Tom Osborn has a humble manner about him, which is surprising since, at the age of 19, he has already been recognised as one of world's top young entrepreneurs.
He is the founder of
GreenChar in Kenya, a clean energy start-up that produces charcoal briquettes for cooking purposes that are both healthier to use and last longer. His coals are produced from recycled agricultural waste such as sugarcane, which studies show emit 90% less smoke, and have 60% more energy than the normal charcoal used for cooking.
GreenChar is less than two years old, but has already caused a buzz.
Osborn has recently been named as one of Forbes' global '30 under 30' social entrepreneurs, and last year was selected as a 2014 Anzisha Fellow, winning US$10,000 from Donors' Circle at the Anzisha Prize Gala Awards.
He was also chosen as a global Echoing Green Fellow for 2014, which comes with two years of funding totalling $80,000. He is the youngest recipient to receive the fellowship in the organisation's 27-year-history.
Humble beginnings
Osborn's inspiration behind starting GreenChar was based on a concern for the health of his community, particularly his mom. Growing up in Awendo, a small town in Kenya, he watched how women in the community would cook meals for their families on charcoal-fuelled cookstoves. And as a young child, it was Osborn's duty to light the cookstove for his mother every day for lunch.
But in high school he discovered something that worried him. "I randomly came across a report saying smoke from firewood and charcoal killed more people than AIDS, Malaria and TB combined," he explained.
"That really shocked me and made me start thinking of my mom, and that maybe she was slowly dying from all the times she had cooked for us. And I felt guilty because I was one of the people she was cooking for. So I wanted to try to help her."
He started researching online and came across students at MIT who were testing the potential of converting agricultural waste into charcoal.
Osborn got in touch with them and found out how to produce the healthier charcoal briquettes that GreenChar now offers the market.
Thinking like a CEO
It wasn't just a good idea that led to GreenChar's success today. Osborn had to think strategically to overcome a number of challenges facing adoption of his company's product in the market. For starters, he needed to convince consumers to change the way they have always cooked.
"Initially we had to give free samples, because it is a big thing in Kenya that people don't like to change," he said.
The free samples allowed him to educate consumers on the benefit of using his eco-friendly charcoal briquettes.
Another strategic decision was to make sure GreenChar's product could compete with the price of normal charcoal. "For our target customers the biggest factor for them is price. So we believe that even though our product is better quality, it should not be expensive."
For this reason, Osborn began offering their product at a cheaper price.
"And that is why I think we have been very successful so far with sales.
source: how we made it africa
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