It was 2017 when this story begins, the protagonist of which is Julián Lanzillotta, the owner of Fuegos JL, a company from the western suburbs that won the World Cup by defeating 10 others who applied to be a supplier of grills to be shipped to Qatar .along with 2630 kilos of meat. “It all started with my love of barbecue, especially cooking where it’s at stake. One day it occurred to me to do something different for the home fund. I thought of something with wheels to move it with the wind and be multifunctional. That’s how the first was born”, says Julián from his factory in Moreno.
It took eight months to make, buy wheels in different places and improvise a bit. “I had this idea about welding, because I used to work at my parents’ generator company, and I had a knack for it because another of our family businesses was an industrial hardware store. The second I did for my club, Mariano Moreno, where I played until years ago. And something amazing happened to me one day in June 2018: I left the locker room after a game and saw there were almost 100 people around the device, taking your picture and asking who did it. By Monday I had about 20 messages asking if I could produce another one. This is where the idea of opening an account was born. Instagram (@fuegosJL), with a logo my brother made for me, and to start production,” he said. Nothing less: because apart from being a multifaceted and innovative device, it is aesthetically pleasing and very original, almost resembling a tank from the Bronze Age.
Freshman year I made 20 a week, very traditional way and with the help of a good friend (Toto), going for wheels in the rural backcountry. But things start to explode when a famous athlete shows up. The first is Nicolás Laprovittola, a player on the basketball team, Lanzillotta’s acquaintances were from the western suburbs of Buenos Aires, where they both grew up. Point guard posted a photo of a Raqnar –each model has a different name from the Vikings- series on full roast and their following is soaring. Then the boys from Locos x el Asado and then the footballers arrived.
The first experience is with Andres D’Alessandro and his brother. But everything exploded moment the Funes Mori brothers bought some and uploaded a few stories to their Instagram, going crazy over the new acquisition. “Just that day I was traveling to Italy, on vacation with my family, and thousands of messages started pouring in. I sell like 100 roasters. And I have nothing, no employees, not even a workshop”remember.
This is how many other footballers have arrived. “Bruno Zuculini, who is great, bought me some. From River there was also Enzo Pérez, Pity Martínez, Cavenaghi and Lamela took one for England. From Boca, Palermo, Battaglia, Schiavi, Andrada, goalkeeper… Fernando Gago too. Not to mention (Rodrigo) De Paul. Little Schwartzman also, same as Turtle Deckformer basketball player nba what is on RealMadrid, because when he returned to his city of Santiago. Although for me who loves basketball, the best moment is when he asks me Manuin 2021. We bring it to your home, in san antonio. I can’t travel but my partner is in Texas He made me a video call and I was able to chat with him for a bit. I really admire it. The truth is that all the athletes I met were amazing,” says who now he has 40 people working with him, between headquarters in General Rodríguez, a factory in Moreno and a branch in Boerne, Texas -which sells throughout the United States-, another in Spain and a third in England, as well as reaching 39 other countries.
Business does not stop growing. Today sells approx 400 products monthly from a total of 15 different models, depending on the needs of the client and the money they are willing to spend (the average for the product is around 130,000 pesos). Of course, he never expected that the new move would be of such scale. A few months ago, the same AFA contacted Lanzillotta to propose that he make a proposal on a barbecue during the World Cup. They wanted not so much their innovative grill, they said, but something more conventional, at the request of the chosen chef, Diego Iacovón. Likewise, Julián convinced them to send him, in addition to the standard four grills, a Floki, an excellent product, which has two crosses for cooking on a pole and a cage for hanging and smoking. These were not used in the first roast, before debut and after friendly ins Abu Dhabi, but at least he served as a stoker. Likewise, Lanzillotta hasn’t lost hope “that one of the players will be encouraged to do something on the grill because the product is this: You can grill and cook in different ways,” he explains.
personalmanual. jpeg
When the AFA announced that “I had won my World Cup, I literally couldn’t believe it, but there’s not much time to celebrate because we have to work against the clock. I will arrive at the factory at 9 and leave at 11 pm so I can deliver it on time and in the right way, said the person before leaving for Doha He made videos and also photos with the employees who carried out the project. Not to mention the pride he felt when he saw, a few days ago, players started posting on their social networks the first barbecue they shared in the national bunker at Doha University. “Everyone calls me, it’s very special,” he admits.
“We want everyone to feel as if they are on Ezeiza property, in our country. That’s why the area is barbecue, grill, meat and barbecue”, they assured the national delegation. Scaloni, the DT, goes a step further. “My favorite food is barbecue, but this goes a lot further. That seduces us to do it, to transfer that moment to the other side of the world and this is precisely what it means, that awakens us… Because it gives us an atmosphere of unity and collective chemistry. It’s part of our culture, of Argentine privilege. It’s time that we enjoy together, that allows us to chat, laugh, relax, and connect. Eating barbecue isn’t wine, dulce de leche, or even meat, even though we love it. It’s in the group and the connections that result”, admits the head coach who specifically asked for the Argentinian chops and grill for this moment.
Lanzillotta defines himself as a non-football fan, but this alliance with the AFA excites him immensely. “This is about our Selection of the most popular sport, with the best in the world in our squad, in the World Cup we are so looking forward to, with everything that comes from the people…. And having my product there, with them, of course being a part of really special moments like a barbecue, is something that really touches my heart. There is no better place for our products. If I have to retire from this now, so be it,” he said sincerely, enthusiastically.
“Entrepreneur. Internet fanatic. Certified zombie scholar. Friendly troublemaker. Bacon expert.”
