Who We Are

Harder Charcoal has been a purveyor of the finest wood charcoal since 1988.  In a small village within the Chaco Forest along the border of Argentina, our family found ourselves at a crossroads.  Farmers by trade, a terrible drought had decimated our crops and put our future at risk.  Determined to find opportunity in dire times, our family began creating deep earth pits, cutting wood by hand, and carefully creating premium charcoal to sell to local businesses.  More than simply saving our family from starvation, we found ourselves drawn to the work and passionate about perfecting the process.

Harder Charcoal was officially born.

Since our family arrived in Paraguay back in 1947, we have been a family of entrepreneurs and innovators.  Originally from Germany, our family had brought with us our deep passion for craftsmanship and a commitment for time-honored traditions.  Today, Harder Charcoal is a second-generation family business that prides itself on being global, but continues to pay homage to our German ancestry.  With locations and teams in South America and the United States, we are committed to providing our superior charcoal quickly, efficiently, and affordably to clients globally.  We service clients in fifteen different countries with premium lump charcoal made from the finest wood.  We are passionate about providing a superior product, exceptional customer service, and all at a fair price.  For decades, our family has worked tirelessly to perfect the process of creating lump charcoal of the highest quality for our discerning customers – and we are committed to doing the same for centuries to come.

What Makes Us Different

When we say we are passionate about superior charcoal production, we mean it.  Exclusively using the robust and highly sought-after Quebracho Wood, also known as “the axe breaker”, Harder Charcoal is steadfast in our commitment to producing restaurant quality charcoal that exceeds all expectations.

Beyond the type of wood we use, we offer a full guarantee that all of our products have been ethically, legally, and fairly sourced.  Utilizing only forest leftovers, Harder Charcoal has never cut a single tree to create our outstanding charcoal.  Working with our strategic and governmental partners, Harder Charcoal is committed to producing sustainable, ethical, and environmentally sound charcoal and charcoal products that adhere to all federal and global standards.  One we have obtained the wood, each batch is moved by hand into our traditional kilns.  Our process has been certified by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development and the National Forest Institute for our sustainable, and efficient process that is respectful to our lands and our future.

We believe that this is an art, and we are honored to be called to craft such a primal and pivotal component of human life.  We believe in a happy, healthy, and safe working environment. 

Our story might have started decades ago, but our work is hardly through.  Thank you for taking the time to learn about Harder Charcoal, our history, and our mission.