My Last Weeks in Kenya by Funke Aderonmu

As my last two weeks in Kenya came to a close, I not only worked to finish my assignment but also learned about how the production process at Bright Green. As part of my assignment, I needed to understand the many efforts that go into making the charcoal briquettes. This first began with site visits to charcoal vendors where Bright Green gets waste material to make their product. The charcoal vendors were located in different parts of town, so Rebecca and I used our favorite mode of transport, the matatus, to go meet them.  

When we got to the site, we were met with towers of giant sacks or guneas stacked on top of each other all filled to the brim with charcoal. Scattered all over the ground beneath these sacs lay charcoal dust, the waste material which constitutes the main ingredient of Bright Green’s MOTO briquettes. We talked with the charcoal vendors who were leaning against the sacks, asking them about their delivery process and following up on past orders of charcoal dust that had been requested.

From visiting the vendors I learned how crucial relationships were in securing the waste material used in Bright Green’s production chain. Rebecca explained to me how the government crackdown on deforestation meant that charcoal vendors often faced challenges dealing with law enforcement and thus many are often hesitant to collaborate with outsiders even when offered compensation like Bright Green does. I also learned about the challenges Bright Green faces in ensuring quality control on the sacks of charcoal dust it receives. In a few cases, staff members remembered receiving what they thought were sacks of charcoal but what actually turned out to be a mixture of charcoal, dirt and other objects. This has led Bright Green to form closer links and frequent engagements with its vendors to ensure that it receives a certain quality of charcoal dust from them.

The next step in production involved me spending a day with Stanley and Rogers who manufacture the briquettes at the factory. The two gave me a tour of the factory and demonstrated how they used the raw material waste to produce the briquettes. Over the course of the visit I was exposed to the different methods and techniques used to add value to the charcoal waste through making briquettes. Although seemingly straightforward, I later learned that these techniques were the product of months of trial and error by the design and engineering staff at Bright Green. Through an iterative process of creating briquette samples and then testing them amongst themselves and consumers for effectiveness, the team was able to develop the top quality product Rogers and Stanley were now manufacturing.

A few days after my learning about briquette production, it was time to collect the survey questionnaires and analyze the results. I spent a whole day with Chebet and Rebecca running across town to collect the surveys from each of our participants. We also conducted video interviews with a few people who were willing to share what their experience was like with the briquettes. After collecting the questionnaires I began analyzing the data and compiling it into report for the staff at Bright Green. The data showed the varied experiences participants had with the product and their opinions on everything from the aesthetic design of the briquettes to how long the briquettes lasted them while cooking.

On my last day, I presented the results of the questionnaire to the team. From the participants’ responses I was able to provide the team with recommendations on what areas to improve on the briquettes to better serve their target users. My analysis also brought up new questions about the conditions under which participants used the briquettes and how this potentially affected their experience. As a result, we began to strategize new areas to conduct further study to address these new questions. Moving forward, the team plans utilize my work as a stepping stone to conduct future research on the briquettes and their target users.

What a rewarding opportunity it’s been for me to help contribute to the research and development at Bright Green! I feel privileged to have spent my time in Kenya helping Bright Green advance in reaching its mission to provide eco-friendly products that meet needs while preserving the environment.