Blackstone is by far the biggest name in griddles in the US with an estimated 80% share of the griddle market. Despite how much growth they’ve had in the US, they are aren’t well known internationally.

They’ve made strides to try to change that by partnering with a distributor in the UK, and on a larger scale working to merge with Weber. As part of their plans to increase their international presence they’ve made a key hire.

They’ve appointed Erik van de Langemheen as General Manager of European operations. He has a background in outdoor cooking, entrepreneurship, hospitality and in banking. That diverse set of experiences will help him build Blackstone’s presence in Europe.

While Blackstone keeps growing in the US, they are somewhat limited by current macroeconomic factors. International expansion gives them the opportunity to accelerate their growth. In an SEC filings while they were looking to IPO, they identified the US as 50% of total addressable market, and sized the total global market at $5.7 billion.

Their previous financials showed that only 1% of their net revenue was from international business. International expansion is difficult and costly, but it presents tremendous untapped potential for the brand.