Talk to any foodie about the biggest cooking trends of the past few years, and they will no doubt mention smoking. The appetite for smoked food – anything from ribs to cheese – shows no sign of slowing and Sheffield-based manufacturer Trianco is looking to capitalise on this.
Trianco – best known for making boilers – has developed a range of high-end barbeques and smokers aimed and the domestic and restaurant markets, which is being sold under the guise of its new brand, Grizzly Ovens.
“It has taken about a year to develop the range,” explains Peter Beighton, managing director of Trianco. “There is a big push towards smoking food for a long time. You can leave these ovens to cook low and slow overnight. On the back of the Grizzly oven there is a hopper that you fill up with charcoal and a mix of flavoured wood and that will burn low and slow for 15-18 hours at around 100 degrees. Or, you can opt not use the hopper and use the grill as normal and cook at 250-300 degrees.”
Wood pellet versions are also available. Self-lighting is standard as you set your desired temperature on the digital panel and fill the hopper with your chosen flavoured pellets – it’s as easy as that.
The ovens are available in three contemporary colours or brushed stainless finish and can be customised to suit the customers’ requirements.
The idea came from a desire to keep Trianco busy all year round. “The core business is boilers, but they are very seasonal, so we decided to try and fill in the summer seasons with a product that was seasonal the other way,” says Peter. “We have made Range cookers over the years, so we have some experience in making ovens, and we decided to look at making charcoal ovens and pellet ovens and see how we go.
“A lot of people are building outdoor kitchens now and outdoor covered areas – it is a big thing.”
While the Grizzly Oven range was only launched a month ago, Peter says that the company has received a lot of interest in them and already sold some into restaurants including the famous Bushmills Hotel in Ireland, as well as to domestic users. The company also has distributors in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland for the range.
Now, the company is focused on promoting the ovens. For instance, Grizzly Oven will be attending the Glee exhibition at the NEC this month, where many garden centre buyers attend. Peter adds they are looking for more distributors for the products, including overseas – “it’s always summer somewhere,” he says.
Boiler innovation
But while Trianco has been busy developing the Grizzly Oven brand, it does not mean it has had any less focus on its core business.
Indeed, this month the company is launching its Aztec mini combi – “the smallest mini combi available,” according to Peter – and Aztec mini system boiler.
“Most of the apartments we are dealing with are only 50-60sqm and one to two bed maximum and space is at a real premium,” says Peter. “With most boilers, if you want to get hot water, you need a cylinder but with these they just give you hot water on demand, so it saves lots of space.”
It also shows how Trianco is moving with the times. “They [government] are banning gas boilers from 2025 in new buildings, so you have to use electric or a heat pump or something similar. We are changing our company in line with what his happening for carbon saving.
“The government is also changing the rules on housing development schemes for flats – when you assess the scheme for how green it is, they are changing it to favour electric boilers.
“There are lots of things happening and our future is looking really good because of it.”