Just learned that Bear Mountain and Liggies merge via a facebook post. They posted a link to their news release. http://bmfp.com/wood-fuel-pellets/l...sidential-wood-pellet-producer-united-states/
I emailed them a while back looking for a local supply and they steered me to the Okanagan DF's. So I would assume they aren't going to make ripples with Okanagan already having their tookus in the pond.
Why not? Cut out the middle man. Lignetics already has an established distribution network. Should be pretty seamless to add them to their arsenal.
Lol, don't be scared. I am sure the uninformed will still pay a premium for your name on the bag. Ps, you said the same thing about my view on the pellet shortage. And you couldn't have been more wrong.
Well, see that is where I beg to differ....there is a huge pellet shortage in most of NE as we speak...there are lots of dealers out of pellets completely....most, if not just about all the boxes are out or very low and very few of them will be getting more....many dealers are now rationing customers to 10 bags or so per transaction. So I guess we went to school in very different places, cause to me....I was taught that is a shortage...but what do I know, I just sell the stuff. Look...I get it...you don't like my brand...the price dealers charge for it...the fact it comes from out of state, the color of the bag....whatever, but the market speaks with it's pocket book and clearly beyond any shadow of a doubt, they like our pellets...even with the price they get, and the color of the bag they are in and the fact they are not made in ME......but people don't come back time and time again if they are "uninformed".....the market has lots of pellets most of the year to choose from and I am just one brand out of many....they choose them because they like the results they get and obviously the price doesn't scare them off....that may or may not pizz you off....but it is what it is...regardless what you think.
its certainly an interesting market, isn't it? Ihatepropane wants to buy direct, save as much as he can, everyone understands this. Doug wants to protect his brands, everyone gets that too. I don't think it can be argued that the Okanagan brand has had more than a bit of success up in the Northeast, and a good part of that is due to the quality of the pellets- I don't think one can really argue that. Some folks like them, some don't (for various reasons). Fact is though, they are expensive because they travel so far, and as we all know, transportation costs money. Also, there IS a middleman here....I guess that's me. I make roughly the same amount on my cheapest versus my most expensive pellet...basically the same markup (dollar wise, not percentagewise). I certainly hope no pellet mills are selling direct, as its kinda a pain to deal with you guys, then end user (you might not like it, but, man, some of you folks are tough to deal with! I cant imagine a mill doing that, except in the isolated instances where there are few dealers in the locale of the mill. I know I wouldn't, as well as every other middleman out there, would not support a mill who sells direct. Expect to see consolidation in the industry- even further than what's happened already......anyone remember Allegheny? Might not have as many choices in a year or so, so, I'm glad folks like Doug are around. As for shortages.....that's VERY subject to locale as well. Lets see.....last weekend, we had a cold Saturday and a blizzardy Sunday.....we sold 82.06 tons that weekend, with MANY of those folks new customers, telling us that they couldn't find pellets anywhere (I saw plates from 3 states). Currently control several hundred tons we own, and don't expect them to last two weeks at the current rate of sale, even limiting folks to one ton per household. You can also tell when there's a shortage when Home Depot, TS, and Lowes calls US, asking if we have pellets, or other pellet dealers call looking for it. As least in our area, yea, there's a shortage, your results may vary.
Well we may or may not have gone to school in the same place, but I know we do not live in the same place. And saying there is a shortage in most of NE is just false. I travel routinely to three of the NE states and can find pellets no problem. I went to HD three or four times last week and they had pellets, a very good brand, and no one bought any all the times i was there. Also, I spent a fair amount of time at a local shop yesterday looking at stoves and picking up a couple of things. No one bought any pellets while i was there. They had over half a dozen brands and didn't seem concerned about stock. I did see a lot of bird seed being sold. Maybe they had multi fuel units..... When did I say I did not like your pellets?? I cannot believe that is something I would have said. You are probably confused. The informed can get pellets just as good as yours if not better for less. For example, there was a golden opportunity to pick up some Minute Man softwoods earlier this season for about $250 a ton. TSC had softwoods cheaper than Hardwoods and some were every bit as good as your Platinums. Saved about $70 a ton. Now some educated on the subject may still buy from you, others would not. To each their own. I couldn't care less what others do with the information given. But I am here to help pass along the information I receive the best I can. Hopefully folks listen. They would be happy with the results.
Cutting out a middleman will not devalue a product. The end user will always pay the same. "I know I wouldn't, as well as every other middleman out there, would not support a mill who sells direct. " lousey weather, In my industry a distributor with end users / home owners at its counter doesnt last long either....
Propane.....I am bias, but at least I'm honest with myself and admit it....IMHO Minute Man is not an equal to our pellets....not saying they aren't good, but in my ever so humble opinion ...not as good...or anything you get in the boxes...with rare occasion you can find "Blazers"....those at a box store price are a deal...nothing that TSC, HD, Lowes or pretty much anything else that is out there is as good as our pellets....but then again, I work for the company, those pellets pay my mortgage....so most would expect me think like this....but I also truly believe it as well.....You have been bias against my pellets from day one...so, I like I said before ....I get it As far as not being a shortage....you believe what you want....I know how busy my company is, how busy LaCrete, NEWP, any of the Maine mills and just about anybody you want to list is. They are all working to the max trying to keep up....and many orders go unfilled or they won't except them to start with since they know they can't be filled in a timely manner, so again in my eyes...that is a shortage. When the big boxes are out...and it cold, and right now it freaking cold in ALL of NE...there is always a mad scramble for pellets...this year is no exception.....I have never said that they wouldn't be happy with _________ (fill in the blank) with whatever pellet, but we don't have the sales that we do, cause people can buy others that are just the same at $70 below...that is like saying a steak at Ruth Chris is just like a hamburger at McDonalds.....you just keep telling yourself that...so we will just agree ...to disagree....you have a nice weekend
Too bad you don't have enough experience actually burning pellets yourself to know just how wrong you are. And why do you think I don't like your pellets? I still do not understand that. You are aware that I burned half a ton of your pellets this year right?? Okies Platinum. Do you know how I got a hold of those??? Do you know what I think of them? Sounds like if we ever meet up you can take me to this Ruth Chris place, if you are ever around here, I have a McDonald's right down the street, I can treat you to whatever you like.
Ok...is that it?... I don't actually burn pellets, so I guess I don't know anything about them... I have to burn them to be the expert that you are to "understand".... I have sold pellets for over 6 years and literally have talked to 100's, probably 1000's of people that have either retailed and burned collectively 100's of thousands of tons of pellets....from WA to CA to ME to GA.....you do that, you have a tendency to learn a thing or two about pellets....from people make their living with them, just like I do. I probably sell 7 or 8 of the largest dealers of stoves and pellets all over this country....plus I also market other manufactures pellets....so you are correct, I don't burn myself, simply because I choose to live in an area of the country that burning pellets isn't really required....doesn't mean I don't know about them.....or just how good or bad our pellets are compared to others..... If you burned 1/2 ton of our pellets, I want to thank-you for your support ...but you are correct, I don't know how you got ahold of them...but I can guess....you got them/traded for them with someone who didn't like them, and the price was right....but you have been pretty clear what you think of them....I have read the comments over the months....you think they are grossly overpriced...you don't hide that very well and you think your local pellets are a better pellet all things considered. That's fine....you are certainly entitled to your opinion whatever it might be.....( I can only imagine what your think of price for the Douglas Fir we market) ....you can buy me a Filet of Fish... I do like those....but I going to take a crazy guess and bet you probably have never eaten at Ruth's before....am I right?
You would be wrong on how I got those Platinums and are correct in my opinion of them that they are over priced. So here is the story. A friend of mine has a Quad, doesn't like to mess around too much with his stove. Being the pellet expert that I am....I RECOMMENDED Vermont's, Le Cretes and your Platinums. All of them are virtually the same IMHO but I am partial to Vermont's. He owed me half a ton so there you go. A little plug for entertaining me today. Where is this Ruth's place? Its probably a high end steak house?? You know every time I go to one I say to myself that was good, but could have gotten the same for a lot less.
