Nigeria - Business creation project

Describe your project or startup in a few words

Cookblu is a software application that delivers cooking gas as a service in a composite plastic canister to families in the urban and rural communities across Africa.

01.01 Describe your project in more detail

Cookblu is a software application where users can order for cooking gas. The cooking gas is delivered as a service. Users do not need to own gas cylinders to use gas. Cookblu is affordable, safe, smoke-free, convenient and reliable. Cookblu distributes its services through micro distribution centers set up around residences to maintain accessibility, availability and sustainability. Cookblu supports low income earners at the bottom of the pyramid through the trash2cook impact scheme to access our services especially when cooking gas prices are high. Here, low income earners pay for our cooking gas by exchanging a stipulated amount (Kg) of recyclable waste materials such as plastic, paper, metal, etc. Cookblu eliminates downtime experienced by already existing users of cooking gas through its pro-refill alerts.

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

Energy poverty, uncontrolled deforestation and forest loss due to dependency on firewood. Deaths and health hazards related to Indoor Air Pollution/ PM 2.5. Abrupt downtime existing gas users face during cooking especially at the odd hours of the day. Uncontrolled household gas explosion accident.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your project intends to provide (at least 3).

Our services are affordable and home delivered. eliminates ownership of LPG canisters. Eliminates downtime and uses non-explosive, light weight and convenient canisters.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your project is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

Our target beneficiaries are families living in sub urban and rural areas.

01.05 When did you start working on your project?

2023-06-17

01.06 How many other partners are associated with your business venture?

5

01.07 Among the other partners, how many are female?

4

01.08 Please describe the profile of each of the other partners (skills, experience, etc.)

Bolanle Emmanuel - Co-Founder/CEO has 3 years experience in Project Management and oversees the entire cookblu project. Princess Odiaka - Co-Founder/COO has MSc in Food Science and Technology (Energy Conservation) with over 10 years’ experience in the LPG sector. Jean Aramide - CMO, is a first class graduate of Petroleum Engineering with 4 years experience in product development. Valerie Enekwe - Communications Officer. University of Suffolk (MBA). She oversees all Marketing, Sales and Branding. ADEJUMO ADETOMIWA – CTO has BSc in Computer Engineering. He is the Software engineer that oversees the technology aspect of the project.

01.09 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link here:

https://www.instagram.com/tic_trifinity?igsh=c3B6ZmZlOXhsZTdj

01.10 Which industry best describes your project?

a) Energy (equipment, services, sustainable energy and fuel)

02.01.01 My project contributes to the No poverty goal

5

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification

Cookblu ensures that energy poverty is eliminated by creating the trash2cook model for low income earners.

02.02.01 My project contributes to the Zero hunger goal

4

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification

Cookblu does not contribute to zero hunger, however, cookblu supports farmers to utilize LPG for efficient heating,cooling, HVAC in their agricultural crop or food processing thereby making the process seamless.

02.03.01 My project contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

5

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification

3.9.1. Mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution. Cookblu project ensures the elimination of indoor air pollution/PM 2.5 especially within the rural consumers.

02.04.01 My project contributes to the Quality education goal

4

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification

Cookblu supports girl child education by giving scholarships to at least 5 girl child in any community it operates in.

02.05.01 My project contributes to the Gender equality goal

6

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification

Cookblu supports women and girl child to make productive use of their time for better things like education, etc instead of spending about 20hrs in firewood hunt every week. Cookblu plans to promote and give scholarships to at least 5 girls in a community where it operates in.

02.06.01 My project contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

5

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification

Cookblu supports boiling of water using clean energy. Cookblu also has plan in the future to set up a minimum of 2 boreholes in communities to enhance accessibility of clean water and improved sanitation.

02.07.01 My project contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification

Cookblu eliminates barrier of initial cost of acquiring LPG cylinders by delivering cooking gas as a service using the marketer owned cylinder model instead of the consumer owned cylinder model. Low income earners can also use recyclable wastes and plastics to pay for our gas services. q

02.08.01 My project contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

6

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification

8.5.1 and 8.61, Cookblu creates green jobs by establishing micro distribution outlets within residential areas. Cookblu also employs women with equal pay, promotions and other entitlements.

02.09.01 My project contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

7 - Strongly Agree

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification

Cookblu uses composite plastic which can be recycled at its end of life thereby promoting zero waste unlike the steel cylinders.

02.10.01 My project contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

4

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification

Cookblu ensures that her staff has equal treatment as per gender and also gives more opportunity to marginalized employees.

02.11.01 My project contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification

Cookblu diverts households from depending on firewood to cooking gas thereby reducing activities of deforestation. Cookblu also plant at least 5 trees for every cylinder deployed.

02.12.01 My project contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification

Cookblu also developed Trash2cook, an impact scheme that enables households exchange recyclable wastes or plastic for the cooking gas services. Cookblu uses the waste to wealth model to deploy this scheme.

02.13.01 My project contributes to the Climate action goal

6

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification

Cookblu supports awareness and sensitization of communities or groups about need to adopt clean energy. Cookblu also supports the government in policy development where necessary.

02.14.01 My project contributes to the Life below water goal

5

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification

02.15.01 My project contributes to the Life on land goal

5

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification

15.2.1. Cookblu supports planting of trees in every community it operates in.

02.16.01 My project contributes to the Peace justice and strong institutions goal

2

02.16.02 Peace justice and strong institutions - Justification

Cookblu does not directly support this goal however, cookblu envisions deploying its impact services to disturbed areas. It also plans to contribute in kind to this goal.

02.17.01 My project contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification

Cookblu continues to seek partnership from government, large corporations and development partners to deploy this support to the hardest to reach areas in Africa, starting with Abuja Nigeria.

05.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

1 - Strongly Disagree

05.02 The product/service we envision creating represents an entirely new type of product/service.

5

05.03 The product/service we envision creating could be described as a new technology.

6

05.04 The product/service we envision creating is an improvement on an existing product or service.

6

05.05 The product/service we envision creating could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

6

05.06 The product/service we envision creating responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.07 The product/service we envision creating is a new version of an old product/service.

2

05.08 Justification

Cookblu services is unique as we are the first indigeoous company to leverage on trash2cook to deliver cooking gas. We also deliver cooking gas as a service.

05.09 Who are your main potential competitors and what makes you stand out from them?

Downstream marketers and street decanters. We deliver LPG as a service. We leverage technology to stand out. our services is done with convenient canisters. We also leverage carbon financing to conduct rebate programmes for the masses.

10.06 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?

We are supporting nano and small women led businesses such as street food vendors, fast meal vendors, etc to use cooking gas instead of firewood. We also provide free business supoort services for them (B2B only). We also ensure that the micro distribution centers are headed by women. We are currently considering supporting women who sell firewood to become our agents too thereby providing them with better green businesses.