Origo Reborn?

[thinwater]

Some of you probably know that Orgio was owned by Dometic and was sold off a few years ago. The new company, CleanCook, with the original design team, is focusing on selling simple alcohol stoves into the third world, to help people get away from unhealthy wood fire cooking. This is Project Gaia.



In the boat and RV market, alcohol stoves have been displaced by cheap butane cook tops.



The stoves have been redesigned for reduced cost and improved efficiency. The question they are asking is whether there is a US retail market for the new stoves. Any profit would support their primary, charitable focus. Both designs are available in one and two burner designs. The fuel reservoir is slightly improved but interchangeable with older Origo stoves.


Thoughts?

[Pegu Club]

Good to hear, nice enough design, but as not well suited for boat use, as it appears it would be less easy than the Origo to make level with a counter top and put a cutting board on top of it, but that can be overcome.

Our Origo came as original equipment on our 1977 Bristol 29.9 #17 great piece of kit, it still after all these years works great. Dometic gave some lazy excuses for why they stopped production. Oh well, maybe this new unit will become available for boaters who want an effective less expensive cooking appliance for their boats.

Fair winds,

[GordMay]

Project Gaia
Project Gaia promotes clean cookstoves that are powered by alcohol fuels – fuels that are clean, safe, and efficient. The CleanCook stove is powered by alcohol fuels, fuels that virtually eliminate household air pollution and drastically reduce emissions. Cleancook Sweden AB originates from Dometic Group,and works closely with Project Gaia, Inc.
Stoves ➥ https://projectgaia.com/our-approach/the-stove/
CLEANCOOK AB ➥ Products – Cleancook Sweden AB
and ➥ Clean Cooking Catalog
and ➥ Clean Cooking Catalog

[roverhi]

The reason I got rid of the pressure alcohol stove is it wasn't gimbaled and didn't have the ability to add fiddles to hold the pots. Origo had the option of easily added fiddles or even gimbaling it. The photos of the clean cook stove would only be useful flat and motionless. Useless for a boat except in a calm anchorage or slip. Unfortunately boats actually do leave the dock.

[psk125]

Are they trying to sell alcohol stoves in the U.S. market because people in the third world can’t afford to import the alcohol they need to burn in them, even if they give the burners away? We had trouble finding alcohol for our pressure alcohol stove in Ireland and England, so it is not just a third-world problem. Third world people apparently already have and use wood. If alcohol is a healthier alternative, wouldn’t electricity be even better than that? Why aren’t they distributing electric burners, then? It’s somewhat like setting up fishermen with outboard motors instead of sails. Yes, it’s quicker. But it isn’t necessarily less expensive or easier. “Better”, and “improvement” are relative terms. Maybe the Swedes are looking to boost the export market for Aquavit.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by psk125

Are they trying to sell alcohol stoves in the U.S. market because people in the third world can’t afford to import the alcohol they need to burn in them, even if they give the burners away? We had trouble finding alcohol for our pressure alcohol stove in Ireland and England, so it is not just a third-world problem. Third world people apparently already have and use wood. If alcohol is a healthier alternative, wouldn’t electricity be even better than that? Why aren’t they distributing electric burners, then? It’s somewhat like setting up fishermen with outboard motors instead of sails. Yes, it’s quicker. But it isn’t necessarily less expensive or easier. “Better”, and “improvement” are relative terms. Maybe the Swedes are looking to boost the export market for Aquavit.

This is a non-profit effort. Anything that raises money helps. That is the sole reason they are considering retail sales. I've spoken with some of the leaders, and it sounded like a good thing, worth supporting. That is also the reason for this thread.

Please read the Project Gaia materials. Ethanol for the stoves is produced locally and sold for less than the cost of petroleum fuels. It is NOT $16/gallon, as it is in the US, but sub-$2/gallon in bulk.
https://projectgaia.com/

Electricity does not exist in many of these areas.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by roverhi

The reason I got rid of the pressure alcohol stove is it wasn't gimbaled and didn't have the ability to add fiddles to hold the pots. Origo had the option of easily added fiddles or even gimbaling it. The photos of the clean cook stove would only be useful flat and motionless. Useless for a boat except in a calm anchorage or slip. Unfortunately boats actually do leave the dock.

I think this need is variable.

• As a coastal cruiser, I ticked off a lot of miles, but I very seldom cooked under way. I like a cold breakfast and lunch. By dinner, I'm settled down on the hook.
• Multihulls don't use gimbaled stoves. I never even use the pot holder arms; they've been stored under the pots for years. The boat is stable enough, even in moderately rough conditions. That said, I might add some braces.
• Smaller coastal boats, the target market, almost never cook underway. At least that is my observation.

[Singularity]

Putting ethanol, bittered or not, into the homes and communities of the socioeconomically disadvantaged...seems like a non-starter to me. Adding methanol, maybe worse? Maybe straight isopropyl (soot and all) would be overall better?

Being serious here...

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by thinwater

I think this need is variable.

• As a coastal cruiser, I ticked off a lot of miles, but I very seldom cooked under way. I like a cold breakfast and lunch. By dinner, I'm settled down on the hook.
• Multihulls don't use gimbaled stoves. I never even use the pot holder arms; they've been stored under the pots for years. The boat is stable enough, even in moderately rough conditions. That said, I might add some braces.
• Smaller coastal boats, the target market, almost never cook underway. At least that is my observation.

Great to see it may be coming back as a boating option. And I am sure they can be adapted with gimbals, in fact the Origo ones may be adaptable for that one.

[Franziska]

Well, these are non pressurized and as such do not suffer from the risks of pressurized systems.
The canisters can even be turned upside down when filled to the brim and hardly anything leaks out.

Exactly as on the previous Origos.

So if you attach the stove firmly, there is no more risk than on a Propane stove (actually it's less as there is no gas involved).

Now, if they bring back the oven too for a non boating reasonable price, I'm all in for it :-)

Watch the video on their site!
https://projectgaia.com/

Originally Posted by roverhi

The reason I got rid of the pressure alcohol stove is it wasn't gimbaled and didn't have the ability to add fiddles to hold the pots. Origo had the option of easily added fiddles or even gimbaling it. The photos of the clean cook stove would only be useful flat and motionless. Useless for a boat except in a calm anchorage or slip. Unfortunately boats actually do leave the dock.