Does anyone have experience working in firewood or forestry products?

What is the largest firewood or forestry products brand in the US?

Yeah, I don't know either. That's why I'm building it.

57% of homes in the US have some kind of fireplace or wood stove. Solo Stove, the firepit company has been doing about $500 million in annual revenue for the past 2 years. Traeger, the grill company, does more than half a billion in annual revenue too. And then there's Big Green Egg, and Ooni, and Kamado Joe, and Weber, many others, plus thousands of restaurants that use wood for cooking. So despite what the unconvincing research into the size of the firewood market is, it's obvious the market is there.

When you think of charcoal, you think of Kingsford. When you think of outdoor grills, you think of Weber. These are products of a strategic, national marketing campaign from the early 20th century, that pushed outdoor cooking. We're now seeing a resurgence of outdoor cooking enthusiasm. The companies above are proof of it.

Yet, there's still a huge opportunity for the emergence of a brand in this space. By name, by logo, or by product line, none exists. Most people get their firewood from varied sources, and the product itself can be unreliable, overly expensive, inconvenient, or all the above. If people do have loyalty, it's to a local firewood supplier, who might or might not have systems in place to standardize their production.

For the last year and a half I've been building my firewood brand in NYC. We have about 20-30% of the market share in the food service industry (restaurant supply), and great customer loyalty on the residential side. But in order to build the largest firewood brand in the US, I'll need to focus on:

• Expansion through local production and distribution points, selling direct to consumer. Firewood is a large and heavy product. So cross-country shipping is not a feasible option. Local production and distribution makes more sense. Perhaps via acquisition of local firewood suppliers. Or, can be done through a franchise or partnership model. This channel will be the revenue driver.

• Establishing wholesale partnerships to build brand familiarity. Many people get their firewood or cooking wood at the local hardware store, supermarket, or gas station. Getting on the shelves at retail stores will create a revenue channel, but more importantly, it establishes brand presence.

• Growing D2C eCommerce to own customer data. Although I'm primarily doing local delivery right now, nearly all of my orders come through my eCommerce store. This allows me to own customer data, and D2C eCommerce will be crucial for customer retention.

So – does anyone have any experience in the forestry products industry? Or, is anyone open to chatting further?