About quality control:

"Our company sends its charcoal from the production sites (kilns in the fields of Sonora, Mexico) to a central production facility (also in Mexico) where it is examined, screened, sized, packaged and weighed. Any partially charred wood, foreign objects, or real large pieces are hand picked out of the lot as the charcoal travels up a conveyor belt toward the screen. Our packaging plant and machinery are new and modern. Although there is still a potential for human error, we are confident that the quality control that is applied to the retail bags of Lazzari charcoal is by far the best in the mesquite lump charcoal industry."

"FYI Lazzari began importing mesquite lump charcoal to the US from Mexico in the 1960's and has sold to Safeway, other grocers and specialty retailers since the 70's.

One of the issues related to our industry that we are proud of is the leadership role that Lazzari took in addressing the ecological threat posed by tree harvesting. A brief history:

In the 1970's tracks of land in Sonora, Mexico were cleared to make way for planting of crops. The mesquite waste wood from this process was made into charcoal. During the 1980's, ranchers who clear-cut land for the purpose of planting grass began to make charcoal from the cut mesquite, which helped finance the grass propagation program. Problems arose when others began to cut trees and make charcoal solely for the purpose of generating cash, which cannot be justified because of the ecological costs. In the 1990's Lazzari, in conjunction with environmental groups and the Mexican department of Forestry, developed a mesquite harvesting method that utilizes thinning and pruning of mesquite trees. This ecological approach has become the standard in the industry.

Mesquite lump charcoal is made from the wood of the mesquite tree. It is widely regarded as the highest quality grilling charcoal available because of its high cooking temperature and the delicate, natural wood flavor it imparts to grilled foods.

Unlike commercial charcoal briquettes, which contain coal, nitrites, chemicals, fillers and additives, mesquite lump charcoal is 100% pure, natural wood.

In order to produce mesquite charcoal in a responsible manner, consistent with conservation of the earth’s natural resources and ecosystems, Lazzari Fuel Company utilizes an ecologically sound method to harvest mesquite wood by pruning and selectively thinning the mesquite tree.

Lazzari’s five mesquite harvesting techniques are: pruning heavy mature branches that are low to the ground, pruning branches that are infested with mistletoe, cutting the weakest of a cluster of trees, cutting a percentage of dead standing wood and taking a percentage of dead fallen wood.

Each Lazzari harvesting program is developed by a biologist, who first performs a field study of a given habitat and then prepares a report which dictates what green and/or dead wood will be harvested from each micro- area.

As a result of these common sense practices, Lazzari’s mesquite harvests are non-detrimental to the mesquite tree and the ecosystem and habitat that surround it."