Farmers in Ethiopia needed a product designed to radically increase the durability of their clay cooking surfaces. Traditionally, Ethiopians baked injerar an indigenous staple bread that was large and similar to a pancake. Injera was cooked on large clay discs called mitads, on three stones, over an open re lit in the space underneath. A large percentage of Ethiopians were farmers= living in traditional huts with their families and livestock, barely making ends meet. Eaten at almost every meal= injera had to be prepared every day. Unfortunately, the mitads were not hardy and were often trampled underfoot by animals or knocked over by children. Replacing these mitads when they fell into disrepair cost about 40 Ethiopian birr (USER-4}= which was not economically viable for the farmers on a regular basis