Newsletter Stories


Thursday, 30 May 2024
The Good Charcoal Company: Reimagining Charcoal

FSC US 2023 Leadership Award Winner Named TIME100 Most Influential Companies of 2024


How The Good Charcoal Company Was Started
One of FSC’s 2023 Leadership Award winners is an innovative company working to reimagine the charcoal industry: The Good Charcoal Company. The idea for the company came from two old friends, Ben Jablonski and Rob Silverman, in 2020. Growing up in Australia, Ben knows just how important grilling can be – it brings friends and families together for celebrations and other gatherings.

But where is this charcoal coming from and what is it made with? Ben and Rob set out to create a responsibly-sourced, healthier charcoal alternative. Their idea had three main goals: deliver the best made chemical-free hardwood lump charcoal in the US, feed Americans experiencing food insecurity, and improve the economic prosperity of farmers in Namibia while restoring grassland habitats to their native state.

Why FSC?
The Good Charcoal Company’s charcoal is made from acacia from the Namibian bush – acacia is denser than oak and hickory, meaning it burns hotter, cleaner, and more evenly. This also means less charcoal has to be used.

Ben and Rob said they became FSC-certified because of the important work that the FSC is doing in Namibia to fight bush encroachment. Bush encroachment is a devastating problem impacting over 100 million acres of land in Namibia.

“The acacia bush has grown out of control, threatening the life of the cheetah among other species of animal and plant. We knew that the acacia wood could be converted into charcoal but wanted to do it in a way that was adding to the environmental equilibrium. So when we saw that the FSC was involved it gave a lot of confidence that we could trust,” said Ben and Rob.

The Impact
100% of the charcoal sold by The Good Charcoal company is FSC-certified, and they are quickly becoming one of the most engaged with charcoal brands in the world. You can see a real-life example of how the work FSC and The Good Charcoal Company is doing in Namibia is helping combat bush encroachment here: https://us.fsc.org/en-us/newsroom/newsletter/id/1296. Zebras are returning to the areas that were recently overtaken by the invasive acacia, but are now cleared, allowing the zebras to roam.

You can find The Good Charcoal Company’s products at retailers like Target, Sam’s Club, Kroger, Lowe’s, Tractor Supply, and more.