solar powered products that look like cheese could help power africa and stop child labour

solar power company YOLK has created a collection of solar powered products disguised as cheese in a bid to stop child labour by raising funds for children in east africa. featuring a swiss note bluetooth speaker, ricotta torch and cacio kindler, the sunmade cheese accessories all use energy collected and stored in a cheese plate panel that featured a brie cheese USB port and connector for the milk bottle power bank.

images courtesy of yolk

the cheese plate collects energy from the sun and stores it in the milk bottle power bank. embedded magnets and special connectors attach the milk bottle to each of the cheeses, bringing them to life by activating their various uses.

connecting the milk bottle turns a block of swiss cheese into a bluetooth speaker and radio cleverly hiding its backlit LED buttons in the ‘eyes’ of the cheese. the back panel of the speaker is magnetized and connects to an auxiliary custom solar panel or hand crank. 

a ricotta torch functions doubles up as either a flashlight or a mood light. by setting the ricotta torch facing down, smart sensors automatically switch it to mood light mode, and the light diffuses upwards through the handle. the intensity of the light can be adjusted by press a button on the solar milk to adjust the intensity of the light. 

a plasma lighter is disguised as cacio and is a 100% sustainable, wind-proof, odorless, flameless, and 100% rechargeable. a safety feature ensures that the lighter only operates when the buttons on the solar milk and the cheese itself are both engaged.  

YOLK has designed the products part of a kickstarter campaign that wants to use the money raised to install solar charging banks in east africa. the solar cow is a powerful solution where electricity is essential due to the increasing usage of cell phones and would give families a nearby alternative to the charging shops situated hours away. the stations would also combat the large gap between income in east africa and the highly expensive cost of electricity.