Years ago Vermont Castings produced a line of premium gas grills that were sold by independent dealers servicing the luxury grill market. They’ve gone through dramatic changes that saw them shift from being a high quality American Manufacturer to a low cost, outsourced brand for big box outlets. In 2008 the private equity group, The Riverside Company acquired the assets of CFM Corporation, including Vermont Castings, and merged the assets with Monessen Hearth Systems. Riverside acquired Monessen in 2006. The company later took on Vermont Castings Group as its corporate name. Shortly thereafter the Vermont Castings management team purchased the company from Riverside.
In recent years there were glimmers of hope that VC intended to restore the grill line to premium status. Although Vermont Castings did not respond to our inquiries, we hear from dealers that manufacturing has shifted back to the USA and all grills were redesigned with numerous improvements. However, when Vermont Castings reduced price and quality to go after distribution in Home Depot, many independent stores lost interest. It will take time and effort to reestablish the VC grill line in the premium space.
