Baton Rouge-based Blaze Grills has gone international with its first shipment of grills hitting Australia two weeks ago and plans are in the works to soon sell in Europe.
“We now have close to 1,000 dealers in the US. We’re at a time and point where we’re ready to go international,” says co-owner Mike Hackley, explaining why the company is expanding now after rejecting earlier opportunities to move into international markets.
Hackley’s Blaze Grill and Shopperschoice.com have seen significant growth the past few years, with employment at the two companies expanding to roughly 230, up from 120 a year ago.
The company is beginning its Australian expansion with the aluminum Kamado grill, an easier product to launch, says Hackley, because it’s a charcoal grill and subject to less certifications than gas grills. The company is working to get gas grills certified to be released.
Blaze has also chosen a French distributor to bring its products into Western Europe. Though declining to name the company, Hackley expects the deal will result in Blaze products being available through 700 dealers in 10 different countries. While details are being worked out, Blaze is spending more than $20,000 to get its gas grills certified for European distribution. He expects full inventory to be available for European dealers by next spring.
“Besides the money and seeing people want the products I’ve designed and built,” says Hackley, “seeing (Blaze Grills) become a household name is the most self-gratifying thing for me.”
