BBQ Québec is 10 years old. A look back at our journey and our wishes for the future.

Hey, it's crazy... BBQ Québec is 10 years old this year. And that's thanks to you; all of you who believe in us and support us (employees, customers and partners). So, I would like to start by saying THANK YOU. Thank you for these beautiful 10 years and the years to come. 🧡

Honestly, BBQ Québec started with an idea, and considering the low rate of businesses that manage to make it past the 10-year mark, it makes me really happy to see that BBQ Québec is working and continuing to grow (touch wood!).

A decade is a milestone for a company. And because I know that not everyone has been there from the beginning, I decided to take you on a little trip back in time. Today, I'm sitting down to chat with you and tell you about the history of BBQ Québec: highlights, notable moments, and moments that are a little less glorious, but that make BBQ Québec the company it is today.

The creation of BBQ Québec

Until recently, my parents owned a hardware store, so I was surrounded by that environment growing up and even worked in their branch for a while when I was quite young.

At one point in my life, I went out West, but when I came back to Quebec, I wanted to come back and work for my parents. Honestly, I had to go through every department in the hardware store. I realized, however, that it was really in the BBQ section that I had the easiest time and that I felt most at home. I had already assembled and sold several BBQs on the floor, and… obviously, I had made a lot of them with my father when I was little.

Yes, since my parents had a hardware store, we were lucky enough to have more than one BBQ at home. We always had a charcoal one, a gas one, and another one, which was the "hot" model of the moment. So, like it or not, I was already used to being surrounded by beautiful machines and cooking on them.

When I realized that for me, BBQ was the section that was the most fun (at the same time… a person who buys a BBQ is a happy person, and me, I love happy people! 😜), I also realized that it was an area in which there was great potential. And I have always been an entrepreneur at heart, so I suggested to my parents that I help them develop their BBQ section.

They weren't sure it would work, to make the section/selection bigger, so they didn't want to get into very high-end BBQ products. My mother, however, trusted me to launch it all and buy a first Napoleon BBQ.

The BBQs were selling well and, one thing led to another, the hardware store offered more and more grills and sales doubled every year. At first, we only sold BBQs and Napoleon accessories, but later, we added spices, sauces to our inventory… and we started looking at charcoal appliances, to be more curious about other BBQ models, like the Kamado Joe, etc. There was really a good demand for everything related to the world of grilling.

At the same time, I have to admit that, since I was little, I spent time on message boards about music, sports, etc. And, at the time, I found that there was a lack of BBQ content on French-speaking forums. So I bought bbqquebec.com and made it a blog, recipe, and discussion site. Unfortunately, I don't have a screenshot of what my site looked like, but I can tell you that it was pretty much a "hay bale". It was a bit in the same style as the GeoCities sites, let's say. 😅

Why “BBQ Québec”? Because it’s simple and effective. Ricardo, for example, has to put his face all over his magazines, etc., and I didn’t feel like doing that, so that’s why I didn’t choose “BBQ Lavoie”. Also, BBQ Québec is like Hydro-Québec and Loto-Québec; the name says what the company does and where it is. (At the same time, it also shows our belonging to our province, to our origins. I’m proud to be the president of a Québec company, so I might as well show it. 😉)

In short, with the site, JP and I had launched the BBQ Québec brand and started advertising to promote it. I was still working at the hardware store, but BBQ Québec had its own charcoal, Steven Raichlen products, an agreement with Napoléon for certain BBQ products and models, etc. I was then looking for possibilities to ensure that the brand would expand even further. For example, I had set up the concepts of BBQ Québec “in-store” zones, like Apple did. I had sold the concept of using the BBQ Québec “brand”, our training and our marketing to certain companies across Quebec and that’s what we found in these spaces.

Through my experience in my parents' hardware store, I was known in the field and I had managed to negotiate distribution agreements (and not resale) with my biggest suppliers. I then did distribution for 1 year, but since I didn't have a branch, I didn't have the customer service side where I could invite people to live 100% of the experience that I wanted to offer them since we were "just" partners with other stores. So, to focus on the "retail" aspect, we finally opened our first store in 2014 in Sainte-Foy, which ultimately put an end to the "distribution" side.

We did a lot of advertising to tell people to visit our website and come see us in store. Media-wise, we were everywhere. I was always on the radio, on TV, in magazines, etc. talking about BBQ Québec. Before our first book came out, we also opened a store in Boucherville, which was, at the time, our head office, our distribution center and our store; all on 1 floor.

In 2016, my parents signed an agreement with BMR and Ariane, my wife and co-president of BBQ Québec, had the idea to "pitch" the "BBQ zone" concept that we had already done in the past directly to BMR. Following that, we signed about 125 retailers. It was a pretty crazy year, because we went from 3 locations (because we had also opened a store in Laval in the meantime) to nearly 128. Phew!

The following years were also quite eventful. In 2017, we opened our own distribution center, in 2018, a boutique in Montreal, in 2019, a first franchise in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu to "take it easy", in 2020, we developed great agility because of the pandemic (the online store was doing well)... and we continue to progress even today.

It's still crazy, because at the beginning, everyone told me that a BBQ business wouldn't work in the winter. And I didn't care, because my "concern" wasn't there. I told myself that at worst, I would take advantage of it to go "snowboarding". My parents had a hardware store, so for me, losing money in the winter and making money in the summer, I knew what it was like and it didn't stress me out. Today, I have to say that I'm glad I listened to myself.

The primary goal

When I founded BBQ Québec, my goal was to be able to earn a salary and live off it. If I could make $50,000 a year and be happy, that would be fine.

To be honest, I wasn't stressed; I started BBQ Québec thinking like an artist, that is to say, I told myself that if I could survive doing what I loved, the only question I had left to ask myself was "Where do I sign?"

Honestly, it was the "we'll try and we'll have fun" aspect that made me get started. If I had calculated my business the way I had been taught to do as an entrepreneur, I would have told myself that it wouldn't work.

10 years, 10 memories

Now that I've given you a bit of context on the company's history, I wanted to share 10 moments that I've experienced throughout my journey. (Remembering where we started from helps us move forward and can encourage people to get started, so here I go!)

1. The first sale

In the early days of BBQ Québec, our only physical store had no stock. All we had were demos for people to see, tell us they wanted them, and give us the money to order one. But we didn't want to say that.

So I remember the first customer, a police officer, who bought a BBQ from us. He was a really, really smart customer that I had met at my parents' hardware store. He knew I was going to open a store, so he wanted to wait to buy his appliance to be my first customer.

One day, he came to the store with his "trailer" to pick up his BBQ, but we didn't have his grill... we didn't have the money for that, just for demos. At that point, we were in "hussle" mode. We didn't want to seem like poor people, but we needed the guy's full payment to be able to buy stock and make a little profit. So we passed it off as "We just opened, the BBQ Québec experience comes with free delivery. We want to make sure you have top-quality service, blah blah blah", so he finally said "OK" and we were able to deliver to him later.

The first sales we made literally saved the company. We didn't want to admit we were weak and that allowed us to move forward.

2. The first physical store

We built our first store. But when I say "we built it", I mean "we built it, from A to Z". We removed the necessary walls, broke the ceramic, unscrewed the ceiling, laid the floor as cheaply as possible, etc. and did it all ourselves. We had to cut our expenses, everywhere, everywhere, everywhere.

I had an apartment in Montreal, but when I came back to Quebec, I slept in the warehouse of our store in Sainte-Foy. Oh yes. When we finished working in Quebec, my business partner and I slept there.

There were a lot of boxes in the warehouse, but we had 2 rooms. We even made an action plan in case a fire happened… It's not complicated, we lived there and we were ready for anything (in general and to save "cash")!

3. The “OMG, it works” moment

If you asked me "at what point did you have the feeling of "yeah, I have something that works in my hands"?" well, I wouldn't really know what to tell you... For me, I think I realized it last week. 😂

As I mentioned above, not all companies make it past the 10-year mark (about 4% of companies do), and we did it. The first 10 years are where people make the most mistakes and where it costs the most.

Being an entrepreneur, in life, is being able to make enough money to pay for our mistakes. In our case, I can tell you that the last few years were crazy, especially with Covid. We ran out of stock, had too much stock, not enough staff, too much staff... we've been through pretty much everything. And that, I think, is what will help us for the next 10 years, easy.

4. Beautiful moments of brotherhood

I've had so many great moments with JP that I can't name just one. It's true, every time we've opened a store, won an award, completed a project, taken a special trip... it's always been super enriching.

It's crazy, because when you think about it, it's the fact that JP and I know BBQ and that we have a business that opens a lot of doors for us. There are so many things we've done that no one will ever have access to in their life, no matter what their job is. A president, for example, yes, he can go where we went, but will he be able to cook a pig at Fort Frontenac, in the Old Port of Quebec, where Samuel de Champlain was? Probably not, because he won't know how to do it or whatever.

The fact of doing BBQ, having a business and being so passionate about it opens a lot of doors for us and allows us to meet people in different ways. For example, I have given conferences in companies that are much bigger than mine (they are like the ocean, and I am like… a lake), but because I can talk to them about business AND food, they call on my services.

5. A mistake that allowed me to move forward

What I feel like answering, in relation to that, is to take up a little of what Einstein already said: madness is not making a mistake, but never doing anything to change and improve the situation. And believe me, I have made mistakes.

My first sale without a contract or with a short contract, for example. Or, often, having too much stock, having predicted that a product would sell like hot cakes and then not, having said no to a product and then it sells really well...

What I'm glad about, for example, is that these are mistakes that I made early on. Yes, I lost money, yes, I broke my chin on mistakes that could have probably cost me the company if I had made them today, but it allowed me to learn the hard way and I'm grateful for that.

What is certain is that you have to take note of the mistakes you make and not repeat them and… on that I should be correct, because I have a pretty good memory. 😉

What I would add to that, though, is that in life, you have to jump and take risks. If you can wade from one side to the other when something happens, it's a lot easier to turn around than if you just calculate everything and can't move when something happens.

6. The time I was most proud of following my instincts

A bit along the same lines as what I just said, what I am most proud of, in hindsight, is having "started" BBQ Québec. If I had calculated and listened to the people to whom I "pitched" my idea, I would never have started my company, especially because not many people thought it would work.

7. A memorable story from a customer

In this case too, I don't really have just "1 event" that comes to mind. There are so many people who come to tell me things that I can't just choose one encounter.

There are men, for example, who tell me that they spend more time at home now that they cook on the BBQ and that their wives are super happy about it. There are also elderly people who tell me that food has allowed them to get closer to their children and that they even bought a family BBQ. Or even individuals who tell me that after hearing me talk about nutrition they changed what they ate and who managed to lose weight or taste good things despite their type 2 diabetes (I'm still making a small digression here to remind you that I'm not a doctor; check with yours if what I say suits you before following my advice). Especially when it comes to keto or paleo recipes, it's fun to see that I've made a difference in the diet of some people, because seeing that it was done on the BBQ, there are lots of people who decided to get on board with the movement and tell me that it encouraged them.

Apart from that, what also impresses and touches me is that there are people who share ideas with me without expecting anything in return, just so that the company can succeed. It's beautiful to see, because we really love our customers and they love us too, because they are willing to do this for us.

8. The creation of the first BBQ Québec product

The first product we made was maple charcoal.

We were at our very first BBQ competition, in Saint-Calixte, on the north shore of Montreal, and it was while watching a greasy pig race in the mud that we chatted with the owner of Charbon Basque. We had been asking him to make our charcoal for a long time, but he didn't want to get involved because he thought it was troublesome, etc.

But then, talk, talk, chat, chat, he starts telling us that he really likes what we do and asks us if he can do something to help us. I tell him: "Yes. You can do something for us that won't cost you anything and that will even make you money. BUT! You have to promise me to get on board, before I even tell you what it is." I had piqued his curiosity, so he ended up saying yes, and then, it made me happy to tell him "You're going to do our coal. 😁" ... "Oh damn! 😂 Let's go, we're starting this!"

And that's how we created the first BBQ Québec product. We sent him our bags and he filled them. Hehe. 😜

After that, I wanted us to specialize in consumables: wood, spices, sauces… so we started with that. Then, one day, the company we were dealing with for accessories started to often have stock shortages, so we started making our own accessories. Today, I don't even know how many products we have… 😅

9. A personality that BBQ Québec allowed me to meet

It’s crazy to think about it, but our company has allowed me to meet all the biggest names in the BBQ world. I’ve met Myron Mixon; I’ve literally spent days with Steven Raichlen; my brother was a “helper”/apprentice for KCBS (Kansas City Barbecue Society) World Champion Travis Clark for a weekend…

I was also able to rub shoulders with many Quebec personalities: Ricardo (who is not only an authority in the Quebec food industry, but also really "smart" and one of the public figures who is part of my top 3 most likeable —I've seen him several times, and I even think he recognizes me. I feel "big"! 🤩—), Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (who is really, really, really "smart"), Régis Labeaume, Denis Coderre, Philippe Couillard, Hugo Girard, Marie-Pier Morin, Mathieu Baron… I'm even in the video "Les guimauves" by Bob Bissonnette!

Oh! I know Stéphane Monette (the guy we collaborated with for the BBQ Québec X La ferme Monette dry marinades) too! As for me, he's a star! 😜 (In any case, he's one in the hunting world, and, what's more, he's "smat" too!)

And all this is not ONLY because of the BBQ, it's also because I'm an entrepreneur. In the same sense as what I mentioned above, it's crazy to think that we have access to a lot of things and people that we would "not have the right" to if we didn't have one or the other.

10. The birth of House of BBQ Experts

House of BBQ Experts is our "worldwide division" of BBQ Québec. As we grew, we realized that our company would have to "export" to grow in provinces other than Quebec and countries other than Canada, but... "BBQ Québec" is a bad name for that in a certain sense because it has a very specific identity. To send our products elsewhere, we decided to go with another name.

My greatest pride

If we come back to the present, I would say that my greatest pride of all, in relation to our company, is really to have 10 years under our belt and to be just as passionate. For 10 years, we have employees (some of whom have been there since the beginning) and customers of fire.

On the employee side, I'm happy, because we're a pretty tight-knit gang. We have a lot of fun together and we have super good retention. For me, the team comes before the rest; we're like... a "team family" with all the advantages of each other, without the disadvantages. 😜 Even... I shouldn't even talk about employee retention, but simply a growing family. 😌 BBQ Québec is a beautiful world.

Where will BBQ Québec be in 10 years?

It's certain that we're going to be "ocean to ocean". We're going to be a mega team with offices all over the planet where people are going to do their work because they want to and because they excel at it.

With the happiness of our employees in mind, we are just called to become an ever-greater and more inspiring organization. And that's what I want for my gang. By always offering them the best of what's on the market, without forcing them to do anything, they will always come out winners.

We won't hide it either, Christmas parties are also going to be bigger and bigger and more memorable, from one year to the next, so if you want to have an incredible time, you know what to do. 😜

Projects to be carried out

There are many things I would like to do. For example, I would like to continue exploring the world, both to discover new things and to bring knowledge. I want to come back strong with new food products too.

Otherwise, I have a plan to eventually launch a BBQ that will be entirely "designed" by us. (That's going to be sick!)

And finally, I feel like I'm going to fall into opening a new store soon because I miss it. 😜

The final word

Honestly, BBQ Québec would never have gotten there if Quebecers weren't so awesome, curious, passionate, epicurean, and invested in their living environment and family life. Growing up in a world like that, my brother and I, that's what inspired us, among other things.

We really appreciate that the people who meet us are open and respectful. People always ask us to open a store in their city, but go to the closest one in the meantime. To be honest, when we learn that people drive an hour to come see us, or go shopping in one of our stores, it gives us the fuel to keep going.

Also, I can't say it enough, but I personally want to thank all the people who were/are part of our team. Whether you spent just a few days or 4 years of your life with us, we know that you always gave us the best of yourselves and it is super appreciated; we are all very grateful.

On that note, our journey is not over. We continue to move forward and we can't wait to see where the wind will take us!

Thanks, once again, and… have a good BBQ gang! 🤘