Brief History,
Ignite first started making charcoal products almost twenty years ago and the business has grown substantially. With its experienced management team and skilled local workforce, Ignite now exports its superb range of niche charcoal and related products and has earned an outstanding reputation with overseas customers.
What's more, the Ignite product range is also available locally and offers a hassle-free, clean-burning barbecue experience.
The Process
Here at Ignite, we make charcoal the simple way-using locally-grown hardwoods to produce a quality product. Our charcoal factories are based on a timber farm in Kwa-Zulu Natal where trees are grown from seedlings. Charcoal is created in large kilns with particular emphasis being placed on producing a finished product of hard, well-burned, chunky charcoal.
We began the charcoal-making process in 1989 on a farm which, at that time, was a vast jungle of wattle trees. Neighbouring farmers brought their wattle timber waste to our kilns and, as a result of increased demand, we opened up new charcoal sites and trained additional forest managers to convert waste timber into charcoal. In 1992 we exported our first shipment of 7 containers and by 2007 this had grown to around 600 containers.
Innovations
Because our product is very expensive to transport we had to add value and so, in 1990, we began producing instant light charcoal-a clean and no-mess charcoal solution-which attracted the large supermarket trade. In 2003, in an effort to provide consumers with more convenience, we added small and large disposable barbecues and, in 2005, we added a briquette factory.
Our Success
Ignite's incredible success can be attributed to a solid and plentiful base of raw product, a good management infrastructure overseeing highly productive staff and a product range that caters to all its customers needs. Today, environmental issues are also an important aspect of any business. All our products originate from a renewable source-and the timber farm has qualified for FSC certification and maintains the highest international environmental standards.
Location
Ignite's location in Northern Kwa-Zulu Natal, near the town of Paulpietersburg, is ideal. All major centres in South Africa we are well within reach including, Johannesburg, Durban, Bloemfontein, Polokwane and Nelspruit, and for exports, Durban harbour is practically around the corner!
Job Creation
Ignite is well aware of its need to provide secure employment opportunities to previously disadvantaged South Africans and, in our peak season, we supply direct jobs to over 150 local people and indirect work to almost 400 others.
