Money is tight right now for many consumers and buying a new grill just isn’t in the cards. That doesn’t mean they have to be locked out of all the latest tech in the grill industry.
Spider Grills has solutions for those looking at upgrading their existing grill, rather than plunking down lots of cash for a new one. They offer a full range of transformative accessories for what has to be the most popular grill, the Weber charcoal kettle.
They offer accessories like a rotisserie, a much nicer cart, a pizza oven, and side shelves to make cooking easier. Their most transformative accessory though is the Venom Digital Temperature Controller.
Trends in the industry right now show that the grill replacement cycle is stretching out from the usual 5ish years, but people are still enjoying outdoor cooking. Bailey Brennan, Director of Marketing at Spider Grills told me how that’s impacting their business.
What we’re seeing broadly is exactly what you mentioned – people aren’t necessarily replacing grills at the same rate, but they’re still cooking just as much (if not more). That behavior naturally shifts spend toward upgrades. While I won’t get into exact numbers, our Weber-compatible side of the business has been one of the fastest-growing parts of Spider. It’s less about “buying a new grill” and more about unlocking new capabilities from something people already own – better temperature control, more cooking configurations, longer cooks, etc. It’s also more approachable for brand loyalists to try something new without making a drastic jump into a new brand or grill all together.
Bailey Brennan, Director of Marketing at Spider Grills
In a tighter consumer environment, that’s a much easier decision to make and, in my opinion, can be an easy trigger to pull than replacing an entire grill for a standard Weber consumer.
With grill sales slow across the industry, Weber has also identified the value of their kettle install base. They’ve been releasing their own suite of accessories to serve their dedicated fans.
Having those additional accessory options for consumers doesn’t have to be a threat to Spider Grills though, both businesses can co-exist.
o We actually view it as validation of the same underlying trend, which is there’s real demand to get more out of the kettle format. But where we differ is in how we approach it. Most of what’s come to market is still fairly incremental (tools, surfaces, add-ons), whereas we’ve been more focused on changing how the grill behaves as a system: airflow control, sealed cooking environments, multi-level versatility, modularity.
Bailey Brennan, Director of Marketing at Spider Grills
So, in a lot of ways, it’s less competitive overlap and more two different layers of the same ecosystem.
Weber kettle accessories are at the core of Spider Grills’ business, but it’s not their only product line. They’ve recently brought their strong engineering and product design focus to the Hunstman.
It’s a grill with a grounds-up design that visually looks like a cross between a Kamado grill and a kettle. It offers pellet grill levels of control with the heat retention and charcoal flavor from a Kamado.
Having both product lines has been helpful for building their community. I asked Bailey if they see repeat customers between the product lines.
We do, and this has been one of the more interesting patterns for us. A lot of customers enter through a Weber upgrade like Venom because it’s a low-friction way to improve something they already know. But once they start cooking with more control, consistency, and longer cook capability, it tends to reframe what they expect out of charcoal entirely. From there, moving into a Huntsman becomes less of a replacement decision and more of a natural next step – especially for people looking for a more integrated, purpose-built system. Having that entry point with Venom also makes the step up feel less daunting, since customers are already familiar with the brand and how we think about cooking.
Bailey Brennan, Director of Marketing at Spider Grills
Transparently, one of my core focuses as Marketing Director isn’t just driving sales – it’s building a real community and positioning Spider as a thought leader in the space. The goal is that when consumers are ready to make that jump, they already feel confident in the brand and know they’re stepping into something bigger – with helpful resources, reliable U.S.-based support, and an overall experience designed to set them up for success from day one.
Just because Spider Grills released the Hunstman, doesn’t mean that they aren’t still focused on building-out their Weber kettle accessory line. Bailey was definitive in Spider Grills’ continued product development around the kettle.
The Weber install base is massive, and we think there’s still a lot of untapped potential there. Our goal isn’t to replace that ecosystem, but to extend it – giving people more ways to cook, more control, and more flexibility without forcing a full reset.
Bailey Brennan, Director of Marketing at Spider Grills
At the same time, a lot of what we learn on the Weber side feeds directly into what we build on the Huntsman side (and vice versa), so the two will continue to evolve together.
That’s a big win for consumers looking to get the most out of their existing grill while building a relationship with the Spider Grills brand. Then, when they’re ready to step up to a new grill, they have a great option in the Hunstman.