Market testing of the Aprovecho Rocket stove also known as Stovetec was conducted in Harare between August and October, 2009. The stove was received with great enthusiasm, both by end-users and some enterprising people who are now marketing it. Frequency of stove use was observed to be very high among the sampled households, most of who switched to it completely.
Different size pots in current use are easily accommodated, and the skirt fits snugly with no hitches. The majority of users reported savings in the amount of firewood used as the most important benefit. Many reported a three-fold saving of wood when using the new stove. Besides, customers see it as the most ideal solution in the face of frequent power cuts.
Other benefits include quick cooking, aesthetic appeal, heat retention, a controllable fire, space heating and convenience, (one can cook while seated in a chair). By the end of 2009, the cumulative number of sales by free-lance marketing agents had increased to 90, and the marketing effort continues to date. They each have identified a target market.
One focuses on a network of church members, where she is a member herself. Another is a recently graduated marketing student who sells to staff members at her work place. The third channels sales through a social club where he is a member and the fourth is targeting corporates and other institutional buyers. The requested support from the ProBEC office includes end-user leaflets, promotional flyers and logistical support for demonstrations and promotional activities.
Source – http://www.probec.org
