Extreme Project

Fortuna

Quick Take:

Partnering with Rare, a conservation organization operating in the Philippines, students in the 2018 Design for Extreme Affordability course developed the Fortuna cooler. This is the first expandable, flexible cooler that accommodates big fish in small, traditional boats and is the missing link in the fish cold chain, unlocking premium markets that had previously refused to source from hard working fisherfolk partners.

Team Members:

David Cutler* (Intl Policy ‘18), Michelle Huang (Product Design ‘19), Andrew Hume* (PhD candidate in Earth Science), Tamara Mekler* (Earth Science ‘18). *students continued on the project in social e & design lab

Country and Context:

Philippines; working with rural fishing communities

Partner Organization:

Partnered with Rare, https://www.rare.org/, an international NGO that uses “behavior change to achieve long-lasting conservation results” – “rare inspires change so people and nature thrive”

Project Focus:

How to maximize the earnings of small-scale fisherfolk who use a small boat, aka banca, to fish for tuna and other smaller fish on a daily basis.

Project Solution:

Team is working to design the first expandable, flexible cooler that accommodates big fish in small, traditional boats. The Fortuna cooler is the missing link in the fish cold chain, unlocking premium markets that had previously refused to source from hard working fisherfolk partners.

Project Status:

This is where the status should go.