Course run by Chew Valley Charcoal. Contact Alex Arthur on 07742 629 769

Chew Valley Charcoal is a succesful charcoal-making operation run by freelance woodland manager Alex Arthur. Charcoal is produced locally from by-product timbers and has been so succesfully marketed that a bag was recently discovered in a shop in Notting Hill, London!

Course outline -

History of charcoal production

What is charcoal?

Charcoal Production       

• Positioning a kiln
• Loading a metal ring kiln
• Wood processing
• Species suitable for carbonisation
• Lighting a kiln
• Controlling a burn
• Unloading (grading and bagging)
• Sources and designs of kilns

Why produce charcoal?  

• Pros and cons of making charcoal
• Business models
• Value adding
• Environmental benefits

Marketing your charcoal            

• Presentation and design of packaging
• Pricing
• Getting the charcoal to the right market (types of outlet / wholesaler)
• Promotion of your charcoal
• Competition (educating people on the benefits of buying British