In mid-2013, Ian Oluoch and Tom Osborn joined the Global Minimum’s ‘Innovate Kenya In Challenge’ competition where they pitched an idea on how to develop a smokeless, affordable and easy-to-light briquettes. Their idea impressed the judges and the pair won a Sh268,349 ($3,000) cash prize. “This is where the idea of GreenChar Company was born, the competition gave me a challenge to start my own company with the money I won,” says Osborn.

A few months later, they decided to develop their idea further and in December, Osborn, Oluoch together with a friend called Kirotich founded GreenChar Company in Awendo, Migori County to make the and sell the smokeless briquettes. The social enterprise provides affordable, high energy cooking solutions to transform the Kenyan cooking environment and save lives, money, and time.

To fight against the environmental and health problems that currently arise due to firewood and charcoal usage, GreenChar produces charcoal briquettes called Makaa Poa from revitalised agricultural wastes and distributes clean cookstoves.

“Makaa Poa produces 90 per cent less smoke and 60 per cent higher energy than charcoal. We simultaneously distribute clean cookstoves that optimise the efficiency of the briquettes. Combined, they make a complementary product and provide a complete household cooking environment,” said Osborn.

Says Oluoch: “Per 1kg of GreenChar’s charcoal briquette sold, GreenChar saves five kilogramme of wood and 10kg of carbon related emissions. Per 39kg of briquettes sold, GreenChar saves one tree”.

Olouch says that the Makaa Poa are eco-friendly and have reduced smoke emissions, therefore curbing deforestation and decreasing adverse health effects from firewood and charcoal usage.

They plan to expand the firm to other parts of the country s because they are currently based in Awendo. They use women groups and saccos to sell the briquettes. The briquettes are made from raw materials from sugar cane (bagasse) bought from Sony sugar factory and also they use a paste made from cassava peels.

Bagasse is first dried and burnt in a combustion chamber to reduce the smoking effect. It is then mixed with the cassava paste and pressed hard to obtain the highest density for the product to last longer.

The charcoal, which is the final product, is then dried and packed in two-kilogramme packets ready for transportation to the market.

“Since it was founded, GreenChar has grown rapidly selling over four tonnes of briquettes and distributing over 450 cook-stoves and in the process saving nearly 950 trees and offsetting 360,000kg of carbon related emissions. The company has a total of nine employees and makes over Sh500,000 per month.