IMPORTANT: Please remember to add shipping costs to your contribution! See our USA and International shipping rates below!

 

 

Fathers Day, Graduation, Birthdays, all perfect occasions to buy a GoBQ for the person who grills everything. Get her a GoBQ! Can’t decide what to get Dad? Get him a GoBQ! Your kid’s going off to college? Get ‘em a GoBQ! It’s the gift that keeps on grilling!

Claim the "GoBQ Gift" perk for $135 (plus shipping) and we’ll send you a shiny new GoBQ Grill (with a strap) AND a link to download and print your choice of (5) 5x7" high resolution PDF gift cards (one is blank so you can write your own greeting!). The message at the bottom reads: "WOW, you must have done something right because you’ve been gifted one of the world’s first and only ultra-portable fabric grills… WELL DONE! (Shipping scheduled for August 2015)"
 

We  CRUSHED our first stretch goal thanks to all our supporters and especially KINGSFORD CHARCOAL – who claimed ALL 50 of our SPECIAL EDITION GoBQ Grills for $20,000! (Bummer for anyone else who may have wanted one but hey, you snoozed and you losed!)

 

 

International Shipping:

 

• Please refer to the rates above for shipping rates for each perk, and add that amount to your total contribution for each perk. All shipping fees must be paid in full before we ship your perk/s.

• If you've forgotten to pay shipping, please claim the SHIPPING perk and enter a custom amount to the total is equal to the proper shipping rate in the table above.

• We cannot combine shipping of separate perks at this time. If you want  4 GoBQ grills, you will need to purchase two of Perk #7.

• As our volume of shipments increase in different regions, we may be able to secure lower shipping costs for some countries.

• If there are any legal, trade or carrier restrictions that prohibit us from shipping, we will notify you of the problem and refund the transaction if necessary.

 

FAQs

• How do you clean it? Right after cooking and disposing of the coals, the grill can be folded up and transported quickly without a lot of mess. The body folds into the lid which snaps shut and helps prevent ash dust from falling out of the base. Once you're home or at your next destination, the silicone coating on the fabric make it easy to clean... just spray it out with water before storing. For a more thorough cleaning, wash it out further with dish soap (it fits in the sink too!). The bottom ember guard is also removable for easier cleanup of any grease that may have survived the coals.
• What kind of charcoal can you use? We recommend any kind of match-light or quick-light briquette because you don't have to carry lighting fluid. Some brands offer small individual sized 3lb bags that you can ignite with a match (such as the  "Kingsford BBQ Bag"). Briquettes are also easier to arrange and rearrange in the basket (using metal tongs of course) if you like to get picky with your heat distribution.
• Why not just use one of those campfire grates? We've tried those rickety contraptions too and got too frustrated finding the perfect positioning and/or fishing food out of the ashes. Cooking over an open campfire is great for marshmallows or a hotdog on a stick, but it's nearly impossible to control the heat enough to properly cook much else.
   

 

Our History

It all began in 2002 when Eric Goeken — a budding young architecture student without a car — wanted to tailgate with his buddies before the game. But lugging a bulky, heavy metal grill across campus on foot or by bike was out of the question. And even if… what do you do with the grill when you’re ready to go to the game? An idea was born. Invent a truly mobile grill that folds up, can fit in a backpack, and when you’re done you can just bring it right into the game with you!

Fast forward 12 years, an architecture degree, a patent and a bunch of prototypes later: Today Eric’s a 30-something hipster without a car — but he and his business partner Todd Zaroban have developed his idea into an amazing product that grilling fans are clamoring over… the GoBQ Grill. It’s the ultimate outcome — merging three of their favorite things — friends, food and the outdoors!

 

Meet the Team

 

 

Eric Goeken

AKA: The man behind the grill – Eric's inventive skills are matched only by his passion for grilling, green architecture and sustainable design. Since he was first allowed to wield a hammer and nails as a young'n, Eric has been building stuff — furniture, robots, you name it. Care to know how to build a graphene supercapacitor? Subscribe to Eric’s YouTube channel, and you might just be lucky enough to find out. If you could care less about graphene supercapacitors, be sure to check out his most ingenious method of cutting a grapefruit.

In his professional life, Eric spent eight years at an architectural firm, where he helped design commercial properties including the Peninsula Players Theater in Door County, Wisconsin, and Regents Hall at St. Olaf College. He hails from Omaha, Nebraska, and has an architecture degree from Iowa State University.

Though Eric has devised a number of brilliant inventions, the GoBQ is his pride and joy — and he can’t wait to share his passion with other grilling enthusiasts.

 

Todd Zaroban

 

 

Todd is a successful entrepreneur and business owner with over 25 years of design, branding and marketing experience. He keeps Eric in line and focused on one invention at a time, which is no small task.

He’s a proven entrepreneur, having run his own successful graphic design and web development firm for the past 17 years. He has served as brand consultant, web developer and visual communications designer for such major brands as Bayer, McDonalds, Hefty and AstraZeneca.

He too is a grilling junkie, and also smokes the best BBQ pulled pork this side of Saturn. Todd is also from Nebraska, and has a BFA degree from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. He currently lives in Chicago with his wife Stefany – and has recently celebrated another successful launch, a newborn baby born in January!

 

 

 

 

Risks & Challenges

There are always possible bumps in the road with any new product development. Maintaining the integrity of the design and high standards of quality in the materials and craftsmanship is important to us, as is staying on schedule so our customers get their GoBQs as soon as possible. 

We've worked hard to minimize risks by first designing, creating, testing, using and improving several working prototypes in-house so that any design flaws, however minor, could be identified and solved well ahead of time.

Next we've carefully selected and vetted our manufacturing resources to ensure reliability, quality and scheduling is monitored and maintained throughout the process. Instead of having one factory make our product, we will source to factories that excel for each unique part and then bring everything together to assembly. 

Finally, before the first unit ships, we'll personally perform final quality inspections so every GoBQ meets our high standards of quality and performance.

All that said, there's always the possibility for unforeseen delays due to circumstances beyond our control. Inclement weather can affect shipping times. Ports can become backed up with surplus cargo.

But no matter what, we promise to keep you informed with frequent updates on the progress of our project. So check back often to see how everything is going, and thank you again for all your support!

 

Other ways you can help

Even if you can't make a pledge, you can still help up by spreading the word about our campaign. Just click any of the share links at the top left of this page and share our campaign with your friends and family, or anyone you know who likes to grill! Thank you SO MUCH for supporting GoBQ Grills!