Website: www.juniperbbqscraper.com

We’ve all heard horror stories about barbecue brushes with metal bristles that can break off and get caught in food, and ultimately be consumed. Jason Janes lives in the beautiful Humber Valley outside Corner Brook, NL, and got inspired to create his Juniper BBQ Scraper came about after searching for a bristle-free, safe alternative in local retail stores. “I thought about useful species of wood and knowing that what Newfoundlanders refer to as juniper (better known as tamarack or larch in the rest of the country) has a very high BTU value,” he says. “So I thought it would be the best option to resist heat but still soft enough to allow grooves to form.” Jason called his Dad and asked if he had a piece of juniper kicking around, and he used it to shape his original prototype. He says, “I shared that prototype online, kind of as a lark but also thinking there may be interest.” Turns out there certainly was!

The whole Janes family is involved in the business. Jason says, “My wife Jackie manages many of the day to day tasks such as social media, final quality assurance, shipping, and many more. Dad (Bern) helps with production when we’re busy, Mom (Lynn) originally up cycled leather jackets to make the straps and now she does our book keeping and helps with shipping. My sister Candace joins in as well when we have a large order cycle. Last year we had one paid staff member and this year we’ll likely have two paid staff. We also use local harvesters and a local saw mill.”

Jason is very excited to come to Expo with the Juniper BBQ scraper. He says, “We are currently looking to our retail partner network in Nova Scotia and after speaking with a few startups in this niche space, they suggested the Saltscapes Expo may be a great place to increase brand awareness as well as meet possible retail partners. We’re looking for locally owned retail stores that sell local crafts, BBQ supplies, or service a local community.”

Come and check out the Juniper BBQ Scraper for yourselves at Saltscapes Expo.