Grilling plain and simple

That the trend is moving from barbecues to outdoor kitchens is regarded as incontrovertible by all those involved in this market. At least by almost all of them: things are seen rather differently at Barbecook. The Belgian supplier hasn’t one single kettle barbecue in its charcoal range – which is the first point. “Most Europeans simply want to barbecue and actually see what they have on the grill,” export manager Rainer Danner explains confidently. And the company hasn’t necessarily set its sights on the gourmet grill enthusiast. Second point: It must be simple. After all, that’s what the slogan says: “Simply enjoy.” It all begins with setting up the barbecues, which require no more than four screws, and continues with the “Quick-Start” system for lighting them, which functions just with some newspaper. Once the barbecue is over, “Quick-Stop” also makes life simpler: after filling the base of the draught tube with water, the ashes are swept into the tube, and then the water is emptied out. This reveals another key aspect of the system: the barbecues are designed in accordance with the chimney effect or natural draught principle. Barbecook came into being 25 years ago and claims to have been the first company to bring this system to market. The brand belongs to the SAEY Group, which was founded in 1907. The company, which is managed by the family that owns it, has an annual turnover of around € 100 mio. It started life in the steel trade before adding a Home & Garden division later on, then decentralized heating as well. Three years ago the company be-gan to expand the barbecue division to a brand name. Entire sales systems were developed for retailers, including a complete shop concept. This works with europallets, which are upgraded to become display stands featuring the brand’s typical black and red brand design. The products are geared to the middle range, though there are plans for a premium design line in 2011. In addition to the charcoal grills, which come in stainless steel and enamel, there is also a range of gas barbecues. Here again the emphasis is on the origi-nal grilling experience: all the stainless steel burners produce an individual output of 5 kW. Barbecook has recently expanded its range of products in the area of gas barbecues with the aim of enabling mass-marketers, and DIY retailers in particular, to stage promotions. Over and above the regular assortment, the company is offering products that still meet its quality requirements…