In Peru
47.5%
do not have a traditional refrigerator at home, that means that...
They must make daily and small purchases, otherwise the food spoils
Eat packaged, high-carbohydrate foods because they last longer
The unitary purchase harms the family economy in the medium term
Pukhi is a Low-Tech project of social and environmental innovation. It was born as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic with the purpose of solving food conservation and waste problems.
We align ourselves with 4 sustainable development goals:
We reduce food waste and food loss, thus helping families save money
We encourage the consumption of fresh food, especially fruits and vegetables
We spread sustainable and ecological technology that conserves without electricity
We carry out workshops in the soup kitchen “Virgen de la Candelaria” in Villa María del Triunfo (Lima). The workshops were divided into modules distributed throughout a month, where the best practices and care that must be taken to obtain the best benefit from the artisanal refrigerator were shared.
Families are using Pukhi
Now they preserve fruits and vegetables without leaving home!
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Trained people
They took our workshop and they know about the technology we use!
Soup kitchen is using Pukhi
They are preserving their food without using electricity!
pukhi Refri
Inspired by the ancient Andean world and ancestral knowledge, Pukhi Refri is a sustainable and artisan refrigerator that extends the life of fruits and vegetables without the need for electricity.
Our fridge works by a simple principle: evaporative cooling that keeps food 5 to 11 ° C cooler than the outside temperature.
You only need WATER, SAND and PUKHI REFRI to preserve your fruits and vegetables.
💚 Does not use electricity
💚 Easy to use and transport
💚 Eco-friendly design
Total weight
9 kg*
Storage capacity
6 kg
*The weight of sand and water is not included
WORKSHOPS
Through online workshops, we implement our solution using easily accessible and low-cost materials using a Do It Yourself approach! (DIY).
During these workshops we will learn about:
💚 Pukhi and its simple technology to preserve food
💚 The operation of the artisan fridge
💚 And about the best practices for the maintenance of Pukhi
Duration
60 - 90 minutes
You can purchase a Pukhi Refri for your own use, donate it to a family in need or be part of our online workshop to learn more about the technology we use
Mercedes Cochachi
Leader of the soup kitchen “Virgen de la Candelaria”
Mercedes is a housewife and leader of the communal pot in her community. Now she uses 2 Pukhi's refri in the common pot.
In the workshop she learned about the foods that can be kept in Pukhi, how to take care of the product and she shared it with other mothers of the pot
Jan
Student and our youngest ambassador
Jan is 10 years old and is the son of Juanita, another leader of the common pot. He helped his mom build Pukhi Refri and is our youngest ambassador.
He loves to eat bananas, but his family didn't buy many because they didn't have a place to store them. Now with Pukhi you can enjoy all the fruits you want.
Pukhi was selected as the Top Idea Winner out of more than 600 projects from around the world in the "Health and Subsistence in the Global South" challenge organized by OpenIDEO, IDEO.org and La Victoria Lab.
The objective of this challenge was to help low- and middle-income families stay healthy during the health crisis.
Learn more here.
We are part of The Food Systems Game Changers Lab (FSGCL), a global program to build a better food future that supports the UN Food Systems Summit.
FSGCL is powered by EAT, IDEO, Thought For Food and the Rockefeller Foundation.
Learn more here.
We were part of the MentorUp online mentoring program in Germany. Together with 15 projects, we formed the 1st batch and received mentoring from industry experts and successful founders.
MentorUp was organized by Global Shapers Munich
Learn more here.
Learn more Pukhi participated in the Women in STEM mentoring program for women that seeks to awaken and detect the entrepreneurial spirit among women in Peru and Latin America.
This program had the support of Hub UDEP, Universidad de Piura, Caja Piura, Isa Rep and IDB Lab.
Learn more here.
Since the end of 2020, we have been working hand in hand with local and global organizations to make Pukhi happen.
Eric Verploegen
Technical Advisor
Former Evaporative Cooling Lead @MIT D-Lab
Eric is the founder of CoolVeg where he works to develop and disseminate evaporative cooling based technologies for improved fruit and vegetable storage in low-income arid regions. From 2014 to 2023, Eric worked at MIT D-Lab as an instructor and principal investigator on numerous global development projects related to off-grid energy and post-harvest storage.
Eric has a background in materials science and received his Ph.D. in Polymer Science and Technology from MIT in 2008.
Julia Rojas Vidal
Strategic Advisor
Director @Capital Center
Industrial engineer, specialized in corporate finance with +20 years of experience leading businesses in real estate, banking and capital markets. Specialist in business growth and consolidation.
Quality Assurance Manager at Chescan (formerly Chester Barf), a company she co-founded. She was one of the executives with outstanding positions in the Top Peruvian Women Most Influential on LinkedIn ranking published in the first edition of Mercado Negro's digital magazine By Marketeers.
Andrea Lazo Zúñiga
Product Design Advisor
Head of Design and Industrial Production @TECSUP
Experience in project management and coordination, product design, user experience analysis and application of agile methodologies. UX Alliance Certified and in Digital Fabrication by the Fab Foundation.
Shamir Joseph
Business Design Advisor
Design Thinking Trainer @IDEO U
Design Thinking Trainer who prepares people and organizations in design thinking skills leveraging experiential learning. He is a member of the teaching team at IDEO U & Simplilearn.
Germán López
Sustainability Advisor
Adjunct Professor @UTEC
MSc in Climate Studies, +9 years of experience in innovation in Sustainable Business Models, environmental and climate change consulting (Transfer Consultancy - Spain, ERM, JGP, GEMA, KCB, Greenprint Consultants, Weather Impact BV).
Jorge Siesquén Deza
Founder
BSc. in Business Administration @PUCP
Product Designer. I am passionate about using design as a social innovation tool to create more human, sustainable and inclusive experiences.
Claudia Siesquén Deza
Co-Founder
BA in Sociology @PUCP
Design Researcher. I believe that technology should always be at the service of people and that it can be used to create equitable and innovative experiences for humanity.
Téo Dejean
Comms
Student of Management of Cultural Institutions @Sciences Po Lille
Alejandro Sandoval
Comms
Student of Business Administration @PUCP
Would you like to join? Write us here!
