Ottawa, Canada  ·  Coming Soon

West African
flavour,
finally
in your kitchen.

Ama produces authentic West African sauces, soup bases, and spice rubs — rooted in Nigerian culinary tradition, crafted with clean ingredients, ready in minutes. Nothing approximated. Nothing compromised.

Join the Waitlist Explore Products
Clean Label No Preservatives Small Batch
Ama
Party Jollof
Sauce
500ml · Ottawa, Canada
700K+
Africans in Canada with no premium West African food option
3
Signature products — crafted, tested, and coming soon
Quick
From jar to table — authentic, every time
As seen in & supported by
Invest Ottawa University of Guelph GFIC Ottawa Public Health CFIA Compliant Lab Tested
Ataisi Akpa-Nwuche, Founder of Ama
Ama ingredients

Our Story

Built from
a gap that
should not exist.

"I searched every grocery store aisle when I arrived in Canada. I found every cuisine imaginable. West African food was nowhere."

Ama was founded by Ataisi Akpa-Nwuche — Nigerian-born, Canadian-raised, and intimately familiar with the gap that 700,000 Africans in Canada navigate every week. The absence of authentic West African food from mainstream Canadian retail is not a market oversight. It is an inequity.

Years after first identifying that gap as an international student, and reignited by the exhaustion of raising two children while wishing for the convenience of the food she grew up with, Ataisi built Ama — a premium West African food brand that refuses to approximate, adapt, or compromise the food tradition it was built to represent.

Every recipe in every jar was earned through a lifetime inside this cuisine. No market research firm can replicate that. No food scientist can manufacture it. It is Ama's irreplaceable foundation.

A
Ataisi Akpa-Nwuche
Founder & CEO, Ama · Ottawa, Ontario

Our Products

Three products.
One uncompromising standard.

Each product was developed from authentic Nigerian recipes refined over a lifetime — not test kitchens. Clean ingredients. No artificial preservatives. Lab tested. CFIA compliant. Coming soon to Ottawa.

Ama Party Jollof Sauce
01
Ama Party
Jollof Sauce

A rich, deeply layered sauce built from fresh tomatoes, peppers, vegetable oil, and traditional Nigerian spices. Captures the smokiness, colour, and complexity of authentic Nigerian party jollof — the version served at every celebration, fought over at every gathering. Ready in minutes. Nothing approximated.

500ml Shelf Stable Clean Label No Preservatives 12 Month Shelf Life
Ama Fisherman Soup Base
02
Ama Fisherman
Soup Base

A ready-to-use base for one of Nigeria's most celebrated soups — born from the Niger Delta fishing tradition. Bold, deeply nourishing, built from native West African ingredients including crayfish, uziza, and traditional spices. Complex flavour that takes hours to build from scratch — ready in minutes with Ama.

500ml Refrigerated Clean Label No Preservatives 14 Day Shelf Life
Ama Signature Spice Rub
03
Ama Signature
Spice Rub

A bold, multipurpose West African spice blend rooted in the tradition of Nigerian suya — the iconic street food prepared by Mallam spice masters across Nigeria. Works on all proteins and vegetables. Transforms a standard roast chicken into something extraordinary. Clean. Versatile. Unmistakably West African.

100g Shelf Stable Clean Label No Preservatives 18 Month Shelf Life

Why Ama

The standard
behind every jar.

01
Authentic — Without Exception

Every recipe was developed by a founder who grew up eating this food in Nigeria. Not adapted. Not approximated. The real thing — captured in a jar.

02
Clean Label — Non-Negotiable

No artificial preservatives. No flavour enhancers. Clean ingredients sourced in Canada. Lab tested by the University of Guelph Agriculture and Food Laboratory. CFIA compliant from day one.

03
Convenience — Without Compromise

The convenience was engineered around the flavour — not the other way around. Authentic West African food, ready when you are, with nothing sacrificed.

04
Category Creator

There is no premium West African food brand in Canadian mainstream retail. Ama is not competing for shelf space — Ama is creating the category.

#1
Most searched global recipe category — West African food is having its mainstream moment
30%
Growth in African population in Canada over the past decade
0
Premium West African food brands in Canadian mainstream retail — until now

Our Mission

Food with purpose.
Business with intention.

Ama is proudly aligned with four United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These are not marketing commitments — each has a specific, measurable action attached to it.

02
Zero Hunger

Making nutritious, culturally appropriate West African food accessible and affordable to immigrant communities experiencing cultural food insecurity in Canada.

→ Ottawa Food Bank Partnership — Q4 2026
08
Decent Work & Economic Growth

Creating dignified employment opportunities within Ottawa's immigrant and multicultural community, prioritising fair wages and meaningful work as Ama scales.

→ First Community Hire — Q1 2027
10
Reduced Inequalities

Challenging the cultural inequality embedded in Canadian grocery retail, where West African food is completely absent from mainstream shelves despite a large and growing community.

→ Annual Impact Report — June 2027
12
Responsible Production

100% recyclable glass packaging from launch. Locally sourced Canadian ingredients. No artificial preservatives. Zero single-use plastic. Clean label from day one.

→ Implemented at Launch

Ottawa, Canada  ·  Coming Soon

Be the first to
taste Ama.

Ama is coming to Ottawa — and we want you to be first through the door. Join our waitlist for early access, an exclusive first-order offer, and updates straight from our kitchen to yours.

Coming soon to Ottawa, Ontario  ·  Online delivery across Canada