Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, SunFire Solutions was founded in 2004 with the aim of providing clean cooking solutions in Africa, a continent where a large number of people in poverty rely on fossil fuels to cook food. Founder Crosby Menzies says solar cookers are the only way to ensure food is cooked sustainably and in a way that is healthy for the user. The company now offers a kit made up of a 600-watt parabolic cooker, highly-efficient rocket stove, and heat retaining bags.
The SunFire parabolic cooker concentrates sunlight onto a focal point, where black pots or pans best are placed to absorb the heat. According to the website, one cooker provides a meal for up to six people. The kit also comes with the Rocket, a wood-burning stove that uses 50 per cent less fuel than a standard wood-burning device and is “virtually smokeless.”
The last addition to the kit is its SunBags, or heat retaining bags, which can be used to complete the food-cooking process without using fuel.
Around 500 Million people in Africa use firewood to cook their daily meals, globally this tally is at 3 Billion. Deforestation and Poverty are two of the largest environmental and social justice issues of our time and leading contributors towards habitat and biodiversity loss.
