History of Traeger

The legacy of the Traeger family stretches back across the centuries to the Tauber River Valley of rural Germany, where Friederich Traeger and his family immigrated to the United States settling in South Dakota. As the Traegers became settled in their new homeland they tried their hand at farming, blacksmithing, and operating a tavern, (responsible for the family's passion for good German beer). During the Great Depression of the 1930's Joe Traeger, Sr. journeyed to Oregon, where he fell in love with the bountiful land of the Willamette Valley. Writing to the family in South Dakota, he convinced them to move to Oregon. The rest of the Traeger family joined Joe, Sr. in Mt. Angel, Oregon. In 1939, Joe Traeger, Sr. and his brother Tony opened a business called "Traeger Brothers", a combination blacksmith metal fab shop, trailer building facility and cabinet making operation. (In fact, the original foundry building, which housed Traeger Bros., is still being used to this day.) Joe Sr., and Tony worked hard and along with their perspiration came inspiration in the form of new inventions, including the "stake setter", "pole bean stringer", and "screw-in-the-ground-anchor". Tragically, Tony would pass away in 1953, with Joe Sr. passing away the following year. In 1959, Joe Traeger Jr., began working in his cousin Leo's heating business located in Mt. Angel. Three years later, Joe bought out his cousin's interest and took over the business, which supported his growing family of nine children. Sons Randy, Mark, Greg, and eventually Brian Traeger would join their father in this growing enterprise. Joe Jr., like his father developed a knack for inventing. In 1978, he developed the Elf Wood Furnace. The following year, Joe incorporated as EWF Corporation and began production of wood-fired furnaces. The Elf line would grow to a dozen different models.

Fate in a bucket...

In 1982 an old farmer walked into Traeger Heating with a tin bucket full of wood pellets that he had picked up somewhere (most likely from the original Woodex Pellet Mill in Brownsville), and asked Joe if he thought he could figure out a way of burning them. Joe threw them in an old wood fired boiler. They didn't burn well, so he added a blower and it burned a little better. He then made a little firepot, it burned even better, etc., etc. The first Pellet Fired Furnaces and Stoves were installed in the local area in 1982. The business experienced strong growth and the stove line was eventually sold to Earth Stove in 1987. Traeger licensed their Central Heating Products line of commercial and residential furnaces and boilers to Even Temp Company in 1992. Both product lines continue to be manufactured and sold today. Traeger Industries continues its business with Pellet Fired Grills, Outdoor Products and new product development. Their remarkable success is due to the innovative spirit of the Traeger family and ingenuity of Joe Traeger who continually tinkers with new ideas.

Why Cook with Traeger?

TASTE: Food cooked on a Traeger pellet grill tastes better than food cooked on gas or charcoal grills. A wood fire is a more natural, healthier way to cook.

SMOKER: Absolutely the best smoker you can own. Cook gourmet smoked foods in your own backyard. Hardwood smoke penetrates the food, adding tremendous flavor. Smoke fish, jerky etc.

SAFETY: Far safer than either gas or charcoal grills. No gas leaks or smoldering briquettes to worry about. Fire safety officials love our grills!

AUTO-START SYSTEM: Automatically lights the pellets every time you turn on the power switch. You're cooking in just minutes! No Flare-ups: Our exclusive, patented E-Z Grease Drain System transports grease drippings out of the cooking chamber into a galvanized catch bucket. There's less chance of frustrating flare-ups developing, while you cook.

VERSATILITY: Your pellet grill is four appliances in one! Smokes, Barbecues, Grills, Bakes. The three position cooking control switch lets you cook anything in a Traeger!

HEALTHIER COOKING: Cooking on a pellet grill adds zero fat, cholesterol or calories to your food. Indirect cooking systems are recommended by the National Cancer Institute because they produce less benzopyrene.

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