The clean burning cook stove, the jikokoaTM, has been designed by BURN who also manufactures and distributes the cookstove. It is produced in the first local, modern manufacturing facility for clean burning cook stoves in East Africa. It is the largest of its kind on the continent and was launched through the EEP grant. In the month August 2015, BURN succeeded to produce and sell a total of 10.000 cook stoves.
BURN’s mission is to create clean-energy products that improve the lives of their customers, employees and all living creatures. Their intention is to sell 3.45 million cook stoves over the next 10 years. In total, they have already produced close to 100.000 cook stoves and changed the lives of 500.000 people, saving them over $13.1 million.
The stove is sold through a number of innovative distribution channels, including more than 400 retail points in Kenya, as well as 100 Equity Bank branches. They are currently expanding around the region, in Tanzania and Uganda most notable. BURN has reached consumers via a variety of marketing channels, for example, a product placement on Kenya’s number one TV show, Papa Shirandula.
The EEP funding have provided the critical next step: creating Sub-Saharan Africa’s first modern cook stove manufacturing facility, thereby reducing the cost of each stove and bringing BURN closer to a commercial viability. This has led BURN to reduce their gross margin from +35% to -30% within 6 months. The EEP funding was the lynchpin for major investments from US OPIC and the Acumen Fund totaling $2.25 million USD. This past June, BURN received the Ashden Award for Clean Energy for Women and Girls as well as being awarded multiple grants, including a Phase 1 USAID DIV grant. Without the EEP grant and the other investments BURN would not have succeeded.
BURN has created 116 direct jobs to date with more than half of the jobs being created for females. BURN is known for a very egalitarian culture were male and females serve in the same positions and are paid equally for the same work. All members of the staff are feeling free to talk to their supervisors and to the management team if they have a problem or improvement suggestion concerning the work. BURN also offers a maternity leave, an annual leave and opportunities for flexible hours for all the employees. The staff is also offered a lending scheme.
To learn more about the project, watch two videos of BURN: video 1 and video 2.
Read an interview at the manufacturing facility with Boston Nyer (Chief Product Officer) and fellow employees here >>
Want to know more? Visit the BURN website>>
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