Discover our story!

It all started with the Big Bang, our original The BarrelQ. In 2013, TV-producer and founder Onno Vos figured out that he wanted to create ‘something’ with oil barrels. “My father is active in the oil industry, so I basically grew up among the oil drums. I encountered someone who could turn those barrels into barbecues and that’s how the first BarrelQ was born. I started selling them to friends and family and everyone was very enthusiastic. So, it seemed like a nice trade besides my work as a TV producer since The Summers are always very quiet. I ordered a full truck and assembled it myself. In the first year I sold 250 pieces, the year after that 500, and the year after that I sold 5000 pieces.” From that moment on, BarrelQ was founded…

Onno started BarrelQ on his own but during the first year, a willing investor presented himself. Huub Sparnaay saw an advertisement board next to the highway and ordered a BBQ piece. He was so impressed after using the BarrelQ himself that he decided to send an email to Vos asking if he was looking for an investor. Onno realized that this product had high potential, so I got to know Huub at the right moment and time. It was then that they decided to make a serious company out of it. Huub soon saw areas for improvement and, in addition to knowledge and money, he also brought a lot of enthusiasm into the company. The moment Huub made his introduction Gerben Bierbooms, current CEO, also joined. Gerben brought knowledge and possibilities with him to the online world and the strong internationalization of the company, and that was actually the starting point of what now is called United Brands Group.

After the successful launch of the BarrelQ Original, the three entrepreneurs decided to launch more models under the BarrelQ brand while also investing heavily in a cheaper variant that is perfect for use in the promotional industry. In addition to barbecues for major brands, the company also produced the first standing tables, ice buckets, and waste bins. It was also the year in which new technology, exclusively available for BarrelQ, allows full-colour barrels to be printed in low quantities.

Due to the growth in both Retail and Promotional, it was decided to place both activities in separate companies that are now part of the United Brands Group holding company. BarrelQ was no longer a company but a worthy brand along with Drumgrill under the company name United Barrel Grills. The promotional products found their way under the company name UBC Solutions. At this time, the American holding United Barrel Grills INC. was founded as well. This success was celebrated with the first trade show of many in America, The Hardware Show.

Right from the start, UBG operated with its office in Rotterdam and production location in Purmerend, Amsterdam. The company grew rapidly, and it was soon necessary for all activities to be in one place. Full-time management was also required. The current CEO, Gerben Bierbooms, decided to manage the company full time and it was decided to relocate the office and production facilities to Breda, due to the strategic logistic location of Breda for international trade.

With the separation of the promotional and retail activities, it was clear that the activities within Retail had built up a large network in Europe in recent years. BarrelQ alone no longer met the needs of many retailers, so the company started looking for new brands to invest in. Important core values in this regard have always been that there must be brand passionate entrepreneurs, with a good story, beautiful products, and internationally scalable.

Marketing and product development is something the founders of these brands are responsible for and UBG is strong in sales and distribution and arranging production, financing, logistics, and customer service from A to Z. This turned out to be a golden tandem and some beautiful brands have now been added to the portfolio, such as Fornetto, Fervor, and Saus.Guru. This has created a nice portfolio of brands until this day counting. The ultimate goal is to have brands and associated products in all barbecue categories so that we can become Europe’s largest brand house for the BBQ industry.

The year in which the world stood still in some places and seemed to go twice as fast in others. Likewise, with us. This time not Corona as a customer, but as a common enemy of our suppliers, partners, and customers. Due to the separation of our promotional and retail activities, UBG got through the corona year unscathed, and we are moving full steam ahead towards our growth in both the Retail and Promotional market.

We think by now we can proudly say that we have stood before the hottest fires and passed through the deepest jungles to get to where we are now. We are proud to say that we are Europe’s number 1 promotional barrel supplier worldwide. No continent, no country, no city or village has remained unknown to us, and that is also what we owe to the trusted relationships with our clients.

After a successful year for Retail during the Corona Crisis, during which we saw a strongly increasing line in the number of home barbecues, the containers are again sailing and driving full of new barbecues and accessories. Would we manage to become number 1 in the world? We are going for it, are you with us?