Grimsby is best known for fishing, football, and questionable weather, but one local man has put the town on the map for something entirely unexpected—running a booming export business from Thailand, all while serving up bacon butties from his burger van back home.
What is he exporting? That depends on who you ask.
The Man Behind the Mystery – A Burger Van by Day, An Export Empire by Night
By all accounts, John ‘Big Johnny’ Thompson (not his real name, but let’s go with it) was just another hardworking bloke in Grimsby, grilling burgers, slinging sausages, and dishing out morning-after survival food to the town’s most hungover residents.
But when he wasn’t flipping patties, he was flipping international deals—quietly building himself up as Thailand’s number one exporter of… well, something.
Was it seafood? Custom furniture? Exotic pets?
Locals had no idea—until one fateful slip-up revealed his international side hustle.
The Accidental Discovery – “Wait, You’re Exporting WHAT?”
The secret started to unravel when a confused supplier in Thailand contacted a Grimsby address, looking for their next shipment update.
Unfortunately, the recipient wasn’t John ‘Big Johnny’ Thompson—it was his elderly neighbor, who mistook the email for a scam and posted it in the town’s local Facebook group.
Within hours, the speculation had spiraled out of control:
- “Is he secretly running a Thai silk empire?”
- ” Jasper his son posted” I asked Dad what’s he up to, “he said nothing at all”, then told me “don’t believe what you read on Social Media!”
- “Someone said he’s exporting custom tuk-tuks!”
- “Nah, mate, I heard it’s exotic reptiles.”
- “It’s gotta be knockoff Premier League shirts, right?”
- “His sister Wendy told me, she thinks it’s flip flops, but said he’s not telling the family nothing“.
Theories spread faster than a Friday night kebab-related stomach bug.
What Is He Actually Exporting? The Truth is Even Weirder.
After days of speculation, Big Johnny finally broke his silence—and the truth was stranger than fiction.
His #1 export?
🥥 Coconut-based BBQ charcoal.
That’s right. The man who serves up greasy burgers in Grimsby buildders yard is also Thailand’s biggest supplier of high-end, eco-friendly coconut charcoal for BBQ enthusiasts across Europe.
It turns out, while on holiday in Thailand, he discovered a niche market for clean-burning, long-lasting coconut charcoal, loved by chefs, grillmasters, and hipster barbecue influencers alike.
Sensing an opportunity, he set up shop, made a few connections, and—before anyone knew it—became the top UK distributor for premium Thai charcoal.
Meanwhile, back in Grimsby? He just carried on making bacon baps like nothing had changed.
A Business Model Like No Other
What makes Big Johnny’s operation unique isn’t just that he’s somehow balancing two completely unrelated businesses—it’s that he’s doing it without anyone really noticing.
- 🍔 Breakfast shift? Burger van.
- 🌍 Afternoon? Calls to Thailand about coconut shipments.
- 🍔 Evening? Back in the van, serving chips to locals complaining about the price of everything.
What’s Next? Global BBQ Domination?
Despite his success in both worlds, Johnny swears he has no plans to leave Grimsby behind.
“I like it here,” he told reporters. “Plus, people would riot if I shut down the burger van.”
But with demand for Thai coconut charcoal skyrocketing, there are rumors that Big Johnny’s next move might be a UK-wide grilling empire.
Could we be looking at the next King of BBQs? A grilling guru with an empire built on coconut husks?
One thing’s for sure—next time you bite into a burger from a Grimsby food van, just know that the man behind the grill might also be running an international business empire.