Smokin Grill Products Ltd., a three-year-old company based in Cranbrook, British Columbia, that markets a line of seasoning sprays now offered through 2,300 stores in North America, says it is considering moving its headquarters to Spokane.


The company hasnt ruled out possibly moving to one of a couple of locations in the southern U.S., where more of its clients are concentrated, says Tom Piros, its president and CEO.


Still, Piros adds, Spokane is at the top of our list, no question. We think the community is ideal for what we want to do. He says the company expects to make a decision this spring on whether and where to relocate.


Smokin Grill Products says its all-natural, health-conscious line of seasoning sprays have no calories, carbohydrates, or fat, and are offered in five flavorsOriginal Hickory Mesquite, Tex-Mex Habanero, Hot Habanero, Lemon-Lime Garlic, and Orange Chipotle.


They retail for $3.99 in the U.S. and $4.99 in Canada, and are designed to be used on foods ranging from steak, chicken, fish, and vegetables, to pizzas, pastas, and salads. The company sells the sprays through a number of grocery chains, including through Albertsons stores here, and also through its Web site at www.smokin-grill.com, Piros says.


The company contracts out the production of its seasoning sprays, so initially a management staff of just five people would move here, and the company would need only 1,500 to 3,000 square feet of office and warehouse space, Piros says. He says he expects, though, that the company quickly would expand that staff, and he adds, Another goal down the road would be to look at a regional facility (possibly in Washington) to make our products.


Piros, a school counselor in Cranbrook, co-founded Smokin Grill Products with Roger Smith, a high school janitor from Rossland, British Columbia. Piros says he grew up in Rossland, not far north of the Canadian border, so Spokane has always been a revered place for myself and my business partner. He notes, also, that he flies out of Spokane International Airport for 90 percent of the business trips he makes.


Piros says he developed the idea for the seasoning sprays over a number of years. He worked as a white-water rafting guide on British Columbia rivers, and says he noticed that fellow guides used water-filled spray bottles to avoid charring the food they cooked for guests.


He says he got the idea of adding flavoring and spices to the water, then started fine-tuning different types of high-end extracts to come up with precisely the flavors he desired for Smokin Grills seasonings.


Its become quite a science, he says.


The two friends initially intended just to market their sprays locally, such as at farmers markets, but were encouraged by an economic-development official in Cranbrook to try to sell them on a larger scale. Piros declines to disclose the companys annual revenues, but says it has had substantial growth, and foresees that continuing.


Our real big markets are right now the southern states, he says, but weve recently launched with Albertsons in the Northwest, and we definitely have a national span were growing into.


Contact Kim Crompton at (509) 344-1263 or via e-mail at [email protected].