E&L Suppliers

Affordable & Sustainable Energy

Business & Impact

E&L Suppliers (Malawi) converts agricultural waste material into biomass briquettes to eradicate the use of charcoal and other harmful fuels that contribute to climate change and negatively affect people’s health.

The Challenge

Customers lack awareness of E&L’s product due to weak branding, are deterred from purchases due to high switching costs, and are inconvenienced by weak sales channels. Further, a limited understanding of customer needs may hinder E&L from maximising customer value.

Our Strategy

The Singapore Chapter Consulting team recommended that E&L should improve marketing efforts to increase product awareness, expand sales channels, and ensure operational feasibility of the production line to attain cost efficiency.

Deliverables from BfE Singapore

  • Marketing Strategy: The team created a brand strategy framework and proposed effective marketing channels, such as brochures with a call to action and live product demonstrations, in order to increase customer awareness of E&L’s biomass briquette product.
  • Optimal Pricing Strategy & Analysis of Distribution Channels: The team outlined optimal quantity packaging by income and also used a recurring revenue model to provide targeted recommendations on how E&L can maintain a reasonable gross margin while reducing consumer switching costs. An analysis of distribution channels was conducted to identify the channels that E&L should penetrate into, such as retail stores.
  • Retention Strategy: A consolidated list of actions to optimise E&L’s female workforce was created. A feedback loop system was devised to ensure E&L receives consistent input on its product for future innovations, thereby optimising the customer journey.

How Lumbani (E&L Suppliers Founder) benefitted from working with BfE

In the face of problems such as deforestation and the ban on charcoal in Malawi, E&L Suppliers is on a mission to meet the energy needs of Malawians through the replacement of charcoal and firewood with biomass briquettes as a more sustainable alternative.

With the comprehensive strategic analysis developed by the BfE Consulting Team, E&L Suppliers was able to identify which marketing and distribution channels would be the most effective in increasing product awareness and sales volume. E&L Suppliers was also equipped with insights on how to optimise their pricing, female workforce, and customer journey.

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