Enabling Electrification With Local Biofuel
In 2011 as the newly elected government ascended to power in Guinea, JOBOMAX began implementation of a groundbreaking project in electrification and local fuel independence. Based on a multi-year study of the infrastructure, investment, transportation and power distribution challenges across the Sahel, we established a plan to roll out multiple phases and models of electric power generation for a variety of rural, urban and transitional socioeconomic settings. Using locally-produced SVO and WVO stock, proprietary filtration systems and innovative fuel management systems, we make standard diesel generators the backbone of a flexible, mobile electrification mini-grid that brings power to underserved populations. Pilot phase of the project began in Guinea in March 2011, and will expand across the region in coming years. For more detail on this project, see the project summary slides, or feel free to contact us directly.
Supporting Production and Export of Natural Shea Butter
From relative obscurity a decade ago, shea has become a leading ingredient demanded by both conventional and natural products consumers. Practically every health and beauty products retailer offers a range of shea butter products today.
Unfortunately for cosmetics consumers, the bulk of shea butter used in skin and hair care products is not a naturally produced, full-spectrum shea butter, but rather a neutral, standardized shea stearin produced by chemical industry conglomerates. This highly stable – but far from natural – product has become the convenient choice for many high-volume cosmetic formulations where shea butter is desired. However, the benefits end-users expect from the shea butter on the label are in many cases simply not delivered.
JOBOMAX sources shea butter directly from women’s cooperatives across West Africa that blend traditional, water-based extraction methods with improved sanitary and preservation technologies to create a product that retains the maximum natural healing and moisturizing properties of the shea nut, while remaining free of chemical residue often found in industrially-produced shea derivatives.
