Made in Hertfordshire Charcoal

Aim

We want to add charcoal production to our existing successful woodfuel business using a British manufactured charcoal retort.

“Grown in Britain charcoal - made locally using a British-made charcoal retort”

That amazing grilled flavour you love? 

It comes from smoke and real smoke comes from a real fire,

Like the kind you get from British charcoal. 

Not from a pressurised tin can.

What do we want to achieve?

We want to produce charcoal from timber produced as the result of the woodland management operations we are carrying out in Hertfordshire and Essex woodlands. 

To do this we need to raise funds for the purchase of a British designed and manufactured charcoal retort and grading machinery, so that we can produce and retail a quality British woodfuel product that is becoming very popular with leading chefs, restaurant owners and, of course, the British public and the BBQ.

Why produce charcoal in the first place? 

The UK charcoal market is 115,000 tonnes per annum, of which up to 90% is imported from Africa and South America where a large proportion is cut from non sustainable sources such as tropical rainforests. UK charcoal is widely accepted to be of higher quality than the imported product as the wood used is typically less dense giving the charcoal a carbon content as high as 90% compared to only 60% in many imported varieties. This results in it being easier to light without the need for accelerants and being capable of producing a consistent even heat more quickly. The methods that will be used by Herts WoodFuel will produce a high quality product.

Our timbers will give off more heat as we will extract 95% of the moisture, compared with 85% or 90% of the imported material. In short, you will get a higher quality product.

 Who are we?

Herts WoodFuel is a small rural business, started 6 years ago near Ware, Hertfordshire - (Ware featured in The Sunday Times Best Places To Live guide 2016). We carry out woodland management and produce firewood and kindling both of which are accredited by HETAS.  HETAS is the official body recognised by Government to approve biomass and solid fuel heating appliances, fuels and services including the registration of competent installers and servicing businesses.

We want to take our knowledge and start producing British charcoal, from timber sourced from locally managed woodlands. British charcoal is becoming increasingly in demand by top chefs and restaurants, as well as the household bbq user. Walk into your local garden centre and ask where the charcoal comes from - you’ll be surprised by the answer.

We aim to sell our charcoal to a range of buyers from wholesale and domestic customers, to restaurants and contract caterers who are starting to see the value in cooking over British charcoal.

Why charcoal?

British charcoal is more expensive than the imported charcoal branded as “Big K”, Landmann” or similar but if you care about sourcing virtually zero mileage products and want to support a local British business – it is more than worth it. Your environment needs you to buy locally produced charcoal! 

Did you know?

•  At present, most charcoal is imported from rain forests and endangered mangrove forests in South East Asia.
• We could produce all our needs from the UK. 
• In Britain we burn 115,000 tonnes of charcoal in barbecues each year. This would take approximately 720,000 tonnes of wood to produce, weighing more than 1,400 jumbo jets. 
• The transportation of the imported charcoal uses a lot of fossil fuels, adding to the pressure on our global environment. 
• In a recent survey by Esso Treewatch, 97% of those asked said they would buy British charcoal if they knew that it helped local woodlands and wildlife. 

British charcoal

• Is easier to light - ready in 10 minutes
• No binders or nasty chemicals
• No destruction of rainforests 
• 100% British timber from sustainable woodlands
• Gets hot more quickly
• Helps wildlife
• Protects woodlands
• Creates local jobs
• Causes less pollution

 An authentic barbecue taste doesn't come in a pressurised tank!

But charcoal for the BBQ is only part of the story……..

A byproduct from the charcoal making process is BioChar, up to 10% of a burn can be biochar.  It's a great soil improver and has been proven to enhance and improve all soil types:

• Enhances plant growth and root development.

• Reduces fertiliser requirements: biochar seems to be able to hold on to the nitrogen that is added to the soil in chemical fertilisers, releasing the nitrogen more steadily to the plant and reducing nitrate pollution to rivers.

• Suppresses methane emissions from the soil (CH4 - a global warming potential 21 times higher than Carbon dioxide).

• Reduces nitrous oxide emissions from soil (N2O - a global warming potential 300 times higher than Carbon dioxide).

• Reduce the loss of added nutrients from the soil.

• Raises soil pH (i.e. reduces soil acidity)

• Is able to hold a lot of water and this helps provide water to plants in some drought-prone soils.

• Reduce heavy metal contamination in the soil (e.g. zinc, lead, cadmium, arsenic) as well as potentially toxic persistent organic chemicals.

……….and finally……..

The retort will also be used to make artists' charcoal, which is a market with a dedicated customer base, consistently growing each year.

Why are we crowdfunding?

We’re crowdfunding because we wish to raise the finance ourselves without incurring the high interest rate a bank would apply to a small business. 

Herts WoodFuel is applying for a grant from “Eastern Plateau” - http://www.easternplateau.org.uk which will help towards the cost of the project - if we’re successful; however it is only a partial grant (40% max). 

We have to find the match funding, plus all the VAT. In truth, you get the grant after the charcoal retort has been purchased. 

If successful, the maximum grant that could be made available is £10,000 - It’s a big “if”, as there is no guarantee we will be successful in getting a grant.

This means we need all the funds up front - a huge but not impossible challenge with the help of the crowd…

We need the help of the crowd!

It’s a chance for the public; the man / woman in the street to support a small "grown in Britain" business, producing British charcoal, that is of a higher quality to imported charcoal. That’s easier to light, produces more heat and enhanced cooking flavours.

What’s the money going to be used for?

We need the funds to buy the following, so we can produce high quality British charcoal:

• Pressvess Single Barrel charcoal Retort 1m x 1.9m and its delivery to our base in rural Hertfordshire
• 2x 1 metre cubed charcoal cooling boxes with airtight lids - used when emptying the retort
• Grading and bagging plant (with weighscale and bag stitcher) - allows us to grade the charcoal, separating out the valuable biochar. Fills, weighs and stitches the bags using an approved weights & measures scale.
• Branded paper sacks - produced by the British Supplier, The Monument Paper Co.

Total Cost @ £30,000

FAQs:

Isn't charcoal production bad for the environment?

If charcoal production is carried out locally and trade exists directly between supplier and buyer, then you have a cottage industry that not only provides an income stream but also makes the management of the woodlands self-funding. Woodlands have been used for resources to some extent by humans ever since the last Ice Age, and the flora and fauna that now call it home have adapted to and have become reliant on this human intervention. By producing charcoal, Herts WoodFuel can offset the cost of operations whilst producing additional revenue and at the same time the woodlands are better managed with more of the wood being used. 

Our production of locally produced charcoal will be good for the environment. British made charcoal does not need lighter fuel for starting so you won't have taints on the food. “Just twist paper and light” British charcoal burns hot and reaches cooking temperature within 10 minutes. 

Herts WoodFuel charcoal will be light in weight; available in 6kg bags and does not have to be 'transported across the world' to get to your BBQ.

By producing charcoal locally, Herts WoodFuel can replace the imported charcoal with local, British charcoal and by doing so support the sustainable management of local woodlands. 

How much is the delivery to get my reward??!

We are going to use the acclaimed delivery comparison website; Parcel2Go.com to find the most competitive delivery cost to get your reward to you. Delivery costs are always dependant on the weight of the parcel and the postcode of the recipient.

Where our Land Rover Defender pickup is used to make the large sized deliveries to supporters, the delivery charge is £0.75 + VAT per mile round trip.

Are you open to the public?

We are based on a working farm and for health & safety reasons, we are not open to the public.

Can I Collect my reward?

Please see answer above.

When will I get my reward?

Rewards will be sent out to our supporters as soon as the retort has been delivered, commissioned, trial burns have taken place and we have graded/bagged sufficient charcoal

Can I order more charcoal?

Yes! Please do - orders can be made by emailing us at our website: [email protected]

This project closed unsuccessfully on 23rd June 2016