YES! The 5th anniversary is in the bag! And what a year it has been! What began as a collaboration between Jaco's foundry and Martijn's barbecue shop has grown into a wonderful concept for both the production and wholesale of cast iron products for outdoor cooking.
And how exciting it was at times! Driven as we both are, we came up with plenty of ideas, but where do you begin? And what course do we want to take? So many questions, with even more answers.
It all started with an idea and passion. "How is it possible that the Dutch Oven is originally a Dutch concept, but there's no Dutch brand? We have to change that." The initial idea was born. Six months later, the first starter sets were on their way, we were blessed with our own logo, the first photoshoot was completed, and our website was live. And oh yes, we quickly decided to also produce Dutch Ovens, frying pans, and some accessories under our own brand. A nice basic range that would make us feel confident enough to approach stores. Speaking of stores, we didn't have any yet. 
The first real The Windmill Starter Sets
Okay, now we just need to find stores that are just as convinced as we are that this is a fantastic idea! How are we going to convince the retailers? We're going there! Jaco is a real savvy guy, and he's built a demonstration structure so we can take our product range to customers so they can see it with their own eyes, hold it, and assess the quality.
We can safely say that it worked, because we can now proudly say more than 300 stores Delivering domestically and internationally. We could only dream of that during our first meeting!
We packed the first batches of pans ourselves in our warehouse.
It all started with an idea and passion. And the Dutch brand, Dutch Oven. We now supply over 300 stores domestically and internationally. We could only dream of that.
More custom-designed items followed, including frying pans, accessories, and all sorts of unique products like the campfire set and the campfire ring. A pickup van arrived, we collaborated with Fire&Food magazine, and we regularly gave cooking demonstrations.
Our very first demo at Grenzlandmarkt (DE) in 2018.
Demo chef Rick busy with our waffle iron. 
And a stew cannot be missed.
Not long after, this beauty became part of our trusted team. Our orange monster!
Will Overheul's demo chef with our own Jaco
Pitmaster and demo chef Cor!
Fire & Food article 2018
In 2018, we were featured in Fire & Food magazine for the first time. We developed quite a few recipes there, which will also be available online in the near future. 
Over the years we had the pleasure of attending various competitions and events!
SPOGA 2019
We had a stand at the Cologne trade fair and made many new contacts. We received a tremendous amount of positive feedback on our stand, and our first step towards international retail was taken.
As everyone knows, 2020 ushered in a remarkable period. An uncertain time when virtually no one could have predicted what lay ahead. With working from home and advice to stay home, demand continued to rise. It was almost impossible to meet the demand. Developing new products took longer than expected, and we tested both our patience and yours.
New products
Finally. The new products we've been talking about for so long are arriving in small doses.
It all started with our Camp Stove. The stove can be used as a lightweight, portable BBQ and as a heat source for cooking.
This was quickly followed by the paella pan, our cast iron BBQ oven dish with matching trivet and our smashburger tool were also in full production.
Stroopwafel iron
To stay true to the traditional Dutch atmosphere, we need a stroopwafel iron in addition to the poffertjes pan. It's been on the drawing board for ages, and now it's finally time. For a few months now, the stroopwafel iron has become a staple. We designed this iron to be as flat as possible, so you can also make stroopwafels on the barbecue, camp stove, or induction cooktop.
What does the future hold?
You never know what the future holds, but we're still full of ideas and plans. As you know, the saucepan and bread pan have been updated. We expect these to be available later this year. Until then, you'll have to make do with these photos :-)
Leather Gloves
Our colleague kept harping on about a pair of sturdy leather gloves and still believes we MUST have them in our collection. We've been working on this and expect to be able to deliver them later this year. Admittedly, they do look pretty cool like that!
Next year
We're already busy developing new products for the end of the year and next year. How and what? We're keeping that a secret for now. We've already completed the first five years, and we're well on our way to our next anniversary. We hope to celebrate with you again.
And now quickly outside to light the barbecue.
