What is charcoal? It is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by heating wood in the absence of oxygen. Charcoal is used for baking traditional food and boiling soup. Activated charcoal are mainly used for barbequing, steamboats and also as medicine to treat stomach pain.

We have our very own charcoal factory located in Kuala Sepetang, Perak. 60% of charcoal produced here are exported to Japan. The charcoal factory at Kuala Sepetang started about 80 years ago. Since charcoal is made from wood, the sources come from greenwood (kayu bakau minyak), harvested from the Matang mangrove forest.

The charcoal factory is built beside the narrow canal that links to nearby rivers such as Sungai Sepetang, Sungai Kapal Changkol and Sungai Reba, which enable the mangrove logs to be brought to the factory by small boats.

Charcoal kilns that resemble beehive-shaped clay structures serve as ovens to smoke the wood until all the moisture is drawn out before the wood turns into charcoal. The kilns, built of clay bricks and clay mortar were handmade by craftsmen from China. The complete process of making charcoal usually take about 20 to 30 days.