Our Story

Black Thumbs, Green Gardens.

Black Gold BioChar (BGBC) started in the cloud forest of Southern Costa Rica fifteen years ago. BioChar was brought to my attention with the moniker of Terra Preta by a permaculturist who was trying to save my Cacoa grove. He taught me that the leaf cutter ants had descended upon my farm because my soil was deficient of the right type of microbes. After a quick study of Amazonian Terral Preta, BioChar, I started to top cover the canopy line of my trees and watched a miraculous turnaround in a very short period of time.

I was so stoked!

Seeing such a quick turnaround in the health of my orchard catalyzed me into figuring out how to make BioChar efficiently. The Amazonians BioChar process reminded me of the rocket stoves that I had been building. With a few reclaimed barrels, some holes and good fire I could convert all of this biomass into fixed carbon. Being offered I ended up having the Permaculturists ‘Wet’ dream as my BioChar reactor also supplied heat to my bathtub and kitchen and would cure bamboo with it’s smoke.

DIY BioChar

I became a BioChar zealot as it made me live up to my last name Gardner. I started to make kilns for sale as I thought everyone would be a fellow pyro like me and want to make their own. As it turns out most folks just want to purchase the finish product. Now living in the Ozarks of Missouri the dream of providing tons of BioChar to the populous is now possible with our state of the art kilns. Our goal is to honor God’s creation by providing soil the carbon it needs to be fertile and healthy.