Grill charcoal from olive stones

During each BBQ season, some 300,000 tonnes of charcoal and briquettes made from wood burn to ashes in Germany alone. About two-thirds of the raw material originates from campaigns cutting down trees under questionable conditions in the tropical rain forests of South America. In many other cases, manufacturers of cheap charcoal use up imported timber from Eastern European beech forests. Nevertheless, the resulting mass-produced charcoal’s performance characteristics leave much to be desired. This product is entirely different since it originates from natural waste, and the manufacturer works in a resource-saving manner.

The raw material of these Greek briquettes is olive pomace resulting from a thorough pressing process of pips and skins left over from the industrial production of olive oil. In the next step, the manufacturer chars the pomace to make charcoal and mixes the resulting powder with water and natural starch to form briquettes. The Greeks have been using heat energy from olive residues since ancient times; traditionally, they burn pellets made from olive residues in the oven. These briquettes light quickly, burn for a long time, and retain an even heat over several hours. When burning, the briquettes give off no odours and do not affect the taste of the grilling food. What’s more, even when fat drips from the grate into the embers from time to time, these briquettes emit only very little smoke. Therefore, you can safely do without disposable grill trays or aluminium foils.

Our supplier is in partnership with a family business in the Kalamata region, the largest expanse of an area designated for olive growing in the European Union and located in the southwest of the Peloponnese peninsula. As a certified manufacturer of olive briquettes, the company buys the natural waste resulting from olive oil production from small-scale farmers in the region and processes it into these briquettes.