Cooking up change: How BURN is transforming cooking in Africa

BURN is transforming the clean cooking market in Africa by prioritising localisation, sustainability, and community empowerment. Through building in-country manufacturing facilities and employing user-centered design processes, BURN has established itself as a leader in addressing the local cooking needs of diverse African communities.  

Across sub-Saharan Africa, millions of people cook with three stone open fires or traditional charcoal stoves; both release harmful pollutants that pose serious health risks, especially to women and children who typically spend more time indoors exposed to smoke. Such stoves also burden families financially as the cost of wood and charcoal has spiraled in recent years, whilst the widespread reliance on such biomass fuels is also accelerating deforestation and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. BURN’s fuel-efficient clean cooking appliances provide a comprehensive solution to the critical challenges of deforestation, poverty and indoor air pollution.

BURN’s flagship product, the Ecoa Char (formerly Jikokoa) stove, achieves 72% thermal efficiency, reduces fuel usage by up to 50%, and lowers household expenses by 40-65% in comparison to traditional charcoal stoves, according to independent trials. This impact demonstrates BURN’s ability to harmonise localised benefits with global sustainability objectives. Responding to growing demand for clean cooking solutions, the company expanded from its Kenyan base into the Nigerian market in 2018 and continues to pursue ambitious growth plans.

Recognising BURN’s potential, Energy Catalyst has provided the company with essential funding and technical support, which has enabled it to scale operations, refine its technology, and expand its product offerings. To explore the strategies driving this success, Energy Catalyst interviewed Meredith Muthoni, BURN’s Head of Electric. Muthoni offered valuable insights into the company’s innovative business model, the challenges it has overcome, and its vision for the future of clean cooking in Africa.

Q1: Could you describe BURN’s business model and highlight how it is different to other approaches? 

A: We are a vertically integrated manufacturer, so we manage every step of the process, from research, designing and producing the stoves to distributing them directly to households. This end-to-end control over the value chain enables BURN to uphold exceptional quality standards, addressing a critical market issue where low-cost stoves often fail prematurely, leading to user distrust.

This approach provides unparalleled agility to rapidly adapt products to local and regional requirements – a major advantage in emerging markets. We make region-specific adjustments that reflect our commitment to understanding and addressing local cooking habits. By combining localised production with cost savings, we can ensure our products are not just accessible but culturally relevant, driving lasting impact in the communities we serve.

Additionally, we’ve developed a self-reliant approach that utilises carbon credits as a funding mechanism. BURN makes its clean cooking appliances more accessible by leveraging carbon financing to subsidise the cost of stoves by 60-100%. In the 18 months up to December 2024, we have provided approximately $60 million in discounts through carbon credits, enabling families to access a $40 life-saving stove at just $5. This approach reduces financial barriers that might otherwise prevent access to clean cooking technologies.

Q2: What have you come to understand about local cultural, geographic and economic contexts, and how has that informed your approach?

A: Cooking is deeply personal, and this understanding has fundamentally shaped our approach. We recognise that cooking is not just a functional task, but a complex cultural and social practice that varies across communities. To ensure our products resonate with users, we have embedded ourselves within the communities we serve.

Our customer-centric approach involves comprehensive research methods, including door-to-door visits, cooking demonstrations, and detailed surveys. These efforts help us gather feedback to refine our products and ensure they align with local needs. By engaging directly with families in their homes and understanding their unique challenges, we’ve gained insights that go beyond surface-level needs, enabling us to make truly impactful design changes.

A prime example of this approach is our work in West Africa. In regions with larger households and communal cooking practices, our user feedback highlighted the need for stoves with deeper, wider cooking surfaces to accommodate large pots and different cooking techniques. We responded by adapting our designs to meet these specific requirements, maintaining efficiency while ensuring usability. Through user-centered design, we’ve avoided the common pitfall of creating a one-size-fits-all solution, and our stoves have since become household staples.

Q3: What challenges has BURN faced in scaling local manufacturing, and how have you navigated these obstacles?

A: Collaborating with the Nigerian government, whose national clean cooking agenda aligns with our efforts to transition every African household to clean cooking, we started to expand into the Nigerian market in 2018. We initially encountered some challenges including supply chain delays, and the intricacies of navigating a vast and diverse country. The high cost of inter-state transportation, exacerbated by fragmented trade policies, added significant logistical difficulties.

Facing these barriers, we knew we needed to bolster our strategic resilience and optimise planning to save time and money. We conducted extensive feasibility studies to determine the optimal location for our manufacturing facility, carefully considering factors such as proximity to raw materials, market access, and available infrastructure to ensure efficient operations. We also engaged local stakeholders – including consultants and community leaders – to help us navigate bottlenecks, understand regional nuances, and build acceptance within our target communities.

To ensure a skilled workforce, we prioritised hiring and training local talent. Drawing on lessons from our Kenyan facility, we developed tailored upskilling programmes to equip our Nigerian workers with the technical expertise needed for efficient production. Many workers showed significant potential but lacked specific manufacturing skills, so our training initiatives ensured that we could maintain our high standards while simultaneously advancing local industrial capacity.

This strategic combination of meticulous planning, local partnerships, and workforce development paid off. We successfully launched our Nigerian facility less than a year after establishing our presence in the country. BURN has sold 450,000 fuel-efficient biomass and LPG cooking appliances in Nigeria since then, and we plan to massively ramp up production at our Kano facility from 40,000 to one million units per month in 2025. 

Q4: How has Energy Catalyst supported BURN’s innovation efforts?

A: Energy Catalyst funding has been transformative for BURN, playing a pivotal role in driving innovation and scaling our operations. Funding rounds 7 and 9 provided the financial resources and technical support needed to develop groundbreaking products, including IoT-enabled cookstoves and electric pressure cookers specifically tailored to African households. These innovative solutions address the cultural, financial, and practical requirements of our users while simultaneously contributing to multiple Sustainable Development Goals: reducing carbon emissions, improving health outcomes, promoting economic empowerment, and enhancing technological accessibility.

The funding allowed us to accelerate our innovation process, taking products from initial concept to market-ready status in just three years. Getting better products to market quicker has enabled our stoves to improve the lives of millions. By bridging the gap between technological innovation and the everyday realities of our users, Energy Catalyst has helped us set a new standard for clean cooking solutions.

Q5: BURN is known for its focus on gender inclusion. What benefits has this brought the company?

A: At BURN, gender inclusion isn’t just a superficial commitment – it’s central to driving innovation. We strive to create an inclusive workplace where women make up 50% of our workforce, contributing across every organisational level, from the factory floor to leadership. This intentional inclusivity harnesses diverse perspectives to foster creativity and ensure our products truly meet the needs of our customers.

A standout example of this approach is how user feedback has directly shaped our product design. Their insights have led us to incorporate ergonomic features in our stoves, making them more practical and user-friendly, especially for households where women are the primary cooks. These contributions bridge the gap between design and functionality in ways that would be challenging to achieve without their input.

Our commitment to gender balance begins with our hiring practices. We actively encourage women to apply for roles and ensure equity in our shortlisting process, creating equal opportunities from the outset. This approach not only communicates our core values but also builds a workplace where all genders can thrive and bring their most innovative ideas to the table.

By embracing gender balance, we’ve enriched our creativity, strengthened our product development process, and made our offerings more relevant to the communities we serve. It’s a deliberate strategy that aligns with BURN’s mission to promote social equity while tackling environmental and economic challenges.

Q6: What advice would you give to other companies seeking to replicate your success?

A: My advice to other companies is straightforward: focus on localisation and community engagement. Be more responsive to your customers and your solutions will be more impactful. For us, it’s never just about manufacturing and distributing stoves; it’s about deeply understanding the unique needs of each region. That is what helped us build trust and establish ourselves as a brand that genuinely listens and responds to real needs.

Our localised manufacturing approach is another key strategic element. By producing locally, we’re not only reducing costs but also creating jobs, empowering communities, and minimising environmental impact. This aligns with our broader commitment to sustainability, gender inclusion, and customer-centric innovation – principles that have guided us as we expand into new markets.

Our mission goes beyond stoves, it’s about creating systematic change that transforms lives. By addressing critical issues like deforestation, indoor air pollution, and poverty, we’re working toward a future where clean cooking is the norm, not a luxury. It’s incredibly rewarding to see how our work delivers lasting change, one household at a time.