Hi there , Paul is my name and Im an expat Brit living in Germany where rules are obeyed. A big country on BBqing with many championships etc .. Im an owner of a weber Summit Gas which ill be chopping out foir a charcoal grill and a self designed Charcoal garden kitchen complete with pizza Oven. Chopping out the gas grill because of my other life as a charcoal brikett producer. Borne out of concern for nature and the environment Ive helped found a company in India that is producing a high quality BBQ Brikett from Coconut shell and Palm leaf ( but we have trialled mango stone and cashew nut and will launch seperate products ). So far the products is not in the US , we launched in Europe last July and the feedback is good. Im sure the critics out there will query the environmentalism of carting briketts across the planet but we harm no trees, we produce very cleanly and crucially also produce renewable energy and organic fertliser alongside the coals....3 from 1 !!! Joined this site as Im more than curious about the ways of the US /Can market.....All we see over here is weber , weber , weber and since thats my main competition here Ive set my quality standards high and done some comparitive testing and was happy with the outcome. Naturally I want to bring the product to the N America markets, especially as we are committed to making donations to the Dian fossey Gorilla Fund which is based there. But first walk then run unless I meet some people on here who want to help me run. Also hapy to eventually take our technology where the right feedstocks are so Mexico,Hawaii, Caribbean but step by step........Hope to be an active poster and not just commenting on sustainable briketts....Thanks for having me, Paul
-
-
Welcome to the Pit from Baltimore, MD!
There are at least one or two brands of coconut charcoal sold here in the US. I am not certain where they are produced, or how popular they are.
-
Welcome to the Pit.Comment
-
Welcome to The Pit Paul. When you get close to launching, you probably should send a sample to Max Good . He is the product tester for AmazingRibs.com, and AR is the # 1 BBQ site on the internet.Comment
-
Welcome, Paul ... from Colorado!Comment
-
Welcome from IndianaComment
-
Welcome to The Pit GreenBBQ! Thanks for the support and nice to have you here!
Since this is your first post, please check out our homework assignment post for new members, it contains a few how-tos and please-dos. This will help you learn your way around so you can get the best experience from our forum.
Also, it's very important that you:- Give us an email address you actually use. You can set or change your email on file with us by clicking your name in the upper-right, then User Settings, then the Notifications tab.
- Add the domain AmazingRibs.com to your email safe list. We NEVER spam! This is important to receive notices about your account, such as if you’re up for renewal or are ever drawn as our monthly Gold Medal Giveaway winner, which is open to all USA members or those with a USA delivery address (we’d hate to have to pick another person because you don’t answer us)!
Hope to hear & see more from you!Comment
-
Welcome from Nebraska!!Comment
-
-
Welcome to the Pit!
I would be interested in testing some of your products. I am curious to see how they burn. I've used coconut shell charcoal quite a few times. And I love it.
Do you have a website?Comment
-
I would try it out. I use a stick burner but start the wood with charcoal and use charcoal in a Santa Maria grill with wood. I would be interested in seeing what smoke/flavor it would impart in the Santa Maria. Lump sparks more than I like in the Santa Maria. With frequent BBQ'ers, cost will always be a factor.
Areas in California, if it is costly, that would be receptive to the "green" charcoal would be the SF Bay area and Los Angeles. Two giant markets with outdoor cooking restrictions in the summer months for different reasons. In LA there is a significant smog issue. In the Bay Area, smog is not the issue. It is primarily a political view about particulates. If you marketed a "green" product to the Bay, for example, where smog is not the reason for the regulations, you might have really good success. For example, my mother-in-law is from the South Bay and worries about "deforestation" caused by my BBQing even though I've never used a pine log. Trying to explain to her where my almond/oak/cherry and peach wood comes from falls on deaf ears - even though she can turn the hearing aids up. If I had a business model, used your fuel and told her your concept and she would feel better. It may sound crazy but it is true. Something like that could actually open up BBQ in areas that prohibit it for reasons that would seem crazy to some in the Pit.Comment
-
smokinfatties - I had read that here, I believe. However now that you wrote that I looked it up and can only find the bans currently in effect in the summer in the Bay Area. There are some old codes from the 1990's but they appear to have been repealed. -
I live in the LA area but have never heard of any type of a ban on outdoor cooking other than for fire safety (i.e. fire pits/pizza ovens), if it is a rule not sure if it's enforced
-
-
Spinaker , Thanks for the offer, I've been encouraged to pitch to the Pit testing expert for his views and am awaiting a response as to how to fulfill that but since I do plan on getting product into the US a diverse testing bed is never bad- and who better than those that know a thing or two about Meat n Grills. You mentioned you have used Coconut shell coals before and I see Komodo Kamado is rated highly by you......are they also briketts ?? Pricey !!!! Have the Hexagonal shaped coals gained any traction in the US - about 30cm long, 5cm ø with a venting hole through the centre....we also produce them from CoConut shells only or shells/palm leaf stem....a lot of European and Middle East restaurants are using them .
Re Website, mine is being built at the moment .
The EU product can be seen on www.bio-grillkohle.com but its only in German at present. They are the distributor for Germany I'm working with. Eventually I'd need to find something similar in multiple sites across the US I would think.
The producing company site is www.arstaeco.com but I am also bringing that up to speed with developments.
tbob4 Lots of open questions in there, thanks a lot for the feedback. I knew Cali was good on green but hadnt figured them pressuring outdoor cooking.....Your Mother in law would certainly be happy with our product if she accepts its being shipped from India and right up her street is the donation we make to the Dian Fossey fund to help them fight deforestation ( The DR Congo is defeating at an alarming rate and some of that is attributed to illegal charcoal production which ends up in Asia and Europe that I know of) which is destroying gorilla habitats. See the points above re testing ! As mentioned above Im going to have to seek some partners in the US to buy into this concept and work with them regionally so sharpen a pencil for that bsuienss plan as it always pays to keep the mother in law happy...Just by way of a comment on prices I checked out the Komodo Kamada offers just to get a feel.....if they are briketts then lets assume they are the best and thats the going rate for Coconut shell briketts retail ....It's a long while since I dealt in lbs but it strikes me if my coals are just a tiny bit under the bar performance wise ( not that I expect that) then I'm sure its an easy business plan to be written.
Food for thought !
To both of ya's as a minimum Im going to check logistics into the E & W Coast as i think from Chennai though would go in opposite directions.Comment
-
http://kron4.com/2015/01/19/bay-area...tdoor-cooking/ Here is a start. There are a number of folks from the Bay Area who post here regularly about not being able to cook outdoors on certain days. smokinfatties pointed out no reg's appear in effect in So Cal. -
smokinfatties according to the analysis for DinPlus certification we had done in 3/16
Ash 3,72% dry Fixed carbon 78,36%. I don't know how that compares to Kingsford.
-
Comment