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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Clovis Native and Professional Athlete Builds Premium Live-Fire Brand That Is Changing How the Central Valley Gathers
After selling out its first batch through local demand and live fire dinners, Sudfire opens its next limited release of the Hearth Collection — a 360-degree live-fire cooking grill designed so the host never leaves the gathering.
CLOVIS, Calif., April 22, 2026 — Sudfire, a premium outdoor cooking brand founded in Clovis, California, is introducing a new way to gather around fire. After selling out its first founder batch through early local demand and their first launch dinner event, the company is now opening Batch 2 of the Sudfire Hearth Collection — with summer delivery for those who reserve during this release window.
Founded by Clovis native Darrin Person Jr., Sudfire was built around a simple idea: most grills pull the host away from the experience. Cooking often means standing with your back turned, separate from the moment. Sudfire was designed to change that.
Person drew inspiration while playing professional basketball in the south of France, where he experienced a more social, slower, and connected way of gathering around live fire. Returning home to the Central Valley, he set out to create a product that brings that same feeling into modern outdoor living.
That vision resonated immediately. Batch 1 sold out entirely through personal networks, A local fire dinner event with Fresno local Chef Ana , and word of mouth — before a single dollar was spent on advertising.
"I wanted to build something that keeps the host in the moment," said Person, founder of Sudfire. "Something that feels as much about connection as it does about cooking. In the south of France, I saw how naturally people gather around fire. I came back home and wanted to bring that experience here in a way that fits how we live and host in California."
“The Sudfire does something different because it was designed to face people toward each other, not away."
The Sudfire Hearth features a circular carbon steel cooking surface surrounding a live-fire center, allowing multiple people to cook, gather, and engage at once. Designed as both a grill and a fire feature, it continues to serve as a centerpiece long after the meal is finished. At a time when the US Surgeon General has declared loneliness a public health epidemic, Sudfire is building the physical infrastructure for intentional gathering.
Born in the Central Valley and shaped by both California hosting culture and European live-fire tradition, Sudfire is building more than a product — it is creating a new category of outdoor centerpiece centered on shared experience.
Person's local roots add another layer to the story. A graduate of Immanuel High School, he was named Fresno Player of the Year three times before continuing his basketball career at Fresno Pacific University and Cal State Bakersfield. He later earned his MBA and is now applying that same discipline and vision to building Sudfire.
Batch 2 is now open. Delivery is planned for summer 2026. Quantities are limited.
For homeowners, chefs, designers, and hospitality groups, Sudfire offers a new kind of backyard centerpiece — one built not just to cook, but to gather around.
Sudfire is building more than a product. It is creating a new category of outdoor centerpiece centered on shared experience.
To learn more or reserve a Sudfire Hearth: sudfire.com
About Sudfire LLC Sudfire is a premium live-fire cooking brand founded in Clovis, California by Darrin Person Jr. Inspired by fire gathering culture experienced in the south of France, Sudfire builds the Hearth Collection — a 360-degree live-fire cooking grill designed so the host never leaves the gathering. Sudfire exists to bring people back to the art of intentional gathering. Fire. Food. Fellowship. sudfire.com
Media Contact Darrin Person Jr. Founder, Sudfire LLC
559-269-2916
Media Inquiries darrin@sudfire.com
Instagram: @sudfire_
