Distribution is a people problem
Getting a clean cooking appliance to a rural household is not primarily a logistics question. It is a question of trust — who explains the product, who demonstrates it, and who the buyer can go back to when something goes wrong. That role is overwhelmingly filled by women in our network.
Why women-led agents reach further
Cooking decisions in most households are made by women. An agent who cooks on the same appliance she is selling can answer the questions that matter: how long the beans take, what happens during a power cut, whether the pot is easy to clean. Product literature cannot substitute for that.
Savings groups as the financing layer
Village community banks and savings cooperatives do work no formal lender is set up to do at this ticket size. Members already save together, already assess each other's capacity to repay, and already meet regularly. Partnering with these groups turns a lump-sum purchase into instalments a household can plan around.
What we provide
- Product and safety training before an agent sells anything.
- Demonstration stock so customers can see a meal cooked start to finish.
- Aftersales support and spare parts routed through the business support centres.
- Margins structured so that agents earn on service, not only on first sale.
Inclusion as a design choice
Gender equality and social inclusion is not a reporting annexe for us — it determines who we recruit, how training is scheduled around household responsibilities, and which financing partners we work with. The network's composition is the direct result of those decisions.