In case you wonder what is 5W1H, it stands for What, Where, Who, When, Why (in no order of merit) and How...
This is what my late English teacher in secondary school taught me to consider when drafting a story. As this is my first blog since my very existence, I would like to dedicate this as a tribute to her (she had passed on due to breast cancer many years back)
As there will be more posts on other topics relating to CHAARQ, I will keep this post short. Let's get started.
What is CHAARQ?
CHAARQ (pronounced as "charc") is the brand for our charcoal. At a quick glance, CHAARQ looks like normal charcoal, but upon handling it, you can immediately tell the differences! Compared to your BBQ charcoal, it has enhanced physical properties that the BBQ one can never match up.
Above: A look at how similar and yet different they are...
Where does CHAARQ comes from?
CHAARQ is air flown from Japan's Wakayama (formerly known as Kishu) prefecture and locally, it is known as binchotan. According to our supplier (they had been in this trade for the past three generations!), it is one of the rare few charcoals that can be air flown.
A forest in Wakayama where ubamegashi (Japanese holm-oak) is harvested to make binchotan
Who are we?
We are based in Singapore and as a family, we are concerned with how to live a healthy, fruitful and value creation life. We also believe in the need to be as sustainable as possible and had been brainstorming ways to be more environmentally conscious and responsible. In addition, we believe products developed should perform more than one function to extend usability resulting in less wastage. Although we do use some plastics (for certain key features such as being light permeability and less brittle), we endeavor to use materials that are recycled or recyclable.
The trip to Taiwan in 2019 that started our journey with CHAARQ
When did we start using CHAARQ?
We started using binchotan back in late 2019 after a family trip to Taiwan (we did not buy a lot then as we had the "trying out" mentality, but we did not expect COVID to strike in early 2020 and dashed our prospects to travel back to Taiwan to buy more). Thereafter, in June 2021, we imported binchotan directly from Wakayama and had been using it since for water cleansing, radio frequency shielding, relieving muscle fatigue and deodorizer for our fridge!
Why do we start CHAARQ?
After reaping the benefits of binchotan, we thought, why not get the real deal from Japan and share it with more people as modern living comes with common ailments such as shoulder/neck fatigue, excessive exposure to radio frequency and VOC/formaldehyde as well as consumption of chlorinated water (disclaimer: water needs to be chlorinated from our sources, but it would be better if we can reduce the amount present at the time of consumption). We started CHAARQ with the thought to approach/showcase binchotan's benefits scientifically and on-the-spot empirical experiments to support the claims.
Above: Some of the equipment we use during live-demo
Finally, how to get CHAARQ?
There are two parts to this question. First, the more technical one is, how CHAARQ is manufactured and the second, how to get your hands on it =P
So, let's address the first one briefly as there will be another post to share more. In essence, binchotan is manufactured using a technique dated more than three hundred years ago. Compared to normal charcoal, the key differences lie in the following areas:
The kind of wood harvested
Duration of manufacturing process
Temperature & oxygen control
After treatment of product
More details will be shared in a separate post and as to how to get your hands on CHAARQ, please browse through our online store; there bound to be a product for you or your loved ones!
The Closing Message...
Did you, like us, had a trip to a place/country that sparked an idea? One that changed the trajectory in your life from what it might be? If so, we are excited to know and please leave your comments below!
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