Kenyan entrepreneur making edible oil extraction machines

KENYA – In response to Kenya’s growing demand for edible oils, a local innovator is offering a breakthrough solution by engineering machines that produce oil from locally sourced crops, such as sunflower seeds and peanuts.

Edible oils are a staple in Kenyan households, and with rising daily demand, the country largely relies on imported oils to meet its growing needs.

To meet the growing demand, a local innovator is developing machines that extract edible oils from crops such as sunflower seeds and peanuts.

This entrepreneur is developing cost-effective oil extraction machines that have the potential to revolutionise the local oil production landscape. These machines aim to empower farmers and small businesses, offering them the opportunity to produce fresh, local oils directly from the farm to the table.

It’s an initiative aimed at enhancing domestic production, reducing import costs, and giving Kenya’s agricultural sector a sustainable competitive edge.

In 2023, driven by the high cost of edible oil, Davis Bahati and a friend embarked on a journey to produce their own. This determination led to the dawn of Edible Oil Machine Fabricators, a company dedicated to designing and manufacturing machines for local edible oil production.

“We started the project in 2023. We were considering different types of crops like macadamia, sunflower, soybeans, canola and coconut. Then we ended up making a machine which can multitask or can do different crops for the oil,” said Bahati.

According to Davis Murimi, an engineer with Edible Oil Machine Fabricators, the machines are fast and consume less energy to extract the oil.

“It has a heating element that will heat the shaft to a certain temperature depending on the seeds you are pressing. The turnaround time for production is 10-15 kg in an hour, depending on the seeds,” remarked Murimi.

“What comes out is crude oil, which cannot be used for cooking immediately. So, there are two options; you can use a filter machine, or you can store the oil in a still container whereby it will decant automatically by gravity.”

Bahati and Murimi are now encouraging more young people to adopt their technology as a path to self-reliance, noting that the machines offer strong financial returns.

Bahati emphasised that their edible oil machines deliver solid returns for users, and the team is not resting on their laurels. They are committed to further innovation, aiming to tackle everyday challenges facing Kenyans and revolutionise the local oil production industry.

“First, our machines are stainless; they are easy to operate. Once you’ve been trained, operating it doesn’t require many skills. Also, you don’t need to have a three-phase power supply for you to use the machine. We want to create more opportunities because we are targeting the East Africa market to impact as many youths as possible,” he added.

With their innovative edible oil extraction machines, Davis Bahati and his team are not only reducing Kenya’s dependence on imported oils but also sparking a grassroots movement of self-reliance, youth empowerment, and agricultural transformation, pressing a new future for Kenya, one drop at a time.

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