ECOFRIJI

A product reviving a traditional preservation method which prevents fruits and vegetables from quickly rotting thus minimizing food wastage

Long description

Local grocery stalls are Nairobi’s most popular place to purchase groceries. Whether one is getting a bunch of kales and an onion for lunch or five tomatoes during the evening rush hour, these stalls are the go-to place. They are in abundance and more convenient than the supermarkets.

As much as the local grocery stalls are common, the produce sold is poorly preserved which if not sold within a few days after its purchase from the distributor, they end up rotting forcing the vendors to incur losses. This is where the “ECOFRIJI” comes in. It is a small scale evaporative cooler that preserves perishable goods such as vegetables and fruits for a longer time before they go bad. The cooler reduces the respiration rate of the produce thus increasing their shelf life by a week. Vendors can now preserve a portion of their produce as they continue to sell the rest consequently help in curbing post-harvest loss and increase their business revenue.

This evaporative cooler is made of recycled plastics and cotton wastes as the cooling pad. It does not use electricity although a removable battery powered air circulator is available for use in non-windy environments. It is also easy and cheap to build and maintain. One may say it’s an equivalent of a mini-fridge.