What Yoder Smokers does

Yoder Smokers is a Hutchinson, Kansas-based manufacturer of premium outdoor cooking equipment founded in 2007 by Don Cary. The company designs and builds wood-fired pellet grills, offset smokers, charcoal grills, Santa Maria-style grills, and mobile BBQ trailers, with manufacturing concentrated at its Kansas facility and a headcount in the 101-250 range. Its products are differentiated by heavy-gauge steel construction, a 10-year warranty on cooking bodies, the Adaptive Control System (ACS) with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and a patented Heat Management System on the Cimarron offset-smoker line.

Yoder serves four distinct customer segments: backyard enthusiasts, competition BBQ teams, commercial and restaurant operators, and custom-build clients, with units retailing from approximately $1,999 to over $20,995. Distribution is multi-channel, combining an authorized dealer network, an exclusive direct-to-consumer online partnership with ATBBQ, and the company's own e-commerce storefront. The company also ships internationally and supports European Standards-compliant custom builds, providing a foothold in cross-border sales.

The business model is primarily one-time hardware sales at premium price points, supplemented by accessories, consumables, and custom-build services. There is no public funding history, no disclosed M&A activity, and the company remains privately held under founder and management control. The premium positioning, vertically integrated Kansas manufacturing, and active product expansion (Outlander series, XL Wood-Fired Oven, Rotisserie Kit) indicate an organically grown, operationally funded premium hardware brand.

Name

Yoder Smokers

Legal name

Yoder Smokers, Inc.

Website

https://yodersmokers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Yoder Smokers is a Kansas-based manufacturer founded in 2007 that builds premium wood-fired pellet grills, offset smokers, charcoal grills, and BBQ trailers for backyard enthusiasts, competition teams, and commercial operators via dealers, an exclusive ATBBQ partnership, and direct e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Cooking Equipment (BBQ Smokers and Grills)

akta.pro primary industry

Grills, Smokers & Outdoor Cooking Retail (Fuel, Accessories) (CRAIAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Outdoor Cooking, Grills & Fuel Retail (CRAMAMAD)

Keywords

• BBQ smokers and grills
• Pellet grills
• Offset smokers
• Trailer smokers
• Outdoor cooking equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Hutchinson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. BBQ Smoker and Grill Sales: One-time hardware sales of pellet grills, offset smokers, charcoal grills, and custom BBQ pits. Products range from $1,999 entry-level grills to $20,995+ trailer smokers. Accessory add-ons (rotisserie kits, covers, grates) provide additional revenue. Freight shipping charges added to orders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Yoder Smokers designs, builds, and sells American-made competition-grade BBQ smokers, pellet grills, charcoal grills, offset smokers, and trailer-mounted cooking units constructed from 10-gauge steel and equipped with proprietary digital temperature control systems. Its products range from entry-level charcoal grills ($1,999) to custom-built trailer smokers exceeding $20,000, and serve backyard enthusiasts, BBQ competition teams, and commercial food-service operators.

Product overview

Yoder Smokers is a U.S.-based manufacturer of high-end BBQ smokers, grills, and trailers with a multi-category product portfolio. The core product lines include S-Series pellet grills (YS480S, YS640S, YS1500S, and Cimarron), charcoal grills (24x36 and 24x48 Flat Top models, Abilene), Santa Maria-style El Dorado grills (36" and 42"), offset wood smokers (Wichita, Kingman, Durango, Stockton, Cheyenne, and Cimarron Competition), and trailer-mounted smokers (Santa Fe, Chisholm, Frontiersman, Trailboss, and Cimarron 26"). Products span from entry-level charcoal grills ($1,999) to competition-grade trailer setups ($20,995+). Accessories include the S-Series Rotisserie Kit, Wood-Fired Pizza Oven, Cast Iron Griddle, Grillgrate system, Competition Cart upgrades, and storage/cover options. All products are designed, tested, and built in Kansas, USA, with key differentiators including 10-gauge steel construction, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth-connected ACS Control System on S-Series pellet grills, Variable Displacement Damper technology, and heat management systems across offset and trailer models.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• YS640S Pellet Grill
• YS480S Pellet Grill
• YS1500S Competition Pellet Grill
• Cimarron S Pellet Smoker
• Abilene 20 Charcoal Grill
• 24x36 Flat Top Charcoal Grill
• 24x48 Flat Top Charcoal Grill
• El Dorado Santa Maria Grills (36" and 42")
• Loaded Wichita Offset Smoker
• Loaded Kingman Offset Smoker
• Durango Offset Smokers (20" and 24")
• Cimarron Competition Cart Offset Smoker
• Stockton Vertical Offset Smoker
• Santa Fe Trailer Smoker
• Chisholm Trailer Smokers (I and II)
• Frontiersman Trailer Smokers (I, II, III)
• Cimarron 26" Trailer Smoker
• Trailboss Custom Smokers (II and III)
• S-Series Pellet Grill Rotisserie Kit
• YS640 Stainless-Steel XL Wood-Fired Oven
• YS480/YS640 Stainless-Steel Wood-Fired Oven
• YS Cast Iron Griddle
• Grillgrate Set for S-Series Pellet Grills
• YS640S Competition Cart with Drawer

Quantifiable outcome

• 700°F maximum searing temperature while maintaining 150°F minimum smoking temperature
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• All Things Barbecue (ATBBQ)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAll Things Barbecue (ATBBQ) serves as the exclusive authorized online retailer for Yoder Smokers products. Website traffic from Yoder Smokers dealer locator is redirected to ATBBQ for online purchases. ATBBQ is positioned as the exclusive online channel partner.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Broil King: Broil King (Onward Manufacturing) is a Canadian gas/charcoal/wood-pellet grill brand with broad international distribution, overlapping with Yoder on wood-pellet and BBQ smoker SKUs at competitive price points.
• Masterbuilt: Masterbuilt is a broad-portfolio US smoker brand across electric, propane, and charcoal smokers, plus gravity-fed series. Sells through mass retail and online; comparable to Yoder's lineup with broader price-point coverage and smaller footprint.
• Weber: Weber (Stephen) is the largest US grill/smoker brand spanning gas, charcoal, and pellet (Weber SmokeFire). Comparable in BBQ category and dealer/DTC model but with broader portfolio and significantly more marketing scale.

Direct peers

• Camp Chef: Camp Chef builds pellet grills, flat-top griddles, and outdoor cooking equipment with similar target buyers and multi-channel (DTC + dealer) distribution, overlapping Yoder on the Woodwind/Sportsman pellet line and flat-top SKU categories.
• Traeger Grills: Traeger is the largest US pellet grill brand and Yoder's most direct competitor, with overlapping flagship pellet grills, Wi-Fi/app-connected controllers, and dealer plus DTC distribution. Yoder explicitly positions itself as the premium, heavy-gauge alternative to Traeger.
• REC TEC Grills: REC TEC is a US premium pellet grill manufacturer selling direct online, with comparable price points, build quality, and competing Wi-Fi 'Bullseye' style controllers — a close competitor to the YS640S and YS1500S lines.
• Pit Barrel Cooker: Pit Barrel Cooker is a US-made vertical drum smoker brand competing for enthusiast and competition buyers, with similar pricing tiers and DTC-led distribution strategy.
• Oklahoma Joe's: Oklahoma Joe's (a Char-Broil company) makes high-end offset smokers and barrel smokers directly competing with Yoder's Wichita, Kingman, and Durango offset models, with similar BBQ-competition customer overlap.
• Gateway Drum Smokers: Gateway Drum Smokers is a US-made premium UDS (Ugly Drum Smoker) brand targeting competition and serious hobbyist buyers with comparable American-made positioning and enthusiast-led marketing model.
• Hasty-Bake: Hasty-Bake is an American-made premium charcoal and wood cooker brand founded in Tulsa, OK. Comparable in American-made positioning, premium pricing, and dealer-supported distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/yodersmokers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yoder Smokers