Richard Looft, inventor of the Looftlighter and founder and CEO of Sweden’s Looft Industries Ltd., is an innovative leader in designing and marketing new grill and hearth products. The company’s cornerstone product, the Looftlighter (released in 2006), lights a charcoal grill or fireplace in 60 seconds without the use of lighter fluid, ignition cubes, or other dangerous chemicals. This safe, clean, and eco-friendly device is ideal for use on lump charcoal, heat beads, and hardwood, making it a great tool for lighting fireplaces and grills. “I think we have the world’s best product to light charcoal, briquettes, and wood,” Looft says.

The invention of the Looftlighter began in 1997, when Looft, a prominent theater/film director and Grammy Award winner, barbecued a chicken that ended up tasting of lighter fluid. Frustrated by this experience, Looft wanted to create a tool that could release high amounts of heat without the use of lighter fluid. Looft created a prototype that eliminated the need for lighter fluid, developing a safe way to barbecue better-tasting food.

In 2005, Looft founded Looft Industries with business partners Peter Rothschild, David E.R. Dangoor, and Jan Annwall. In 2006, the company began marketing the product in Stockholm. Initially, Looft was denied the opportunity to meet with highend department-store representatives, so he took to the streets to demonstrate how the Looftlighter performed. After finally being granted 60 seconds to showcase his product, Looft sold his first order of Looftlighters to purchasers on the streets of Stockholm. He continued to market the product in Sweden, selling 3,000 units the first summer the product was introduced.

Today, 200,000 Looftlighters have been sold as barbecue and hearth fire lighters in more than 30 countries throughout the world. Looft says that the company is trying to catch up with the quick success of the Looftlighter and the company’s other barbecue accessories. “We are growing all the time,” he says. “It’s a nice problem to have.”

Although Looft Industries is based in Sweden, the company has representation worldwide. A Looft Industries warehouse located in North Carolina enables the company to provide overnight shipping of its products to locations throughout the Unites States and Canada.

Looft says that the electrically powered product is a very clean, safe, and environmentally friendly way to cook great-tasting, highquality barbecue. In Sweden alone, 10 million bottles of lighter fluid are used annually, Looft says. With the expansion of the Looftlighter, the use of potentially harmful chemicals can be drastically reduced. The Looftlighter is also easy to use, and it’s especially popular with users of the Big Green Egg and other kamado grills because using lighter fluid with these products is not recommended, Looft notes.

Looft has found U.S. consumers to be very advanced and forwardthinking barbecue users. “It is very nice to be here,” Looft says. After being involved in the theater industry for many years, Looft continues to learn about the barbecue/hearth business and enjoys being a part of it. “I learn a lot every day,” he says.

Looft Industries has new developments all the time—including a charcoal grill currently sold in Sweden—but keeps the Looftlighter a priority. Looft explains that new innovations will be released and perfected on a local level before being expanded internationally. This type of thinking enables the company to focus on the basics first, to ensure the high quality of its products. “One step at a time,” he says; “We do things in the right order.”