Where It All Started

In 2018, founder Edward sold his previous company and took some time off to be with his family. But like any entrepreneur, he didn’t sit idle for long and nor was he going to sit inside all day. Remembering the laid-back BBQs he grew up around in New Zealand, he decided building an outdoor kitchen would be a great project and an awesome addition to his family home.

In busy times like today, we believe in helping people find balance. And every time we break ground on a new project we get excited knowing that’s the real driver behind all this, just as it was for Edward when our story begun.

In the early stage Edward enlisted help of a friend who was a keen mountaineer who loved the outdoors but also a skilled craftsman dedicated to details.

After many, many hours of tediously sanding oak beams to get the finish just right, Edward concluded two important things that set everything in motion for The Great Outdoors—we should build these outdoor kitchens for other people…and all wood will be delivered from suppliers fully sanded.

A personal project was now developing into a bigger beast. And as Edward shared stories of his project with people, his initial motivations for it seemed to resonate with them all. “Making more of our garden space would be great.” “It would totally add value to our life and also our property.” “We’d love to be outdoors more. If you can help us extend summer and shorten winter, especially with our weather here in the Netherlands, we’re in!” He didn’t need much more convincing.

Barbecuing and outdoor entertaining weren’t new to Edward, but the industry behind it was. It was time to investigate. He headed to Europe’s largest outdoor kitchen fair, discussed pros and cons with designers and sustainable materials with suppliers (especially pre-finished beams). He conducted market research which of course included inviting friends to the newly-finished outdoor entertaining area they’d built.

The key he quickly realised, was not in the BBQ alone (there were plenty of those suppliers) but in the whole package. Creating outdoor spaces for family and friends to chill out, cook food, open a bottle, catch up and just enjoy life.

The end of 2019 arrived and so did the official formation of The Great Outdoors­—complete, made-to-measure outdoor entertaining areas.

In busy times like today, we believe in helping people find balance. And every time we break ground on a new project we get excited knowing that’s the real driver behind all this, just as it was for Edward when the story begun.

Hope to meet you soon and chat about what you want out of your back garden.

— Edward