Made in Scotland Serving Culture with Every Bite: The Story of Amalahub and Jumoke Olatunji

Some stories rise from the warmth of kitchens, where memories are stirred with wooden spoons and dreams simmer gently on the stove.
And then there’s this one.

A story about food, but also about faith, grit, and belonging. It’s the story of Jumoke Olatunji, founder of Amala Hub, a Nigerian-owned food brand in Scotland that’s doing more than feeding people. It’s reviving taste, heritage, and connection, one plate at a time.

Amala Hub isn’t just a name. It’s the aroma of home. It’s how people remember who they are, even far from where they began. In a country where haggis meets jollof, and traditions find new expression, Jumoke has created a bridge, a celebration of roots served hot, with spice and love.

From a Mother’s Kitchen to Scotland’s Heart

Jumoke’s story began long before the brand was born. Growing up in Nigeria, she spent her childhood helping her mother in the family’s bakery and food shop. Between school runs and market stalls, she learnt the rhythm of service, the resilience that comes from hard work and hospitality.

“I don’t say something is too hard unless I’m sick,” she said, laughing. That resilience, she believes, was her greatest inheritance.

When she moved to Scotland with her family, those early lessons followed her. She didn’t plan to start a business; she simply continued a way of life. Friends would visit and find themselves welcomed with steaming plates of amala and abula, the rich Nigerian yam flour dish paired with stew and soup. Soon, word spread. Her cooking reminded people of home, of family, of comfort.

How Amala Hub Was Born

The turning point came when her husband entered her, without warning, into a business pitch competition hosted by Black Professionals UK. She had no presentation, no name, just a passion for food and faith in her craft.

Out of ten finalists, she won. The prize: a £1,000 grant from Scottish Enterprise. And in that moment, the name “Amala Hub” slipped out of her mouth almost instinctively when asked what her brand would be called.

She used the funds to buy her first set of traditional cookware, the kind that keeps flavours alive and authentic. That’s how Amala Hub came to life, not as a business idea but as a divine appointment.

Food That Connects and Comforts

For Jumoke, food isn’t just sustenance. It’s a ministry.

When she catered for a December event hosted by Novate Hub, she served traditional amala to a Scottish crowd, six of whom were white guests. She worried it might be too spicy, but to her surprise, they came back for seconds. “One of them said he’d never tasted something so good,” she recalls. Moments like that remind her that food has a universal language, comfort.

Amala Hub represents joy and endurance for Jumoke. “Even when I’m tired, once I get an order, I feel energised,” she says. It’s her way of giving love form and flavour.

Building for the Future

Running a food business in Scotland isn’t simple, with inspections, licensing, and facilities to think of, but Jumoke has found her way through it all. She currently runs her operations from home and occasionally uses industrial kitchens for large events.

Her vision, though, is bigger.
Amalahub is preparing to launch a restaurant that will serve indigenous Nigerian meals: Ofada rice, Iwagoi, Ewedu, Gbegiri, and of course, Amala. She also plans to productise her soups, packaging them for easy pick-up in stores and supermarkets, allowing customers to microwave and enjoy a taste of home on demand.

And just in time for the holidays, she’s creating a Christmas soup hamper featuring an assortment of Nigerian sauces and stews. “I’ll be giving a 10% discount code for those ordering through HeartSongLive,” she shared with a smile.

Taste of Home, Heart of Heritage

Through Amala Hub, Jumoke Olatunji is not only building a business, she’s preserving identity. Each order, each meal, each plate shared in a distant land tells a bigger story about what it means to belong.

It’s proof that culture can travel, evolve, and thrive, even thousands of miles from where it began.

Have you ever tasted food that reminded you of home?
Share your thoughts or your own “taste of home” story by emailing info@heartsonglive.co.uk. We’d love to hear from you.

“Adapted by Praise Afolabi based on an interview by Eloho Efemuai, host of Arise with Eloho”