Honey Process Unit — Jing | Digital Product Designer

Field Research in Tanzania

Many beekeepers in rural Tanzania suffer from the lack of professional means and equipment to process honey, which results in low quality and low production of honey products.

The project of Mobile Honey Process Unit, was established by an international social enterprise, Jasmine Bee, and aims to design an innovative approach to deliver honey processing services to remote small-scale beekeepers in Tanzania.

Storyboard

In order to support local beekeepers in processing and achieving better quality honey, multiple processing facilities will be implemented in a hygienic environment and being transported to beekeeping areas. The processed honey can be sold to Jasmine Bee directly at a fair price after processing and being stored properly while transporting.

Top view of the Honey Process Unit

Considering safety issues during transportation, all the facilities are fixed on the floor by rivets. Beekeepers can go inside from the entrance on the left of the drawing and go through the processing machines (uncapping, pressing or extracting, filling) clockwise according to the right working procedure. One third of the 20ft container is used for storing the processed honey.

3D modeling

A charcoal cooling system is installed on the side walls of the storage room to control the temperature. Insulating materials are used on the ceiling and the inner wall of the storage to keep the heat outside.

The working principle of a charcoal cooler is based on evaporative cooling theory. In hot, relatively dry climates, warm air flows through the moist charcoal and the evaporation of water into hot, dry air creates a cooling effect. A charcoal cooler is able to maintain a cool interior temperature for refrigeration and food preservation without electricity.