Orya Briqs converts agricultural waste (macadamia nut shells, coconut shells and sawdust) into briquettes for clean cooking. The project is reducing agricultural waste that is often burned or discarded and provides households with a cleaner and more affordable alternative to charcoal and firewood. It also creates employment opportunities by training and engaging women and youth in briquette production, packaging and distribution. The project has been operating for 1-3 years with 2-5 workers. It works with agricultural processors, community groups and small businesses to secure raw materials and distribute briquettes to households, food vendors and small enterprises. The goal is to reduce deforestation, improve indoor air quality and lower greenhouse gas emissions by replacing traditional cooking fuels, and promoting circular economy practices.

Operating costs include raw material collection and transport, briquette production, equipment maintenance, packaging, distribution and community training. These costs are mainly covered through briquette sales, supplemented by seed funding and support from ecosystem partners providing technical assistance and market access. Key challenges include limited access to finance for expanding production, seasonal, varying availability of agricultural waste, high transport costs and slow consumer adoption of alternative cooking fuels. To support project growth, investment in production capacity and in increasing community awareness will be needed.
The long-term goal is to expand production through improved equipment and community-based production hubs, strengthen partnerships with agricultural suppliers, and reach more customers across Kenya.