What Scorchio does

Scorchio is a Dublin-based hospitality and live-events company founded in 2001 by Andy Noonan that owns and operates an integrated portfolio of food festivals, live-fire restaurant brands, and event services under a single platform. The portfolio is anchored by two owned festivals—Big Grill (a Dublin BBQ festival founded in 2014 and billed as Europe's largest, drawing roughly 25,000 attendees annually to Herbert Park) and Me Auld Flower (a St. Patrick's weekend Irish food and drinks festival launched 2023)—and supplemented by sub-brands including Baste (live-fire BBQ restaurant and catering), Parrilla (Argentinian-inspired live-fire pop-up, 2021), Offside (immersive live-fire dining experience), and Hunzo (a hot sauce co-developed with Jameson Black Barrel in January 2021 that sold out in 48 hours).

The business monetizes across professional services—event curation and management, talent booking, live-fire BBQ catering, and brand activations for enterprise clients such as Jameson, Guinness, Vice, Schweppes, Aperol, Just Eat, and Five Points Brewery—and direct-to-consumer revenue via owned festival ticketing, Scorchio HQ venue operations, and limited food product drops. The go-to-market is event-driven: the company uses its own festivals and pop-ups as marketing surfaces to demonstrate capability, capture consumer data through newsletter signups, and convert audiences into brand-activation engagements. Distribution is direct and predominantly regional (Ireland and the UK), with international reach via catering commissions that have spanned venues as far afield as São Paulo. Pricing is quote-based across services and is not publicly disclosed.

Technically and operationally, Scorchio is a low-tech, craft-led firm. It has no disclosed software platform, mobile app, API, SDK, or AI tooling; its defensibility rests on operational expertise in live-fire cooking techniques (grilling, smoking, Argentinian-style asado), an aggregated roster of food and hospitality talent, and ownership of festival IP rather than any digital infrastructure. The business is privately held, founder-led, with 1–10 employees, no disclosed institutional funding, and a single published contact email ([email protected]).

Name

Scorchio

Legal name

Scorchio

Website

https://scorchiohq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Scorchio is an Irish hospitality and live-events company founded in 2001 that owns Big Grill Festival, Me Auld Flower, and the Baste live-fire brand, providing catering, event curation, talent booking, and brand activations to enterprise clients and consumer festival audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Event Management & Catering

NAICS

Caterers (72232), Special Food Services (7223), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Food, Drink & Culinary Community Festivals (Community-Led) (MPAGAEAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Event Catering (Weddings, Social, Private Parties) (THAFAIAB), Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA), Event Culinary Staffing & Back-of-House Services (Chefs, Servers, Bartenders) (THAHAKAN)

Keywords

• Live fire catering
• Event management services
• Food festival operations
• Bbq catering services
• Hospitality event production

Headquarters

HQ city

Rathmines

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Event Management & Curation Services: Professional services including event planning, management, talent sourcing and booking, partner and sponsor negotiation, vendor management for festivals, corporate events, brand activations, and dining experiences.
2. BBQ Catering: Live fire and BBQ catering for events ranging from intimate gatherings to large-scale festivals, serving thousands of attendees. Covers all kit, logistics, and execution for any occasion anywhere.
3. Festival Ownership & Operation: Owning and operating flagship festivals including Big Grill Festival (Europe's biggest BBQ & Food Festival attracting 25,000 attendees) and Me Auld Flower food & drinks festival.
4. Food Brand (Hunzo Hot Sauce): Bottled hot sauce product developed in collaboration with Jameson Black Barrel, sold out in 48 hours at launch.
5. Talent Booking & Management: Booking and management services for chefs, restaurants, food trucks, mixologists, vendors, hospitality professionals, and event staff from their roster and international contacts.
6. Venue & Pop-up Operations: Operating their own venue spaces including Scorchio HQ (purpose-built outdoor food venue), pop-up restaurants like Parrilla and Baste, and wine bars.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Scorchio is a Dublin-based hospitality and events company that produces live fire dining experiences, food festivals, and BBQ catering services. The company owns and operates flagship festivals (Big Grill Festival, Europe's largest BBQ & Food Festival; Me Auld Flower Irish food & drinks festival), runs its own purpose-built outdoor food venue (Scorchio HQ), and delivers end-to-end event management, talent booking, brand activation, and live fire catering services for brands, agencies, and corporate clients.

Product overview

Scorchio is a hospitality and events company operating as a platform of interconnected food and beverage brands and services. The core portfolio includes Big Grill Festival (Europe's largest BBQ festival), Me Auld Flower (Irish food & drinks festival), and Baste (live fire BBQ restaurant). Supporting brands include Offside (live fire dining experience), Hunzo (hot sauce brand), and Parrilla (Argentinian pop-up). Services include live fire & BBQ catering, event management & curation, talent booking, and brand activations & creative strategy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Big Grill: Europe's biggest BBQ & Food Festival, hosted annually in Dublin, Ireland since 2014. A feast for the senses bringing together the world's best live fire chefs, restaurants, guests, vendors and breweries for four days of fire, food and fun.
• Me Auld Flower
• Baste
• Offside
• Hunzo
• Parrilla

Products and services

• Big Grill Festival Europe's biggest BBQ & Food Festival, hosted annually in Dublin since 2014. A four-day event featuring live fire chefs, restaurants, vendors and breweries, attracting 25,000 attendees at Herbert Park. Open to consumer ticket buyers.
• Me Auld Flower First-of-its-kind Irish food & drinks festival launched on St. Patrick's weekend 2023 in Dublin City Fruit, Veg & Flower Market, showcasing modern Ireland's food, drinks and produce. Open to consumer ticket buyers.
• Live Fire & BBQ Catering Live fire and BBQ catering service for festivals, rooftops, beaches, and venues worldwide. Covers all kit, logistics, and execution for events from intimate gatherings to large-scale festivals serving thousands of attendees. Quote-based engagement for corporate and brand clients.
• Event Management & Curation Services Full-service event planning including talent sourcing & booking, programming, creative & scheduling, partner & sponsor negotiation & management, vendor sourcing & management, event planning & management, food & drink operations, and experienced event staffing. For brands, agencies, festivals, and corporate clients.
• Talent Booking & Management Booking and management of food, drinks, and hospitality talent including local and international chefs, restaurants, food trucks, mixologists, vendors, hospitality professionals, and experienced event staff from the Scorchio roster and international contacts.
• Brand Activations & Creative Strategy Services helping festivals, events, brands, agencies and companies create edible experiences through brand activations & launches, creative strategy, marketing campaigns, corporate events & parties, dining events & experiences, and menu creation & development.
• Baste (Live Fire BBQ Restaurant & Catering Brand) Baste is a live fire & BBQ restaurant brand and catering business that originated from cooking over fire for friends and family, evolved into a pandemic-era outdoor BBQ yard, and became sit-down outdoor BBQ dining, events, wine bar, cafe and BBQ & cooking store concept. The brand was the spark that ignited Scorchio.
• Hunzo Hot Sauce Hot sauce brand created by Scorchio. Limited edition hot sauce bottled in January 2021 with Jameson Black Barrel, sold out in 48 hours.
• Offside (Live Fire Dining Experience) Unique live fire dining experience where guests are seated around the fire, offering immersive experiences including wild dinners and rare aged whiskey & steak tasting experiences. Hosted annually at Big Grill Festival and available for private event or venue bookings.
• Parrilla (Argentinian-Inspired Live Fire Pop-Up) Argentinian-inspired live fire pop-up restaurant opened in Autumn 2021.
• Scorchio HQ Venue Hire Scorchio HQ is a purpose-built outdoor food venue and event space located at Greenmount Industrial Estate, D12H7XD, Dublin. Hosts regular food markets, pop-up dining experiences, and private events including Asado BBQ events.

Quantifiable outcome

• Big Grill Festival attracts 25,000 attendees annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Jameson Black BarrelcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaborated with Jameson Black Barrel to develop and bottle Hunzo hot sauce in January 2021. The limited edition hot sauce sold out in 48 hours, demonstrating successful co-development of a food product.
• JamesoncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOngoing partnership including Jameson Connects Fire & Ice BBQ Series collaboration, featuring food and beverage experiences connecting Jameson brand with culinary audiences.
• GuinnesscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBaste x Guinness brand collaboration, combining live fire BBQ with Guinness beverages at events and festivals.
• ViceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVice x Jameson collaboration event, leveraging media partnership for brand activation and audience reach.
• SchweppesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand partnership with Schweppes for food and beverage events and collaborations.
• Just EatminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand partnership with Just Eat food delivery platform.
• AperolminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand partnership with Aperol for events and collaborations.
• Five Points BreweryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLive fire cooking collaborations at Five Points Brewery in the UK, featuring roasting whole animals and larger cuts over fire.
• From The Ashes BBQminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLondon-based cult BBQ duo Martin Anderson & Curtis Bell hosted an Asado event at Scorchio HQ. They are known for roasting whole animals and larger cuts over fire at Five Points Brewery, Big Grill, and events around the UK.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brat: Single-site live-fire restaurant in London led by chef Tomos Parry with a strong asado/whole-animal cooking identity. Comparable to Scorchio's Parrilla pop-up and Baste brand in technique and culinary positioning.
• Meatopia: Food and live-fire festival concept running large-scale culinary events with chef showcases and brand activations. Direct comparison to Big Grill Festival's format and attendee experience.
• Pitt Cue Co: London BBQ restaurant and catering brand with a mobile smokehouse heritage and live-fire focus. Closely aligned with Scorchio's BBQ catering and pop-up venue operations.
• Festival Republic: UK festival organizer and promoter behind Reading, Leeds, and Download festivals. Comparable in core festival ownership/operation capability, though at much larger scale and music-focused.
• Smokestak: London-based BBQ restaurant and live-fire catering outfit with a similar asado/smokehouse focus. Mirrors Scorchio's Baste BBQ brand and BBQ catering service with comparable technique and customer profile.
• Black Smoke: UK BBQ-focused restaurant group with American-style smokehouse menus and event catering. Comparable to Scorchio's Baste brand and live fire BBQ catering offering.

Broad incumbents

• Live Nation Entertainment: Global live events and entertainment conglomerate operating festivals, venues, and brand experiences. Overlaps with Scorchio's festival ownership and brand activation business, but at vastly greater scale and broader scope.
• IMG (Events & Hospitality): Global events, hospitality, and brand experience operator with culinary and lifestyle event capabilities. Comparable in brand activation and event management services but operates at much larger scale across multiple verticals.
• Sodexo Live!: Global food service and event hospitality contractor providing catering at stadiums, festivals, and corporate events. Overlaps with Scorchio's BBQ catering for large events and corporate clients.

Regional players

• Bodean's BBQ: UK-based BBQ restaurant and bar chain with American-style smokehouse offering. Comparable menu and category, though operates a multi-site chain model versus Scorchio's single-venue + festival platform.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scorchio

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 Scorchio