Barbecue tech startup fires up sales in Kansas City
April 19, 2016 | Kat Hungerford
Kansas City is firing up the grills for its favorite season.
And no, it isn’t springtime or summertime. It’s barbecue time.
This barbecue season, Kansas City food tech startup Tappecue has cooked up a new online platform to complement its existing meat thermometer. The platform — launched last week — is called SessionBook, which allows grill- and smoke-masters to digitally perfect their barbecue recipes.
With the platform, users can review their cook session data to test and fine-tune recipes to create award-winning foods, said Jacob Bourret, marketing vice president of Innovating Solutions, owner of the Tappecue brand.
The Tappecue thermometer sends real-time temperature data to its phone app, enabling cooks to keep an eye on dinner while away from their grill, smoker or slow-cooker. With the addition of SessionBook, users can upload play-by-play Tappecue thermometer data, along with images, notes, recipes and more to track and perfect their barbecue processes.
Bourret sees Kansas City, with its barbecue-centric culture, as the optimal place to test and launch Tappecue products.
“We couldn’t ask for a better city to launch Tappecue,” said Bourret. “When we first launched, we were bootstrapping so we didn’t have an excess of cash flowing in to market and advertise (the product) — which means we had to get creative. Fortunately, KC has many barbecue competitions yearly.”
The company gained permission from the Kansas City Barbecue Society to hand out flyers and talk to competition participants at the society’s events. Grassroots marketing efforts like these were, and continue to be, the root of the company’s success, according to Bourret.
“People (at the competitions) got to meet the inventors and see our passion and enthusiasm for the product,” he said. “Now, our customers share that same enthusiasm and spread the word for us – from the heart of KC to the rest of the world.”
Since its July 2013 launch, Tappecue has doubled in revenue every year, with a total of 2,000 units sold to 1,700 customers. The company expects to again double those numbers by the end of 2016, according to Bourret.
2016 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Ready to bet big? Kansas wants to help entrepreneurs win more federal innovation grants
Kansas innovators now have access to a new tool designed to help them compete for major federal funding. The Kansas Department of Commerce has opened applications for the state’s SBIR and STTR Matching Program, which provides financial support and hands-on guidance for entrepreneurs pursuing federal innovation grants. The matching initiative is part of ACCEL-KS, a…
New Maker of the Year: Why this mom’s side hustle for the girly girls couldn’t stay at home
A hobbyist venture that began with making shirts for her kids has earned Julie Swopes a spot on Made in KC’s shelves for her Chiefs- and Royals-inspired tees — along with one of the local-first retailer’s top honors: KC New Maker of the Year for 2025. “I’m just a stay-at-home mom that has turned her…
Don’t be a stranger: When this Crossroads refuge closes, another chapter begins for Afterword (and the space it leaves behind)
With two more Open Mic Nights and more than a month left on its lease at Afterword Tavern & Shelves — a cozy corner hotspot where patrons leisurely bond over drinks and good reads — the popular Crossroads third-space isn’t finished telling its story despite losing the space to its new landlord, said Kate Hall.…
Exporting KC to the world: Esports leader revs come-from-behind global takeover amid World Cup’s big draw
As the metro bundled up and showed out Friday, getting its latest taste of what the 2026 World Cup has in store, the Kansas City Pioneers dropped new heat — raising the thermostat on their commitment to seize the moment brought forth by the global gathering as a net for esports. “Now is the time for…