MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--When most people hear that the makers of the iconic TIKI® Brand Torch are entering the fire pit category, they think it’s a no-brainer. But creating the new, patent-pending Fire Pit & Wood Pack has been a journey for the TIKI® Brand team, culminating in a Kickstarter campaign Oct. 22 to Nov. 21 to get consumer feedback on their idea. Consumers can preorder an assortment of Fire Pit & Wood Pack products on Kickstarter.
The TIKI® Brand team set out to deconstruct the fire pit experience and completely redesign it, addressing the things that frustrate consumers most. For instance, they found that the time it takes to build a fire is keeping people from enjoying their fire pits any night of the week.
“Everyone just wants to get to that experience of being around a wood fire faster and easier,” said Andrew Harmeling, product manager for fire pits at TIKI® Brand. “The process before and after is a huge hassle. We wanted to make it super simple.”
The keys were two innovations — a Wood Pack that lights instantly and a Fire Pit design that uses airflow engineering to produce low smoke and a predictable, controlled burn time.
“These were simple solutions, really, but supported by science,” said Harmeling. “We joked that making a great fire pit isn’t rocket science, but in the end it was.”
The Wood Packs are filled with wood pellets made from upcycled sawdust, sourced in Wisconsin. The Wood Pack ignites for a full flame in less than five minutes, delivering the warmth of a real wood fire with low smoke, less ash and waste, and a quick, controlled, approximately 30-minute burn time.
The TIKI® Brand Fire Pit & Wood Packs are available on Kickstarter, beginning Oct. 22. Kickstarter bundles available exclusively through the crowdfunding platform include:
Early Bird Special – Limit 100
$280 ($385 value)
Includes: Fire Pit, 1 Wood Pack, Storage Cover, Pudgie Pie Maker* (free)
Basic Fire Pit Pack
$280 ($350 value)
Includes: Fire Pit, 1 Wood Pack, Storage Cover
Extended Burn Package
$305 ($381 value)
Includes: Fire Pit, 5 Wood Packs, Storage Cover
Ultimate Package
$450 ($561 value)
Includes: Fire Pit, 5 Wood Packs, Storage Cover, Poker, Screen
TIKI® Brand Bundle
$370 ($462 value)
Includes: Fire Pit, 5 Wood Packs, Storage Cover, 4 Island King® TIKI® Torches, 3 Tabletop TIKI® Torches, 2 Bottles of 64-Ounce TIKI® Brand Clean Burn™ BiteFighter® Torch Fuel
*A pudgie pie is a Midwestern tradition. Pudgie pies are fireside goodies made over the fire using a metal pie iron. You can put ingredients — such as pie filling, marshmallows with chocolate, or bacon, egg and cheese — between slices of bread or dough inside the iron and cook it over the fire to make deliciousness.
“We’ve made other fire products, but the fire pit category is new to us,” said Jessica Lindquist, director of Advanced Development at TIKI® Brand. “We are bringing the Fire Pit & Wood Pack idea to Kickstarter first because we really want to listen to consumers in a new way. We’ve done a lot of research, but there’s nothing more valuable than hearing what people have to say when it comes time to make a real purchase.”
Following the crowdfunding campaign, the TIKI® Brand Fire Pit & Wood Pack and fire accessories, including Cover, Poker and Screen, will be available for preorder on tikibrand.com. All orders will ship in spring 2020.
TIKI® Brand Fire Pit & Wood Pack Features
- Lights instantly – Simple, one-match Wood Packs create a full fire in only five minutes, providing approximately 30 minutes of burn time for a relaxing, consistent fire experience. Add additional Wood Packs or traditional firewood to keep the fire burning as long as desired.
- Real wood and real heat – TIKI® Brand Wood Packs provide the warmth of a traditional fire because they’re made from upcycled sawdust pressed into real wood pellets, sourced in TIKI® Brand’s home state of Wisconsin. The patent-pending inner cone and airflow technology of the Fire Pit creates optimal burning conditions, evenly dispersing pellets for a full, consistent flame every time.
- Low smoke – Designed for form and function, the TIKI® Brand Fire Pit’s internal airflow system is engineered to create low smoke, and an ash pan ensures less ash and less mess, delivering all the beauty of a wood fire without the smoky smell.
- Hassle free – From start to finish, the TIKI® Brand Fire Pit experience is uncomplicated. It takes two minutes to set up the durable, stainless steel frame. The Wood Pack lights in five minutes, and the ash pan makes cleanup quick, leaving more time to actually enjoy the fire.
About TIKI® Brand
TIKI® Brand is a brand extension of Lamplight Farms Incorporated, headquartered in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. The TIKI® Brand features a full line of decorative torches and torch fuels, including some with proven mosquito repellency that enhance the consumer’s backyard, making it the best room of the house. TIKI® Brand is the leader in outdoor torches and torch fuel and is sold at major retailers nationwide. For more information, visit http://tikibrand.com/.