Good Morning! 

Ooni was founded in 2012 and created a new category of outdoor cooking. Their pizza ovens quickly increased in popularity, and they still remain the dominant player in the space. Through their history they’ve been a founder-led company, with the two founders holding co-CEO titles.

Ooni has been building their leadership team over the past year but the biggest change was announced this week. They appointed a new CEO, their first non-founder CEO. The founders will move to new roles within the company.

Sponsored By Pitts & Spitts

Pitts & Spitts grills and smokers are made from heavy duty steel right here in the USA. I know, I’ve toured their facility in Houston, Texas and seen a sheet of steel get molded into a beautiful smoker by skilled craftsmen. They’ve recently expanded their line-up with the Built-In Pellet Grill, the Griddle, and new touchscreen controller.

As a family-owned business, they’re looking to partner with other local businesses. If you own a dealer and are looking to carry high quality cookers that customers won’t find in big box stores, give them a call at their shop at 844-650-6250 or email them at sales@pittsandspitts.com!

More changes are underway at Ooni and other companies in outdoor cooking. With tariffs in full swing, companies are looking to preserve their earnings. That’s led to reducing headcount. It appears Ooni did a round of layoffs over the past week.

I was on The BBQ Central Show this week talking about Grilla Grills, recteq's new grill, and Solo Stove's new fire pit. It's always a fun show, and full of BBQ info, so make sure to check it out.

GrillFest is happening at Hartville Hardware today with live cooking demos from Diva Q, Mike Lang, and Captain Ron. Greg Rempe from The BBQ Central Show will be there too. It looks like a great event every year, I'd definitely head down there if I didn't have a conflict.

Pellet grill company recteq has released a new version of the grill that started it all for them. The bigger, better Flagship 1600 came out with tons of space and new features. It has their latest controller and can reach 700 degrees F.

Frigidaire recently released an oven with a pizza stone that get's to 750 degrees F. They believe it can take market share from dedicated pizza ovens. They're leaning hard into marketing it through a new celebrity partnership, a road show, a national ad campaign, retailer pop-ups, media partnerships, and more.

Finally, college football is in full swing (Go Green!), and Kingsford has partnered with Learfield on tailgates and original content. Kingsford is having tailgates at rivalry games through the fall. They’re also giving NIL opportunities to players featured in their content pieces that will run through September.

Thanks for Reading!

Wes Wright

Founder and CEO

Sponsored By Green Mountain Grills

Pellet grills from GMG do things that other grills can't. It's apparent without even having to get to the technical specs. Getting the most out of your grill comes from its ability to cook as many different ways possible. Sure, a GMG pellet grill will make a killer brisket and pork butt, but other food is unlocked with accessories like a side burner, rotisserie, a pizza oven, and a rack system for optimizing space.

Go to a local dealer to see the GMG difference first hand today!

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