, making it easier to combine orders and reduce transport costs. The company still manages deliveries itself. “We want to understand every part of the process before bringing in logistics partners,” Adenegan said. Another feature, called Bango Market Day, is expected to launch soon. Instead of placing individual orders, shoppers will be able to register interest in buying larger quantities of food. Bango will combine those requests before sourcing produce from its supplier network. The founders believe buying in bulk could help lower prices further while giving farmers access to more predictable demand.

Keeping the information reliable

Shopr generates Bango’s revenue through service and delivery fees. The startup says it has attracted around 2,500 users, most of them through referrals. Unlike supermarket delivery apps such as Chowdeck, Mano and GoLemon, Bango starts with market data. Commerce came later. The model depends on buyers continuing to upload accurate prices. False listings are possible, but the founders believe they become easier to spot as more people submit prices from the same markets. A trader posting unrealistic prices would quickly stand out against other submissions. Bango remains small compared with Nigeria’s established grocery delivery companies. For now, its focus is less on competing with them and more on helping shoppers understand what food should cost before they decide where to buy it. Expanding Shopr beyond Abuja is next on the company’s agenda.