Crwys Charcoal

House of Charcoal were totally captured by Crwys charcoal’s ambitions to build safe environments for dormice, woodcock and bees through effective forestry management.  We don’t need more trees – we need to manage the forests we have more effectively.  This rings so true with us at HoC.

Crwys charcoal was established three years ago by small holder Ryan, who with his wife Beth, owns and manages 21 acres of Welsh broadleaved woodland and species rich wildflower meadows for sustainable food production and biodiversity conservation.

Ryan and Beth produce around 70% of their food requirements and almost all of their energy requirements form the land they live on, focusing on reducing environmental impact and being as harmonious with nature as possible.  This is not only their ideology, it is their way of life.

Crwys Charcoal was set up with the vison of creating a small land-based industry, to supply the discerning outdoor cook with a high-quality, natural product, with absolute sustainability and ecological conscience at the forefront of the operation. 

The Crwys woodland is home to dormice and woodcock, with the meadows and woodland glade areas supporting populations of long horned bees. We love bees!  All three species are threatened and of conservation concern in the UK. Ryan with his professional and academic background in conservation biology, soon realised the responsibility of managing the land sensibly and for the benefit of these species. All three species thrive in well managed coppiced woodland, with the poor management, or lack of management in most UK woodland being to the detriment of many of our iconic woodland species.

Species such as the dormice are the priority in the management of our woodland. This management allows us to generate coppice arisings to produce high quality, single species, hardwood charcoal. Funds generated from sale of the charcoal is put back into the costs of managing the land for nature, thus creating a loop of true sustainability!