BBQ
BBQ business is booming
Bank holiday weekends and temperatures rising in the UK has seen BBQ season flourish, GCU speaks to EazyBBQ and Napoleon about what’s new in the industry and the importance of sustainability in grilling.
W
ith the end of May and beginning of June celebrating National BBQ Week, the sunny spells has gotten
Brits out into their gardens and getting the grills going. With the industry booming, a new focus has come about to improve the experience of barbequing as well as a move to a more sustainable approach. EazyBBQ, a new eco-barbeque brand, is hoping to introduce a cleaner alternative to gas, CEO Olivier Midy says: “Last year it is estimated that in excess of 135 million barbeques were held in the UK, second only across Europe to Germany. From couples having a quiet home cooked meal, to larger family and social gatherings – once the finer weather is here the barbeque is a hugely popular choice for cooking. Charcoal barbeques account for 43% + of the market – still a very popular choice but we want more.” He continues: “We are in a world where
nations are more and more determined to diminish their carbon footprint. It is this simplicity of the product that needs to be focussed upon to spread awareness about eco options - all that is needed to have a barbeque is a Charcoal grill, a box of EazyBBQ charcoal and a match. No lighting gel or fuel, no firelighters, no ‘chimney’ style barbeque starter, no heat resistant gloves, no transferring of red-hot charcoal, no charcoal that has been pre-treated with fuel, no more smell of fuel in the air and on your food.” The brand is new to the market, founded in 2016, and has seen success in Europe and
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Australia, and hopes the UK market will welcome the brand. “We wanted to radically improve the current disposable barbeque offer and show that there is a better way to delicious, flame cooked food,” says Olivier. In terms of trends, Olivier says the BBQ classics like burgers and sausages are still a favourite, but people are now being more adventurous with their foods, with some hosts trying a rack of ribs or whole cuts of meat – this means they need a ‘low and slow’ approach to smoking the food. Olivier says: “The cooking time is longer and slower but the end result is all about the flavour. Our charcoal is from a natural oak and burns for a long time.” As well as this, the debate between charcoal or gas is still a prominent one: “The barbeque sector has been static for a number of years, with the hardest choices being between the grill itself – Charcoal or Gas.” However, as well as wanting to be more sustainable, Olivier says consumers today are more time poor than ever before. “The need for convenience is pervading all aspects of life, and with work and private lives blurring more, leisure time is being impacted heavily. Whilst the social side of barbequing is an enjoyable activity, the actual cooking process can often be stressful and time consuming,” he says. Napoleon national sales manager, Martin
Sobey says the company’s research shows an increase in barbecuing year on year, however a large proportion of the purchases are replacement items, and to be more
sustainable the company focuses on high quality grills that last longer and reduce wastage and long term costs. “The barbecue business is booming, both in
the UK and globally. We are also seeing a greater demand for electric grills, particularly for the younger market, city dwellers and those who have open flame restrictions; again this is an area we have invested in for 2019 and beyond.” Napoleon, like EazyYBBQ, see potential in the UK Market: “We are also investing in the UK market to help re-shape and improve barbecue habits, encouraging less waste and more sustainable, better grilling all year round.” Napoleon also offer training days for retailers, to ensure staff knowledge of the products is accurate: “Napoleon are committed to supporting our retailers at every touch point, we have full POS available to aid sales and in- store display systems. We encourage retailers to display a good range of product to include gas units, charcoal, portables, built-ins and accessories and have participated in a product training day provided by Napoleon. This year we have also invested in a brand new website which features improved functionality and localised user-friendly content to increase visibility and click-through to our retailers.” With BBQ sales consistently rising each year it suggests barbecuing and socialising outdoors is an increasingly widespread lifestyle choice, the benefits of which; boosting vitamin D levels, serotonin and social connections, have been widely publicised in recent times.
GCU June 2019
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