As a company in the business of selling wood pellets year round – we are always watching supply/demand fluctuations through the seasons. While it’s scary to think of another wood pellet shortage, it’s impossible to ignore the increasingly tight supply of pellets at the moment.
While demand continued to rise through the 2018-19′ heating season due to increased pellet stove sales and high oil prices, the supply took some serious hits leaving the pellet market in a delicate, vulnerable state.
Aside from the fairly recent series of catastrophic mill fires that crippled production, inventory building has been seriously hindered by weather. Last year’s winter stretched far into spring, which depleted much of the inventory normally built up over the summer. Plus, the extremely wet fall months and bitterly cold November led to historically low levels of raw material and finished product.
While we want to avoid causing a panic – we also want to be honest with our customers about what we’re seeing. For those who remember the winter of 2014, pellet shortages can occur very quickly and without much warning. However, right now the warning signs are glaring. For example, most mills currently have about 20 percent of the inventory as they had last year at this time – and even last year was tight.
In order to stay shortage-proof and avoid inevitable price increases, we strongly recommend you secure your pellet fuel for the next heating season now if you’re able…or at least well in advance.
Bear Mountain 100% natural grilling pellets are made in the USA with only the highest quality hardwoods – with no fillers, binders or oils. This dedication to quality results in flavor you can count on for the perfect BBQ, time and time again.
He also somehow found the time to create this handy bottle opener to hang on the wall. As if we weren’t already impressed, he tells there’s a pellet bin project in the works too. Stay tuned for an update on that!
The forklift is bigger than you may realize. It’s actually over 8 feet wide, and the highest point is also 8 feet tall. It’s mounted on the back of the truck, which parks in the road. The driver lowers it down to the ground, uses it to remove your fuel from the truck, and then drives it up your driveway to place the pallets where you need them. Due to the heavy weight of the load and the forklift itself, it can’t be driven across any leach fields, sprinkler lines, or soft lawn. Keep this in mind when you’re deciding where to have your pallets of fuel placed!
If you have a very specific placement requirement, mark it. Many driveway deliveries have instructions like this: “Please place pallets in front of the garage door”. This is vague, usually because the customer wants the pallets near the door, so he or she can bring the bags inside to hand-stack. On the other hand, if you want a much more specific location for placement, mark the space with a sign, or an overturned trashcan, and let us know your indicator. Our driver will do everything possible to safely deliver your pallets where you want them.