Community Energy Malawi (CEM) Alternatives Ltd, is a subsidiary of Community Energy Malawi with private shareholding. It is a company focusing on clean cooking technologies including LPG.

CEM Alternatives Ltd, is partly owned by Registered Trustees of Community Energy Malawi (CEM) (20% shares), 15% reserved for staff members and the rest (65%) owned by private investors who have seen its potential and developed the business idea.  It was set up building on CEM’s UNDP funded Kuphika Moganizila Chilengedwe Project that has distributed 1,700 LPG packages in Lilongwe and Zomba Cities. The demand for refill services and the urge to sustain the gains of introducing LPG to 1,7000 households necessitated establishment of CEM Alternatives Ltd. Evidence on low adoption of LPG demonstrates that people often get back to unclean sources like unsustainable charcoal due to long distances to refill points or lack of refill points closer to them. Fearing that the 1,700 can lapse from LPG and get back to charcoal, CEM Alternatives Ltd responded with this outlet that opens at 6am and closes at 9pm, opens during weekends and holidays from 1am to 2pm and also provides delivery services. It is an Afrox Ltd approved gas distributor with outlets in Zomba, Lilongwe and near term plans to expand to Mzuzu and other urban areas.