ECOCA end-to-end: installations‚ distribution & network

As an awardee of the Journey to Scale grant in 2020, one of our aims was to expand the local production facility and the team responsible for production, sales and distribution of the ECOCA solar electric cookstove in Lokopio, close to the Bidibidi Refugee Settlement in Uganda. The team in Lokopio are now assembling the ECOCA, conducting quality control, facilitating sales, delivering the product to customers' homes and providing point of sale training and support to customers.

For me, an exciting event as part of this process was attending installations of ECOCA cooking units in the refugee settlement. I joined the technical advisors and assembly team when they headed out to deliver and install new units in the homes of refugee families. Observing the process demonstrated the importance of the local integration, communication and technical advisory capacity.

Every time the team sets out to install a new ECOCA solar cookstove, they gather all the necessary materials, including the solar panel, on a customized motorbike that is suitable to deliver the fragile panel safely on the bumpy roads. The teams’ familiarity with the area helps them navigate with few official roads and without set addresses. Upon arrival, the team splits up, with some team members transporting the parts, whilst others greet the family.

More and more people quickly approached and wanted to hear about the novelty in the neighborhood. A lively discussion immediately began, and it was clear that there is a close connection between community members and the ECOCA staff, with everyone catching up as the installation progressed.

One of the assembly team members then started with a full presentation of each component, going into detail on all the buttons and functions and providing some additional tips and recommendation for proper use of the new ECOCA solar cookstove appliance. It was clear that the team had adapted the initial training really effectively for the specific community and setting we are working in.

There is no doubt that developing local production, sales and distribution networks for the product has a major impact on uptake and building a sense of trust in the new product.

The expertise of assembly staff and technical advisors about each component of the appliance itself, as well as knowing the communities they are delivering to, is closing the communication gap between Pesitho as a company and refugees as the customers of our product. The conversations and introducing the ECOCA to customers face to face creates a feeling of trust towards the new product and customers feel safe to ask questions, test the product and give their review, which then gets reported back within the company, enabling development and improvement based on direct customer feedback.

The speed and efficiency in which the local team executes production, sales and distribution was clearly presented, as each staff member brings the techniques and information acquired through the training, as part of the financial support provided through the Journey to Scale grant, into an effective and collaborative communications and work flow. Expanding our production facility and team also expanded our network and communication between refugees, the team in Lokopio and in Denmark, enabling us to gather valuable customer insights, which otherwise would not have been possible in this genuine, fast and direct way.

Author: Sarah Feldes, Pesitho