January 2024. Year two properly underway. December had been the best trading month we’d had. The range was the most coherent it had ever been. And we had four clear priorities for the year ahead — products in development, decisions already made, and one question we hadn’t answered yet.
The Four Priorities
First: the BBQ Block. The concept had been active since mid-2023. We’d found a source of local English oak, identified a maker, and were working through the first prototypes. A live-edge hardwood serving board designed for outdoor use — substantial, beautiful, genuinely useful after the cook. The development work was ongoing; the launch was pencilled for spring 2024.
Second: the Personalised Gaucho. Customers had been asking for name personalisation since we launched in November 2022. We’d held off until we had an embroidery partner whose quality we were confident in. By January 2024, that partnership was in place and being tested. Launch was planned for summer.
Third: Corporate Personalised Aprons. We’d received several enquiries from companies wanting branded aprons — their logo, their team members’ names, their events. The Gaucho was exactly right for this market. We needed to formalise the product, the pricing, and the process. February 2024 was the target.
Fourth: Bison Hill Grill expansion. More events in 2024. Higher-profile occasions. We wanted to push the live-fire operation further — longer runs, bigger events, more visibility for the brand in its home territory of Surrey, Sussex, and Kent.
What We’d Already Decided Not to Do
Keep the Gaucho price stable. Don’t create an entry-level alternative. We’d had conversations internally about whether a lighter, cheaper apron might open a new market. The answer we kept arriving at: it would dilute the brand, confuse the proposition, and undermine the buy-once promise. The Gaucho is what it is. The way to grow the brand is to extend the range around it, not to create a cheaper version of the hero product.
The One Thing We Weren’t Sure About
The BBQ Block at £99+. Handcrafted English oak serving boards are not a mainstream BBQ accessory. They’re a considered purchase for someone who takes the whole thing seriously — the cook, the serve, the experience around the table. We weren’t sure the market was large enough to justify the development investment.
We went ahead anyway. We were glad we did. But in January 2024, that uncertainty was real, and it would be dishonest to pretend we knew the answer before we saw it.
