Go directly to:

Project Elephant Grass plants the fast-growing grass species Miscanthus x Giganteus (elephant grass) on 12 hectares of degraded land in Kenya. The grass is harvested annually and processed into biomass briquettes, which serve as a sustainable substitute for wood or coal for industrial energy.

The project not only supplies energy, but also helps combat deforestation, as local companies no longer need to cut down trees. Elephant grass grows with little input (requiring little fertiliser or pesticides) and binds a lot of CO₂: it absorbs significantly more CO₂ than an average forest. The proceeds from the sale of the biomass enable investors to receive a return: an average of 8.5% per annum over five years according to initial project data. In addition, it contributes to soil restoration, circular energy supply and the development of sustainable, bio-based raw materials. Project Elephant Grass thus demonstrates that sustainable energy and CO₂ reduction can be combined with a workable revenue model. You can read more in the information brochure.

Impact & Return

Impact

More CO2 storage (20% is stored in the roots of elephant grass)
Less deforestation through the use of elephant grass instead of firewood
You contribute to the energy transition in Kenya

Return

Annual expected return of 8.5% on your investment
Security & transparency regarding your investment
At the end of the term, both the principal and the interest are repaid

Project OLIFANTSGRAS Video

Attractive expected return of 8.5% per year

WHERE DOES YOUR MONEY GO?

This is how PROJECT Elephant grass works

Step 1

FROM DRY Land to growing grass

In Kenya, elephant grass is planted on degraded land where conventional agriculture is barely profitable. The grass grows extremely quickly and captures CO₂ in its roots. Per 50 m², it offsets around 55 kg of CO₂ annually.

Tamar van Corekees on a site visit in Kenya

step 2

FROM GRASS TO BRICKS

The grass is harvested up to six times a year, dried and pressed into sustainable fuel briquettes. These briquettes replace wood or fossil fuels in industrial machinery — more efficiently, more cheaply and with much lower CO₂ emissions. In this way, the project reduces the pressure on forests that would otherwise be cut down.

step 3

From sales to return on investment

The briquettes are sold to companies looking for an affordable and cleaner alternative to wood-fired energy. We use the proceeds to repay your loan and pay out an annual return (expected to be 8.5%). This allows you to profit from a local energy transition that combats both emissions and deforestation.

Kenyan farmer and Thom van Corekees, near a field of elephant grass

News about Project OLIFANTSGRAS

Sustainability

Why elephant grass is a great circular product

Elephant Grass Project

The many advantages of elephant grass: sustainably cultivated by our project partner in Kenya

View item

Download the brochure

The brochure provides more information about Project Elephant Grass. After filling in your details, we will send it immediately via e-mail. Nice and easy!

Frequently asked questions

Is burning biomass sustainable?

Yes! Basically, we can say that burning biomass is many times better than burning fossil fuels. However, the answer to this question is so extensive that we have created a separate document for it. Download the CO₂ Memorandum to read more about this.

Who use the elephant grass briquettes?

A briquette weighs approximately 1 kilogram and is about the same size as a bottle of cola. The briquettes are used in Kenya by industrial companies to power machinery. Examples of users include a manufacturer of instant noodles and a factory where milk is pasteurised. The information brochure contains a page with information about the customers.

Who is your local partner?

Wecol Limited is a Dutch-Kenyan company run by an experienced and impressive team with a very sustainable mission. In the Project Elephant Grass information brochure, we tell you more about the establishment of this company and the background of the team.

Downloads

Investing Works like this

Create account and identify yourself

Select a project to invest in

Follow the project and receive your return

2000+ Corekees investors went before you

Olle de Geest

It's great to invest in a tangible way, make an impact and learn a lot about the projects through regular updates!

Marlena Fishall

Corekees is accessible, which is great. You don't need to be a financial expert or invest a large amount of money to participate. I used to find investing very intimidating and complicated, but with Corekees, it's simple and accessible.

Pieter Brouwer

A very good way to invest easily and sustainably. You can see exactly where the money is going and where the returns are coming from. Highly recommended!