April 7, 2025

First FIRE&FOOD Media Day

Grilling and BBQing need to be more prominent in the public eye again. According to estimates by FIRE&FOOD and BIAG (Barbecue Industry Association Grill eV), fewer people were grilling in Germany in 2024 than in previous years. The reasons for this are varied. On the one hand, private households are using their available budgets in other areas, for example, investing in travel instead of gardening and barbecue supplies. The cold spring weather – as well as the sharp decline in media presence – led to declining sales of barbecue equipment and other products. We can't influence the weather. But we can bring topics related to grilling and BBQing more into the consumer's focus!

We'll be even more successful when everyone pulls together—the barbecue industry, the food industry, and the media. At the first FIRE&FOOD Media Day, held at the end of March at the barbecue specialist Santos in Frankfurt, several representatives from the industry and media met to present and discover new products and trends for the 2025 barbecue season. New products, in particular, have the power to stimulate the market.

Beefer presented its latest development, the E-Beefer XL, and the Swiss company Sommerliving presented its charcoal kettle concept. Two other topics that are expected to set trends this year are outdoor baking and the griddle. Even before the coronavirus pandemic, grilling was attracting considerable interest. Stand-alone solutions such as the wood-fired ovens from Häusler and Merklinger were gaining popularity, but accessories for gas grills, such as those from BroilKing and Napoleon, such as pizza stones and baking insert modules, also attracted considerable attention. Starting in 2020, the new pizza oven solutions from Ooni and Gozney caused a sensation. Other market players have also entered this segment, including Witt, Cozee, and Everdure. Private labels such as Santos have attractive pizza ovens in their product ranges for 2025.

Another highlight in the grilling world are the planchas. Almost all North American grill brands are bringing the originally European plancha to market as a gas-powered griddle. Leading the way are griddles from Blackstone, Weber, and Pitboss. Some of these griddles will be featured in upcoming issues of FIRE&FOOD – and other media outlets will follow, thanks to FIRE&FOOD's press work for the grilling industry.