About Us

Proudly Australian. Purely Charcoal.

At Wattle & Flame, we don’t just sell charcoal, we fuel fire-cooked flavour worth remembering. The kind of flavour that stops conversations. That turns a quiet barbecue into a story retold for years. That gets people asking, “What are you cooking on?” before they’ve even asked what you’re cooking.

But before we get there, let’s rewind.

Family-Run by Design, Born by Accident

We’re not a faceless corporation. We’re a family: two brothers, Xav and Isaac, alongside our dad Paul. And our journey started like most great ones do, completely by accident. One day we ended up with a pile of leftover charcoal fines. At the time, none of us knew how charcoal was made, how many types existed, or how deep the rabbit hole could go… but we were instantly hooked.

We dove headlong into research: reading, testing, burning. The first idea? Turn those fines into natural briquettes. Xav and Isaac went full mad-scientist, trialling formula after formula to find the perfect natural binder that held its shape, burned long, and delivered serious heat. We got close… but not quite there (don’t worry, that project’s still alive and well in our notebooks).

So we pivoted and went back to the source: making our own lump charcoal from scratch. And that’s where the obsession truly took hold.

Kiln-Fired Precision. Bush-Born Soul.

We started learning everything we could about carbonisation—the science of turning raw wood into pure charcoal. Many methods existed, but one stood out: the retort method. A process that heats wood in a low-oxygen environment, capturing and reburning the volatile gases that most old-school kilns or pits simply pump into the sky. Not only did the retort method produce better charcoal; it did it cleaner.

So, we built one. Xav rigged up our first homemade retort system using a hot-water system and a second-hand ceramic kiln. It was rough… but it worked. After six hours, we cracked open our very first batch: raw Mallee wood transformed into dense, black lumps that burned longer, hotter, and cleaner than anything we’d ever seen. We were blown away.

Then we scaled up. We built a bigger one using an old smoker. Not bad, but we quickly ran into problems. We couldn’t control the heat. We couldn’t manage the gas release. It burned too hot and fast, making the charcoal brittle. So we built again. And again. Each time, improving the process: adding temperature monitors, refining the burn cycle, mastering gas control. Still… it wasn’t perfect.

That’s when we went searching, and found the holy grail of charcoal production: state-of-the-art kilns—fully automated, factory-built units from overseas. Precision temperature sensors. Full gas recapture and reburn. Zero visible smoke. Absolute consistency, run after run. We didn’t hesitate. In November 2024, we bought two units and we haven’t looked back.

The Real Difference? It’s in the Root.

Our charcoal starts its journey deep in the root system of the native Australian mallee tree. Dense, twisted and packed with natural energy. Mallee root isn’t just harder, it burns longer, hotter, and cleaner than your average lump charcoal. But it’s not just the wood; it’s how we treat it.

Every bag of Wattle & Flame charcoal is produced in our state-of-the-art retort kilns. Why? Because traditional pit methods and rudimentary kilns can’t match the purity, heat stability, and consistency that real grill-masters and professional kitchens demand. If you’ve ever struggled with unstable temperatures, frustrating flare-ups, or inconsistent coals, you already know why this matters.

Kiln-firing is more than a process it’s our promise. Controlling the entire carbonisation process from start to finish means lower moisture content, higher fixed carbon, and minimal impurities.

In plain English? Our charcoal lights faster, burns longer, and leaves almost no ash.

Built for Those Who Cook Over Fire Not Just Beside It

We’re here for those who lean into the flame. Those who stay up late perfecting reverse sears. Who time their cook by feel, not timers. Who consider grilling a craft not a chore. Our customers include home BBQ lovers, but also restaurants, chefs, pitmasters, and charcoal purists across the country. Once they try Wattle & Flame, going back to cheap, imported charcoal feels like watering down whisky.

We know this because we were those people too. We spent years sifting through overpriced foreign blends, searching for the holy grail of grilling fuel. We tested, burned, smoked, choked, and finally created what we couldn’t find anywhere else. Today, our charcoal is used in restaurants across multiple states, stocked in over 20 retail stores, and trusted by chefs who demand precision, power, and purity in every service.

Quality Isn’t a Tagline It’s the Whole Game

After we purchased our kilns we added a screening line to grade the charcoal by size and remove every last piece of dust and fines. Around 30 percent of every batch is screened out, so only the highest-quality lumps make it into our bags. We added a bagging line to guarantee each bag is filled to the right weight, no more grabbing a “15 kg” bag that turns out to be 12.3 kg. No more mystery dust clouds. Just pure, premium, properly graded charcoal, every single time.

We stand for flavour.

Real, smoke-kissed, mouth-watering flavour that only pure lump charcoal can deliver.

We stand for quality.

If it wouldn’t go in our own BBQ, it doesn’t go in the bag. Simple as that.

We stand for local.

Proudly Australian made and owned backing Aussie businesses, hiring local teams, and supplying chefs, retailers, and restaurants across the country.

And we stand against the cheap, dusty, chemical-laced imports that give real charcoal a bad name.

Sustainability Is Non-Negotiable

We didn’t choose kiln-firing solely for performance; we chose it for sustainability. Our kilns capture and redirect gases that would otherwise be wasted and released into the atmosphere. They burn more efficiently and protect the natural environment that supplies us. We work with sustainable mallee harvesters to ensure our supply doesn’t just serve us today but fuels tomorrow too. Because real flame shouldn’t come at the cost of the land it burns on.

Charcoal Is Just the Beginning

We’re obsessed with charcoal, but we’re not stopping there. We have our eyes on the future. A future where more Aussie chefs, home cooks, and grill fanatics elevate their culinary game through better fuel, smarter fire, and local innovation. That’s why we have a roadmap to expand our range to include:

• BBQ Wood Chips to layer even more flavour into your cook

• Firewood to make Wattle & Flame the one name you trust when heat meets flavour

And beyond product, we’re building a community, a tribe of flame-chasers. Through content, recipes, events, and expert features, we’re giving the fire its voice back.

Why Our Customers Stay With Us

People come for the quality but they stay because of how we treat them. When you buy from Wattle & Flame, you’re not just getting a bag of charcoal. You’re joining a movement. 

We offer:

• Fast, reliable shipping Australia-wide

• Personal service that still feels like dealing with a mate, not a machine

• Access to our expert support team for tips, troubleshooting, and fire-starting hacks

Whether you’re cooking for two on a Wednesday night or plating up for a hundred at your restaurant’s open kitchen, we’ve got your back because we care as much about your cook as you do.

Join the Fire

Thousands of Australians have already made the switch. From backyard cooks to top chefs, from food trucks to fine dining they’ve chosen Wattle & Flame because they refuse to settle for ordinary. They’re done with inconsistency, mess, ash clouds, and frustration. They want that clean burn. That rock-solid heat. That unbeatable flavour.

We’re not for everyone. We’re for the obsessed. The passionate. The perfectionists. The proud.

If you care about flavour. If you crave control. If you believe your fire should match your food then we’d be proud to have you join the Wattle & Flame family.

Let’s light it up. You’ll know in one cook whether it’s worth it. (We already do.)

Wattle & Flame

Proudly Australian. Purely Charcoal.

P.S. If you’ve read this far, we’re probably speaking the same language. You care about flavour. You care about process. You care about getting it right. So here’s our invitation: give our charcoal a go not because we say it’s better, but because you’ll know it is the moment it hits the grill. Let your next cook prove it.