We’re Fired Up For 2019

This article appears in the Winter 2019 issue of Silicon Slopes Magazine.

By Jeremy Andrus, CEO, Traeger Grills.

Here at Traeger Grills, 2018 felt like a smoking tray of comfort food. That might be thanks to the aromas coming from the Traeger test kitchen, where Amanda Hass is inventing new recipes and filming clips for our digital cooking channel. It might be because we Traegered up meals at 302 events, including one at Silicon Slopes (are we invited back?). It could be because we hired 75 new employees in 2018. Most of them joined us here at Traeger HQ in Salt Lake City.

We’re fired up for 2019. Here’s what’s in store.

Sausage. In August, we opened our European headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, and shipped off a team to grow it (Sebastian Schleicher and Bob Jaccaud, we miss you guys). Taking Traeger global means that we can delve into new grilling cultures and cuisines. Denmark, bring on the medisterpølse (that’s a sausage).

WiFIRE®. We’re rolling out the Ironwood grill series featuring Traeger’s WiFIRE controller, currently available in the Timberline. In Silicon Slopes language, we’re expanding the Internet of Things (IoT) to more grills. You can control the temperatures, turn up the smoke, and set timers via Traeger’s mobile app. Even better, you can send one of 1,500+ recipes to your grill and let it do the work of setting and changing temperatures.

Traeger Day. Once again, we’re celebrating National Traeger Day on May 18, 2019, the weekend after Mother’s Day. Traeger Day celebrates everything wood-fired and good. It’s a time to cook on your grill, gather with the people you love, and make something tasty. Last spring, more than 4,000 Traegerers shared their epic feasts in photos and videos.

Class is in session. When we expanded Traeger HQ to fit 75 more people, we built out a dedicated space for Traeger Shop Class. Stop by for 3-4 hours of hands-on instruction with BBQ pros and all the wood-fired samples you can eat. We’ll cover the basics and cut into some advanced techniques, so you can trim, prep, rub, inject, brine, sauce, and smoke like a pro.

Joe Rogan. We’re proud to announce that Joe Rogan has officially joined the Traeger Nation. An avid hunter, Joe visits Utah every year for elk hunts. He’s been grilling game meats on his Traeger for a long, long time. We’ll be sponsoring The Joe Rogan Experience, one of the most popular podcasts on iTunes. Keep an eye out for Rogan-inspired recipes.

Family. Of everything in 2018, we feel especially good about our work with the Tony Finau Foundation. Together, we provided 1,000 Thanksgiving meals to Salt Lake families in need. For those of you who don’t know Tony, he’s a professional golfer who grew up in Rose Park on the west side of Salt Lake City. Raised in a family of nine that struggled financially, all the odds were stacked against Tony, but he pursued his dream anyway. Tony finished the 2018 PGA Tour season ranked sixth.

For Christmas, we also ran a record-breaking food drive for the Utah Food Bank. In total, the Traeger team delivered 21,210 lbs. of food and 19,513 total meals – enough to feed 217 Utahns for one month.

That’s all. From everyone at Traeger HQ, we wish you the best. Eat well, be merry, and get fired up for 2019.