Hola grillers!
I don 't know about you guys but I'm loving the longer days and dare I say that Spring cleaning gets me motivated to get all I need in place so I can drop it into high gear and keep the kamado fires burning through Summer! I recently received an email from a friend who like myself is completely immersed in the ways of the kamado and the lifestyle that goes with it. We have been exchanging emails for a few years now on everything to do with the kamado cooker and believe it or not he is as passionate a bloke as I am about inspiring people to engage with this cooking medium. Although the email had to do mostly with business that I won't get into the topic of marketing as it relates to the kamado came up, which as you all might guess has motivated me to tap this key board of mine and churn out another post for the books!
He touched on the fact that its quite astonishing that although the kamado cooker in its original state has been around for thousands of years, the kamado in all its glory as it stands today is virtually unknown, a mere spec on the bbq industry radar and most people, if you ask them if they know what a kamado is, shrug their shoulders and reply a ka-whato? I chalk this up to a few major things that are not being done in this tiny segment of a huge industry worldwide but ultimately it comes down to a lack of "out of the box" thinking, creativity, and articulating a stronger message about a fantastic "lifestyle" and not just a product to sell or purchase! I've been selling quality oriented products in various industries for more than a few decades now and I'll be the first to tell you folks that I can sell anything to anybody if I put my heart and soul into it, but honestly, I'm not passionate and energized to bounce out of bed every morning just to sell and promote anything and frankly the days of having to impress my boss or hit a sales forecast are long gone since I became my own boss.
For me, the kamado has turned into something that is part of my everyday life and lifestyle which I revel in with my friends, family and clients and I go to crazy extremes to make an excuse to host yet another party, a celebration with fire, smoke and earthen vessel for all to enjoy! You could say that I've become so involved and obsessed with this beautiful object that I'm less focussed on how many units these companies are selling world wide and much more interested to engage with someone and educate them properly and perhaps even inspire them to want into the "kamado club". I also feel that in our day and age and with the internet feeding us information at a million times faster than ever before people are more reluctant to simply invest in things that are frankly, as unique and intriguing as the kamado is. Above and beyond the internet which we can all agree is the main medium today to find valuable information, people still need a trustworthy outlet to get straight answers ( hard to find) or a remarkable retailer ( not easy to find either) or an unbiased expert in the given field like myself!
One things for sure, if you love to cook and grill and bake and roast outdoors on your deck over natural lump charcoal, the kamado will enhance your experience, BIG TIME! More importantly, it should last a near lifetime and become part of those favorite possessions of yours that hold so many great memories as you grill and cook through the years! In my experience, the kamado's that I own have literally become an extension of our family because they provide such great food whenever they are fired and we almost always talk about our last meal for days leading up to our next meal!
Perhaps the main reason that the kamado to date hasn't garnered the attention it so deserves is because the companies that you would think should be leading the charge and excitement in this category from an education and marketing point of view haven't done all that much to really excite anybody on their products, at least in the last ten years. Yes, I agree, the festivals surrounding these cookers that we hear about happening south of the border are great, and now, they are starting to pop up here in Canada but its pretty clear to me that most of the manufacture's have left the majority of the marketing strategy up to "word of mouth". It kinda reminds me of the 80's when Vidal Sassoon believed their shampoo to be the best and were relying on women everywhere to tell two friends and so on and so on! Word of mouth is fine and often effective and the best way to market a product with little to no cash expenditure but a product as special as the kamado deserves so much more in my humble opinion. The kamado needs much more attention at a global level for many reasons which I will touch on in later posts very soon!
I mean its one thing to produce a great product but I think we can all agree that if these manufactures don't properly execute on their overall "message" to the masses about their products and have the courtesy to educate you the end consumer, who's going to get excited? I mean really, WTF!!!! ( did I just drop an "f" bomb?) Oops! It must mean I'm worked up! LOL! Seriously my friends, I think its truly amazing that the newest kamado player on the block being "Kamado Joe" have executed their message and marketing strategy at lightning speed in just two years and by doing so have made a small dent and taken market share away from the big guns like BGE and Primo! From their cookers to their accessories, to their "MoJo" newsletter that hits the wire monthly, they have gone and go the extra mile to make it that much easier for you to learn and perhaps become motivated to want to buy their product and join their club! I applaud them for this! Once again and for the record, they don't pay me to say this, honest!
I'm also excited to eventually see the kamado break out of the conventional "bbq" business mold its been slotted into for the past three decades and start surfacing in new exciting markets like "kitchen specialty" for instance! After all, I know better than most that delicious chicken, pork and ribs produced by these cookers are all foods at the very tip of the iceberg for this product that is capable of doing so much more than just basic bbq. As I say to people all the time, the kamado can and will sear steak and bake cake that will certainly impress those hanging on your deck. On the flip side of the bbq business equation its obvious to me that its an industry dominated by the cheap and cheerful gas grill segment that must make up 95% of sales annually if I'm accurate. Yup, find a factory in China, set up shop, get those relationships with distributors nailed so they can in turn, get their retail networks excited and then pump and dump till their hearts delight, click "n" poof! It really makes me wonder about the "value" we place on certain products in our society today and is "cheaper" in fact better and more importantly is the kamado misunderstood altogether and getting lost in the shuffle some where? As for the fate of the kamado, it could very well be that for all the kamado is today, its far more than most can afford and based on how many business channels it needs to travel through before getting to you, the price is steep, no doubt at all, and don't get me going on the US exchange rate compared to our Loonie and how that's effecting the retail price of the kamado in Canada!
One things for certain my grilling friends! The days of color catalogs and perfectly air brushed brochures depicting the perfect family unit with Dad serving up perfectly grilled plastic squash and chicken on a possible and probable plastic kamado that isn't even fired up are, in a word, OVERRRRRRRRRR! I mean really, can I have extra cheese with that visual sales pitch? I'm elated and more than fired up to bare witness and be a part of the kamado's journey that's just now starting to get the attention it so deserves as it gains popularity in North America. People need to get the right information on what to buy and why and they need to be sold the right unit for their lifestyle. Also, understand that you have options in this market called "kamado" my friends and the best unbiased, go to resource to make your purchase a wise one is The Grateful Griller.
Until we meet again, keep feeding all your fires and desires to take those grilling games higher!!!!!!!
Humble G
As always, I leave you all with my latest thoughts, feelings and reflections on a journey with the kamado thus far which has given me and mine so much and has taken so little in return. This last few weeks I have been inspired by the music of the "Killers", "James Blake" and "Coeur De Pirate"! Let the music play............
My Kamado Kalling
I'm down on my knees "k" with blistered hands and torn jeans.
We are all human and some of us are "grillers"looking for answers.
Yearning to grill and seek out the thrill to fill our plates with smokey fire flashed fare!
I stand here grateful for platefuls of pleasure I produce at my leisure.
These tapas treasures go down so fine with a rich glass of wine.
Its down right sublime, quite possibly devine!
This is kamado time and today I feel so fine!
We will dance through the smoke and enjoy a few jokes while kamado's earthen walls answer our taste buds calls and cravings while we party into the night!
Give my respects to gas and wish him well for I know time will tell as we all say farewell to the hard sell story and all its glory.
I did my best to notice when my kamado calling came down the line.
Sometimes I got so nervous I could feel fear shooting right up my spine.
So I cut the cord and will eternally never be bored.
By taking this leap I've learned the valleys are deep but the climb has been so much steeper!
This simple message so vital, perhaps even tidal and the waves of pleasure could and should be used as a measure to score the happiness you will feel when you seal your own kamado deal and feel the vibe this lifestyle offers.
So with my eyes on the road ahead and hands firm on this truck wheel I dream of home tonight, that party was outta site!
My heart beats fast and I want this feeling to last!
I've been this way almost ten years to the day and I guess I'll keep on ramblin on, singing this kamado song, for all who care to listen!
G
