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VitaGoat has done work in Africa, South Asia, Former Soviet Union, Latin America. Please see http://www.malnutrition.org/vitagoat.html for more information.
The VitaGoat is a food processing system that can be used to create value-added products from cereals, grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables, enabling local groups to increase food security, improve health and create micro-businesses and employment. Primary foods can be processed into flours, pastes or wet slurries and used “as is” or further cooked with steam, as for soymilk and its various derivatives. Cooked foods can also be used “as is” or pressed in a manual filter press to make juices and energy-dense beverages. The key feature of the VitaGoat is that it can make all of these foods without the need for electricity; grinding is provided through “pedal power” while cooking energy is provided via an innovative and fuel-efficient steam boiler.
Components
The VitaGoat has four main components although one of these, the bicycle grinder, can be used on its own in situations where only dry foods are processed without cooking.
1) Steam boiler: Operating on either wood or other hard fuels or liquid gas, the boiler is estimated to be 10 times more fuel efficient than traditional open fire cooking and more efficient than improved stove-design cooking. Water is heated in an inner chamber and the resulting steam is re-heated in a tube, creating a “superheated steam” that is much hotter than regular steam. The boiler is inexpensive to build, safe, and can be taken apart for cleaning. This latter feature is critical since most boilers accumulate scale on their inner shells and eventually fail.
2) Bicycle grinder: Based on a design originally created in the mid-70s in the US, energy is produced through a pedal-powered system that uses adjustable-speed pulleys, permitting fast and easy grinding of a variety of foods. An inexpensive modified hand mill using metal to metal plates grinds foods 10-50 times faster than with traditional methods. Seating is adjustable depending on the operator’s height and the adjustable speeds can be matched to the individual’s power.
3) Cooker: Made from stainless steel, this vessel can cook up to 15 liters of food per batch, under pressure, thus greatly reducing cooking time and saving fuel. It is equipped with temperature and pressure gauges and a safety pressure relief valve. Product is fed through an easily removable top opening and steam enters the vessel through openings located on the bottom of the vessel. Cooked product exits the cooker through a valve-controlled bottom opening.
4) Press: Also all stainless steel, pressing occurs by turning a screwed rod that pushes onto a sanitary plastic disc, in turn squeezing out liquid from product held within a filter bag. The liquid pours out the bottom into a pail. The press is very simple to operate and clean.
Soymilk Production
5) Spare parts and instructions: each system will include a complete set of spare parts such as gaskets, gauges, bicycle chain and belt, and a few others. These are expected to be sufficient for at least 1 year’s continuous operation. Technical manuals will be provided in English and French along with a training video (to be provided after the first pilot systems have been installed in Africa).
Fabrication
Malnutrition Matters intends to transfer the fabrication/spare parts/training responsibilities for the VitaGoat to manufacturers in Africa, ideally at locations in East, West and South Africa. Fabrication can be transferred gradually, with some components sourced from North America in the first stage. By the end of 2004, 90% of the value of a system should originate in Africa. Spare parts and training can be provided entirely from Africa within 6 months after the Africare-sponsored “pilot” stage. Other regions such as Latin America, South Asia and South-East Asia will be considered as and when appropriate sponsors and co-operating NGO’s are identified.
All key parts of the system, including the boiler and bicycle grinder, were designed to make them practical to produce under African manufacturing environments, using mostly common parts and materials. It is estimated that the fabrication cost for a system should be roughly half compared to North American fabrication costs. In addition, African-made systems will have lower transportation costs.
Economics
The major investment cost of setting up a VitaGoat system is the cost of the equipment itself, along with a suitable production space. There are no costs associated with installing or consuming electricity or running water. The water source for the system can be as simple as a bucket. It is clearly expected that the investment will pay for itself within a year, assuming 3-4 hours daily production. The VitaGoat can be used in a number of settings, such as: direct feeding in humanitarian projects, use in social institutions (hospitals, schools, etc) and, perhaps most importantly, as the principal vehicle for a food production micro-enterprise which could employ 5 to 10 people. This could be like a “restaurant”, food processing “mini-plant”, retail outlet, or any combination of these.
BIOGRAPHIES:
Brian Harrigan, MBA, P.Eng.(Mechanical Engineer) is the President of Malnutrition Matters. Brian was most recently the Executive Vice-President and Director of Engineering at a Canadian food technology company with international business. During this time he became an expert in soymilk/soyfood production and technology. He has also extensively researched the development of other "seed-based" food production. His experience includes developments in Russia and the CIS, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Africa. His background also includes financial management, relations with government and NGO's, and a strong commitment to humanitarian and global nutrition issues. He is fluent in English and French and has a working knowledge of Russian and Spanish.
Frank Daller is Vice-President of Malnutrition Matters. He was formerly the President and partner of ProSoya Inc., a soymilk technology company, and Executive Director of DuraKit Shelters, a low-cost housing company. Both of these operations had an international business focus, particularly with developing countries. His business experience includes work in Russia, Western Europe, India, the Caribbean, Latin America and the US. For the last twelve years, Frank has also been actively involved in charitable and development work in South Asia, Africa and Central America. He speaks English, French and German and has a working knowledge of Spanish.
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