The brief was simple. Iron supplements are too expensive for the average Cambodian. Cooking with iron pots would work but they use aluminum pots because they are cheaper and lighter to use. So, how could we encourage the local population to place a piece of iron into their pots when cooking? We knew that cooking with iron in the pot would absorb 75% of daily iron intake into their food. The issue was that nobody wanted to do it. That was the challenge to us.

Researching the culture of Cambodia and working closely with the local elders we uncovered our breakthrough moment.

The fish, a simple and iconic symbol of health and good luck for Cambodians. We researched local design nuances and set about designing the Lucky Iron Fish. We created a mould and started producing the fish from treated iron materials. As a company committed to reducing the effect of iron deficiency for all people, we wanted to ensure that this project was sustainable, so we set out to use discarded iron materials from the local environment. Car brake disks and pads were treated in our labs and melted down to become the raw material for the fish. We employed the local people to produce the packaging with handmade weaving methods.

The Lucky Iron fish was born and ready to go to the communities that needed them most.

The results speak for themselves.

In just 9 months of cooking with the fish every day we have seen a 50% decrease in the incidence of clinical iron deficiency anemia, and an increase in users iron levels.

It has directly helped over 54,800 men, women and children in Cambodia.

The program is fully sustainable as the local community and resources are hired to produce the Lucky Iron Fish and it’s packaging.

It has raised over $1.2 million in donations and funding and has caught the attention of world leaders.

The lucky Iron fish is now a B-Corp certified company committed to leading the fight against iron deficiency around the world.

Lucky Iron Fish is a B-Corp certified company committed to reducing the effects of iron deficiency across the world. Their primary target market is under developed countries with high levels of iron deficiency like Cambodia.

The Cambodian diet of rice and fish has very little iron and supplements are too expensive for them. This was the first country to benefit from the Lucky Iron Fish.