What began as a few shelves of quality charcoal and wood chips inside a landscaping shed has grown into South Australia’s only dedicated destination for low and slow barbecue.
The Smoking Log Co has just opened its purpose-built BBQ hub at 152–154 Pimpala Road in Morphett Vale, offering smokers, fuels, sauces, rubs and accessories for pitmasters and backyard cooks alike. Opening its doors late last year, the warehouse brings together everything needed for low and slow cooking under one roof, from charcoal and smoking woods to offset smokers, pellet grills, pizza ovens and a wide range of sauces and rubs.
The family-run business was established in 2019 by Mike Yelland, his son Tom and Mike’s partner Ainsley Coggins, who combined Mike’s sales background with Ainsley’s accounting and systems expertise to build the brand from the ground up.
Today, their new store is designed as a one-stop-shop for anyone curious about the craft of cooking over fire.
Mike’s path to barbecue retail was anything but conventional. “I was a state sales manager for Bosch power tools and Bosch household appliances for 13-odd years,” he said.
After stepping away from the corporate world, Mike helped his cousin revive a landscaping supply business. This project turned into a decade-long venture, and eventually sparked a new idea.
Because the yard sold firewood year-round, customers regularly asked about cooking fuel for smokers, pizza ovens and camp cooking.
“We ended up putting a couple of shelves up in the shop and putting some bags of charcoal and some woodchips and woodchunks,” Mike said.
“The first month we did it, we did about $240 worth of sales and we started high-fiving each other and thought, how good are we?” Mike laughed.
Demand quickly snowballed. Within four years, the small sideline had grown into a thriving barbecue business. The range expanded from charcoal and wood to sauces, rubs, smokers and specialist cooking gear.
Today, The Smoking Log Co stocks a wide selection of barbecue styles, including offset smokers, pellet grills, ceramic cookers, pizza ovens and spit roasters rotisseries. But Mike says the real focus is helping people find the right setup for their lifestyle.
“We’re not into taking people’s money straight away,” he said. “I’ve sent many people away and said, look, you’re not ready to buy yet. I want you to do a bit more research.”
That personalised approach has also led to some memorable customer interactions. Mike recalls one man who walked into the store ready to buy a specific grill, cash in hand.
“I’ve had guys come in here and say, look, I’m here to buy a certain type of grill,” he said.
Instead of taking the sale immediately, Mike spent time talking through the customer’s lifestyle and how they planned to cook.
“I said, okay, well before we get into that, tell me a little bit about you and your lifestyle,” he said. “I could have taken his money on the spot, but I chose not to.”
Mike sent the customer home with information and suggested he do some research before making a decision. A few days later, the man returned.
“He said, yep, you were right. I want that cooker there,” Mike said. “He absolutely loves it. Otherwise he probably would have ended up with a cooker that would have been on Marketplace in 12 months’ time.”
That advice-first approach has helped build a loyal following across the state, even within the store’s first couple of months of operation, with customers travelling from the city surrounds, and even regional areas including Port Pirie and Mount Gambier, Mike tells us.
He believes barbecue retail sits firmly in what he calls a “feel good industry”.
“Landscaping supplies is not a feel good industry because it’s hard work,” he said. “But what we do here, people that come in here are all passionate. They love talking about food and cooking.” It’s a factor that means there’s a shared passion between shopkeeper and customer, and you can tell that’s exactly what makes The Smoking Log Co stand out.
The new Morphett Vale site took two years of planning and approvals before finally opening late last year. Looking ahead, the team hopes to introduce cooking demonstrations and barbecue masterclasses in the larger shed space behind the store.
For now, the focus is simply to help South Australians discover the flavour that only cooking over fire can deliver.
“You can’t replicate the flavour and taste of cooking over a solid fuel source,” Mike said. “Unless you’ve really tasted good smoked meat, there’s no way to compare it.”
And if that sounds good, there’s really only one place to go to get the tools for it.
The Smoking Log Co
Where: 152-154 Pimpala Rd, Morphett Vale
When: Mon, Thurs, Fri 9am – 5pm
Sat 9am – 4pm
Sun 9am – 3pm
For more info, click here.
