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Holland Grill Company has increased sales in a down economy by introducing new products and a time-proven marketing strategy.
Written By Kimberly Rodgers
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Scott Warner |
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| Available in gas or electric versions, the Companion grill also features Holland’s unique drip-pan system, which eliminates flare-ups. |
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The Patriot is Holland’s entry into the charcoal-grill market. |
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The SearMate attaches to all full-size Holland grills. |
How does a business buck a recession? For the Holland Grill Company, it’s by listening to customers’ needs, offering innovative products and choices, and drawing in new business, often by showcasing the benefits and versatility of its grills through holding cooking demonstrations from New York, New York, to Fargo, North Dakota. All of these factors (and adjusting to a changing marketplace) have helped the Holland Grill Company—based in Holly Springs, North Carolina—not only survive, but thrive in a down economy.
Because Holland grills are easy to ignite, simple to operate, built from high-quality galvanized and stainless steel, and designed with an exclusive drip pan that offers a guarantee that there will be no flare-ups, cooking on them is a delightful experience for any outdoor chef, from novice to aficionado.
Meat always turns out moist and tender because the food’s natural juices hit the unique drip-pan system, sizzle, and smoke back over the food, giving it a delicious and distinctive flavor. The no–flare-up guarantee ensures that meat will never become dry. In addition, Holland Grill Company offers a variety of accessories to enhance the grilling experience, including covers, wireless timers, and thermometers, as well as seasonings, sauces, and rubs.
New Products
A large part of Holland Grill Company’s success is due to its commitment to meet customers’ needs and requests for new products. “If you don’t listen to your customers, you are in trouble,” Scott Warner, national sales manager, says.
In 2009, the company introduced the infrared SearMate, an accessory that attaches to all full-size Holland grills and gives users the ability to sear meat at high temperatures. This caramelizes the food’s natural sugars and gives any cut—from steaks to burgers, pork chops, and chicken—a mouthwatering, crisp crust. The SearMate unit was introduced to the marketplace for those customers who love the experience of cooking on a Holland grill, but also enjoy a seared taste.
“It has just been phenomenal for us, and it went beyond our expectations in sales,” Warner says. Currently available in a powder-coated finish, the unit will be introduced in a stainless-steel version (in response to numerous customer requests) in early spring, along with a drop-in unit for an outdoor island. “We are excited about the SearMate coming out in stainless, and we believe infrared is going to be hot this year,” Warner says.
Last spring, the company introduced the Patriot charcoal grill, and it plans to reintroduce the grill this winter with more aggressive pricing. Warner says, “We had been a gas grill company for 25 years, and there was some shock when we came out with a charcoal grill, but it’s all about choice and offering alternatives. People are not shackled to a single type of cooking; they want options. We thought, ‘Why not give them a Holland charcoal grill?’”
Cooking Demos
When Brad Holland (the inventor and founder of the company, who has since retired) developed his innovative grill 25 years ago, he knew that it did great things for food, but he had to come up with a way to tell people about it, “so he started cooking on it, and that’s the way it’s been ever since,” Warner comments.
Cooking demonstrations are part of Holland Grill Company’s history and are conducted on a regular basis all over the country—at retail locations, at county fairs, and even in the hearts of cities. “We go wherever we can get a gathering of people,” Warner says. All members of the Holland Grill Company team (including the sales force; distributors; and Barry Byars, vice president and general manager) roll up their sleeves for the demos.
In the 15 years that he has been with the company, Warner estimates that he has cooked over 1,200 turkeys. “The demonstrations have such an impact on people and have been our mainstay of marketing for many years,” he says. “It’s a success formula that I don’t think we will ever abandon because it works so well for us. We’ve talked about coming up with ways to sell the grill other than cooking on it, but nothing works any better.”
Capturing Trends
Sometimes intimidated by the difficulty of igniting a gas grill, many women have traditionally shied away from outdoor cooking. Change is in the air, however, as increasing numbers of women are taking more interest in grilling. Because Holland Grill Company products are simple to light (by raising the lid, turning on the gas knob, and clicking the igniter knob a few times), women have always been comfortable using them, according to Warner.
In addition, Holland grills cook using the same principle (indirect radiant heat) as a convection oven, so they have incredible versatility in cooking all types of food—from omelets, fruit pies, and cobblers to meat loaf and grilled cheese. “Once women cook on a Holland grill and realize it’s an outdoor oven, but gives a great flavor, they love using it,” Warner says.
Year-round outdoor cooking has always been popular in the Southeast, and now consumers everywhere are grilling long beyond the traditional summer season. Because of its unique features, a Holland grill can be used every day of the year—no matter what the climate might be. “One of our biggest selling points is that our grills do not have flare-ups; this keeps people from having to stand outside in uncomfortable weather to babysit the grill,” Warner says.
Since all food is cooked based on elapsed time, the outdoor chef simply places the item on the grill and then takes it off according to the time given in the Holland Grill Company recipe. “We like to say our grills are hassle free,” Warner says.
Moving Forward
In response to the recession, Warner says, Holland Grill Company “started circling the wagons, as everyone else did, and got a little tighter and leaner.” While sales started out a bit slow in early 2009, they soon picked up, and by the end of the fiscal year in September, sales were higher in both units and dollars. “We were just all thrilled with that. I think we benefited from the concern over the economy, since people stayed at home more and cooked out,” Warner says.
As the company looks toward the future, plans include beefing up its outdoor-kitchen offerings. “We hope to have some opportunities for our current dealer base, and more upscale pieces and configurations to help us gain a foothold in the larger metro markets,” Warner says. The company also hopes to make it more affordable for Holland Grill Company’s rural customers to create outdoor kitchens. “We want an outdoor kitchen on everyone’s deck,” he adds.
Warner believes that homeowners will continue to spend their dollars outdoors. “Creating an outdoor kitchen is the easiest and cheapest way for consumers to enlarge their homes. We are absolutely looking for big things for the outdoor room for 2010, and we are giving customers an easy way to cook outside—not just in the Southeast, where we are strongest, but all over the country,” he says.
Even after 15 years of cooking on a Holland grill, “I am still wowed by what it does to food; I have never taken it for granted,” Warner says. He has participated in hundreds of cooking demos, but he is still amazed at the reactions on people’s faces after they have tasted turkey cooked on a Holland grill. He says, “It’s as if they are saying, ‘My gosh, I never knew turkey could taste this good.’”
PHPR January/February 2010
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