Meet Tony Roberts of Proud Souls Barbecue & Provisions

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tony Roberts.

Tony, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in St Louis, MO, where weekends are often spent with family & friends around a BBQ pit. As a child, I spent nights around a Weber Kettle, grilling everything from burgers to brats to chicken and pork steaks, a specialty of the region. As I got older, my father and I began smoking spare ribs and the Thanksgiving turkey every year. Some of my fondest childhood memories revolve around food and the stories that were shared tending to the fire.

My wife and I migrated to Colorado in 2006 – primarily to enjoy the great outdoors and everything that makes the mountains so special. Soon after, I found myself wanting to BBQ on weekends and struggled to find a place that could service all of my outdoor cooking needs, Many of my supplies at that time were either bought at big box stores or ironically back in St Louis, MO where I would often travel to visit family.

Fast forward and bit and Proud Souls Barbecue was born in 2014 at a professional KCBS sanctioned BBQ contest in Conifer, CO, My business partner Dan Casey along with a few friends loaded up a pickup truck and we decided to spend a weekend competing and cooking BBQ alongside of some of Colorado’s best cooks. Turns out, we did relatively well in a large field of competitors and from that point forward, we were hooked! We started up with a small catering operation and cooked for parties, wedding and corporate events. One thing we always struggled with was sourcing high-quality supplies as well as professional knowledge and expertise. We quickly realized what Denver was missing was a source for EVERYTHING a BBQ cook needs to hone his or her craft. In 2017 we left our day jobs and started the process of opening our brick and mortar location on Federal Blvd — we named it Proud Souls Barbecue & Provisions.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Starting up and now operating a small business can be a daily challenge. One of our biggest struggles has been reliance upon hundreds of different vendors, logistic companies & sales representatives.

Not all of these individuals understand our mission and how they fit into the fabric of our business model. Each day we must continue to communicate our vision to our business partners letting them know they are an integral part of our daily operation. If they fail to deliver or meet a deadline, it inhibits our ability to operate and ultimately service our customers.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Proud Souls Barbecue & Provisions – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Proud Souls Barbecue & Provisions is the premiere BBQ “one stop shop” in Colorado. We specialize in smokers, grills, cooking/BBQ accessories, seasonings, sauces, fuels, high-quality meats & offer BBQ cooking classes that are designed for both beginners as well as experts.

What sets us apart from others is our customer service and BBQ expertise. We are award-winning / championship KCBS competition BBQ cooks. Our passion is not only cooking but working with our customers to help make them better BBQ pitmasters.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We are in the process of building out a 2nd location in Littleton, CO (scheduled to open April 1st). This will enable us to grow & leverage economies of scale to operate more efficiently as well as serve the many BBQ enthusiasts residing in Denver’s southern suburbs. Our new location will be very similar to our original concept, provide exceptional customer service and expertise to anyone interested in learning more about the art of BBQ.

Contact Info:

• Address: 2485 N. Federal Blvd
  Denver, CO 80211 OPENING APRIL 1st,
  5599 S. Rio Grande St.
  Littleton, CO 80120
• Website: www.proudsoulsbbq.com
• Phone: 720.612.7324
• Email: tony@proudsoulsbbq.com
• Instagram: @proudsoulsbarbecue
• Facebook: Proud Souls Barbecue & Provisions

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