Wessel Buddingh is CEO of Big Green Egg Europe. From the sustainable headquarters in De Lier, he is responsible for distribution to 44 countries. Becoming market leader in the ceramic barbecue segment doesn't happen overnight. Irene van de Laar talks to the CEO about intuition, inspiration, chance and quality.
"I wanted to work around a tree. That was actually a requirement to the architect. My desire was a square building and a relatively closed building to the outside, but completely open and transparent to the inside. I like privacy and at the same time accessibility. Our office building is like a magic box: you step into it and create your own Big Green Egg feeling. Also, the 1950s and 1960s are evident. I think the Mid-Century style is incredibly cool. We used a lot of natural materials and there is a lot of light. I experience a lot of benefit from light, I believe it makes you come up with different ideas."
"We are constantly looking with an open and broad perspective at the target group and at opportunities. The environment contributes to this. Internally and externally it has to be right. Ultimately, the mission is to give people an unforgettable cooking experience with like-minded people. The Big Green Egg is the centerpiece, but in the background. We want to make the product the hero. Honestly, I'm not so concerned with a mission, or a vision, but it's helpful for your business. Then everyone knows what we're doing it for. We're trying to create a fan base , and it's working out really well."
"For a happy, nice and free feeling. You come home, light the Egg and you are immediately in a different mode. You buy nice ingredients and get to work with your family or friends. A nice glass of wine or a beer. You have good conversations and the Big Green Egg does its work in the background. The result is always fantastic. That's why I started it back then. Some people like it, others don't. It may not have its looks, but it has something innocent about it. He is friendly. An everyman's friend and a connector. A connecting cauldron."
"My father had an architectural firm, hence perhaps the affinity. I was always looking in those books. He was also an entrepreneur, though a very different type, but that doesn't matter. I worked for a boss for two years as a sales representative. Learned a lot, was a lot of fun, but I still wanted to start for myself. I was 22 years old at the time. I started importing bricks. Very sexy."
"A brick-and-mortar customer, whose in-laws had emigrated to Atlanta, tipped me off about the Big Green Egg. He cooked on it every night. He said, 'I want that one in the Netherlands, too.' He went to that little store where his father-in-law had bought it. That turned out to be the headquarters of Big Green Egg. The idea was to introduce this kamado in the Netherlands together. Until his wife was pregnant and he didn't dare take the financial risk. Meanwhile, my curiosity was piqued. On the off chance I booked a ticket to Atlanta. I met Ed Fischer, the founder of Big Green Egg. We immediately clicked. Those are the moments of chance, sometimes you are lucky. He thought it would be great, a guy from the Netherlands who wanted to sell the product. I became importer for the Benelux. Later Europe followed. By now we are actually in every country."
"With a temperature range of 70 to 350 degrees, all cooking techniques are possible on it: grilling, baking, boiling, stewing, smoking and slow-cooking. You can even bake a pizza on it. It is a product for life, and the ultimate remake of the kamado. The ceramic with NASA technology is indestructible. It's a little more expensive than the competition, but you're set for the rest of your life."
"The basis of Big Green Egg, the ceramics, is unique. No one can imitate it. About ten years ago, when it really started to become a success, it did worry me. Suddenly there were two or three hijackers on the coast. Then you think: the hyenas are waking up. That did bother me. Not anymore. You just have to keep going. It keeps you on your toes, including our marketing team. This market is big enough and they also have their advertising, so help make kamado cooking bigger. We benefit from that in turn."
"I never thought that. Every year a few more countries are added. In the beginning it was really pioneering. I participated a lot in trade missions in all kinds of countries. Then I drove with that egg in the back of the car to Sweden, Eastern Europe, France, Spain, et cetera. It's just a search."
"There weren't any. I'm someone who thinks: if you want to achieve something, you have to go out there. You can make a business plan of how things should be in the ideal world, where those pink clouds come from, but there weren't any. I just grabbed that egg: drive and ring the bell. That works best. These days, of course, it's easy to do that through social media. If you have a good product you look for an influencer. If you're lucky you go sky high. I ended up building a distribution network, and that took 20 years."
"I think the success has come mainly by sticking to our target market. We are often approached by retail to do promotions together. We never do that, we stay away from that. We have always sworn allegiance to the smaller ingredient suppliers, such as Livar. They have pigs that are still truly pampered. With Big Green Egg we want to give the feeling that the product stands for top quality, including the ingredients. You don't get that at retail, but at the butcher, the greengrocer and the really good fishmonger. In addition, we built slowly. The marketing, sales, logistics and financial story are like a house, but that has grown slowly."
"Entrepreneur. I'm not a manager, not even a people manager. I'm someone who says, 'You get all the freedom, and if that doesn't work we'll part ways and I hope you develop.' We also work through the Semco principle, coined by Brazilian Ricardo Semler. You make your organization more agile, giving your people more autonomy and relying on self-responsibility. As long as you achieve the goals."
"No, not in terms of business. I've been playing golf for a long time, and a bit more fanatically in recent years. I love that. When I see a professional I am not stubborn; then I want to learn everything. The same goes for a top chef or a guitar virtuoso. I have immeasurable respect for people who can do something really well. I can then watch and listen breathlessly and think: I wish I could do that."
"When I started Big Green Egg I went to all the garden fairs, fairs and events. I can cook quite nicely, but it's not my trade. I then hired a very nice chef, Robert Lobensteijn. A tough character with ditto Mohawk comb. At one point Robert had dinner with his great example Jonnie Boer of De Librije. They struck up a conversation, and Jonnie mentioned that he wanted to bring barbecue, grilling and roasting back into the kitchen as a cooking technique. Robert gave a demonstration shortly thereafter. Jonnie Boer immediately ordered fifteen pieces. Within six months we were at the top of the culinary world. Gastronomy and chefs are our culinary signboard. The great thing is: if one top chef embraces your product, the rest will naturally follow."
"I do admire a number of entrepreneurs, artists, performers and chefs, but my father is still my role model and inspiration in many ways. He passed away thirteen years ago, but I increasingly think of his life lessons as a parent: 'Have respect for people who use their talent, in whatever form,' was one of them. And the dreaming I definitely inherited or learned from him, too."
"We are constantly looking to tap into new niche audiences within the general segment. We decided about two years ago to focus more on the golf segment. Big Green Egg and golf have a lot in common. Working on technology and enjoying the good life, for example. We now have our own tournament in six countries. In the Netherlands it is the Big Green Egg Open, part of the European Ladies Tour. The very highest level in women's golf and comparable to the Dutch Open. A special partnership. We never do something like this for one year, but always look for long-term relationships. Am I satisfied with how I've done so far? Yes, super satisfied. Germany and a few other countries are really going to break through, so it's all going to be much bigger. I think that's really awesome. Other than that, I try to bring some inspiration to the whole group. Then we have a quarterly session here at the office, then we do fun things afterwards and I try to give people something through music as well. After all, Big Green Egg is also a bit of emotion."
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