SunMade Cheese, a solar panel cleverly disguised as cheese. by YOLK —Kickstarter

Meet SunMade Cheese! This tasty cheese plate is really a solar panel plus an array of solar powered accessories. There’s a brie cheese USB port and connector for the milk bottle power bank, a swiss cheese speaker, a ricotta lantern, and a caciocavallo cheese plasma lighter.

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 and bring them to life. 

Solar panel on one side, cheese plate on the other. The panel generates 5 volts at 1.2 amps — enough power to charge a smartphone almost at the same speed as a conventional wall charger. Hang it from a window, a shoulder bag, a backpack or anywhere there is sun! The solar panel itself does not store energy. Connect your smartphone or the power bank through USB cable to save energy. Or, you can simply plug Solar Milk into the panel and adjust to a 5, 30, or 60 degree angle to get optimal sun exposure. 

The non- detachable brie cheese does double duty as a USB port and a customized power bank connector. Simply remove the brie covering to connect. 

Connect the Solar Milk to any of the cheese modules to operate. The power bank features an on-off switch so you never have to worry about wasting power. 

This bluetooth speaker and radio cleverly hides its backlit LED buttons in “eyes” of the cheese. The back panel of the speaker is magnetized and connects to an auxiliary custom solar panel or hand crank. 

A flashlight or a mood light. The cheese module transforms into both when combined with the Solar Milk. Set the Ricotta Torch facing down and smart sensors automatically switch it to mood light mode, and the light diffuses upwards through the handle. Press a button on the Solar Milk to adjust the intensity of the light. 

This plasma lighter is 100{0b7da518931e2dc7f5435818fa9adcc81ac764ac1dff918ce2cdfc05099e9974} sustainable, wind-proof, odorless, flameless, and 100{0b7da518931e2dc7f5435818fa9adcc81ac764ac1dff918ce2cdfc05099e9974} rechargeable. Use it for candles, incense or even a campfire. A safety feature ensures that the lighter only operates when the buttons on the Solar Milk and the cheese itself are both engaged.  

For your convenience, embedded magnets connect all of the modules to the power bank seamlessly. This way you never have to worry about fragile plastic attachments.

The Solar Plate, Caciocavallo Kindler, and Ricotta Torch are attracted to the Power Milk with magnets. The Swiss Note also utilizes magnetic power, but in a slightly different way. Insert the Power Milk into the Swiss Note.  The magnets push the milk bottle battery out easily. The smart magnet design eliminates the need for complicated structures that are often prone to breakage. Using magnets is a smarter, more durable, and sustainable choice.  

The shoulder bag in the video is the packaging that SunMade Cheese will be delivered in. Please don’t throw away our packaging! We are proud that our packaging is not single-use and it is meant to be used time and again. It’s simple to transform the package into a bag that you can attach your cheese plate to. Made of compressed cardboard, it’s light, durable and well-designed.  We used an artificial Italian leather for the handle for a touch of luxury.

The milk produced by cows sustains life, and our solar cow sustains education. We loved the idea of using the cow as a symbol to show our commitment to sustainability and philosophy of ‘Solar for all’.                                                                                                                  

Cheese is a perfect link for the Solar Cow and a great way for us to connect the two projects. When we started the Solar Cow project, we focused on sustainability and the cheese part naturally followed. Not only because cheese is made from milk, but because it’s a casual thing.  Almost everyone loves cheese,  it’s kind of a mundane thing that is a part of everyday life. I thought it would be a great way to connect the two projects as well as bring coherence and harmony.   

The Solar Cow can be a powerful solution where electricity is essential due to the usage of cell phone but the cost of electricity is highly expensive compared to income and living expenses.  YOLK chose the East Africa based on those elements.

The problems of child labor, education, and energy infrastructure are complex and widespread in developing nations. Usually each problem is addressed separately. However, YOLK recognizes that these three problems are deeply intertwined.  By creating the Solar Cow project, YOLK is able to chip away at each of these problems simultaneously. YOLK believes that we don’t have to be a large organization with deep pockets to affect change.  Creative solutions based on love and dedication can result in real change. But, we need your help. Let’s do it together.

You can only select one reward per Kickstarter regulations. However, you can add additional products in a piece-meal fashion to your order by using the add-on menu. You can order multiple items by doubling, tripling, or etc. Make sure to increase your pledge amount to reflect the price of the additional items plus your original reward.        

* If your reward is Cheese platter or Extra Milk & Cheese platter set, you can add any ‘add-on’  item(s) freely.

** If your reward is “Solar Milk “or “Solar Milk + Cheese plate” you can  add any ‘add on’ item(s) but Cheese platter or Extra Milk & Cheese platter. Please make sure to choose those “Platters” as your reward and then other smaller amount of add-on. 

YOLK innovates solar energy through design. We aim to make  special products that have the potential to change the world.  Our courage to take on new challenges comes from the Backers who support our initiatives.

CEO Sen Chang founded YOLK in 2015 after graduating from the Art Institute of Chicago with a BFA in designed objects. YOLK’s first two projects, the Solarade and Solar Paper focused on creating lightweight and portable designs that make it easy to incorporate solar power into everyday life. YOLK wants to expand this vision by making solar power accessible and attractive to everyone. YOLK believes that innovation in sustainability is the future. SunMade Cheese and the Solar Cow are just the first step towards making this vision a reality.

In 2015, YOLK created a Kickstarter campaign for Solar Paper, the world’s thinnest and lightest solar panel. Raising over a million dollars through 6,000 backers, Solar Paper was featured in over 300 media, and won the 2017 CES Innovation Award. Check out feedback from previous backers!