Skip to main content

The Euteneier family started building its portable bunkies last summer

Open this photo in gallery:

The woodworking Euteneier family, including dad Thomas and sons Dylan, right, and Evan (not pictured), started building their portable shepherds' huts last summer in Maxwell, Ont. Their product is a cross between a bunkie and a trailer, and their company is called Güte.Peter Power/The Globe and Mail

1 of 7
Open this photo in gallery:

Dylan and dad Thomas work on a Collingwood model. The huts, which come in two basic models, sell for between $16,000 and $40,000. Each is custom-built to buyer specifications, so prices vary considerably. They can sleep various numbers of people, or include kitchens, chemical toilets or custom detailing.Peter Power/The Globe and Mail

2 of 7
Open this photo in gallery:

The company’s creation shows well online. “We’re getting a lot of people looking at it,” Dylan says. “But I suspect it’s mainly people just browsing. We need to get people thinking more seriously about the product.” Most sales so far have come through appearances at trade shows and word-of-mouth.Peter Power/The Globe and Mail

3 of 7
Open this photo in gallery:

Dylan works on a window. He religiously analyzes reports from Google Analytics to measure online interest in their product. The Güte website received 24,000 hits in May, for instance. Those led to between 400 and 500 responses in the inquiry box, with most of the questions about price. After Dylan answered the queries, he received 15 or 20 follow-ups for more information. This resulted in telephone conversations with several people and then a sale.Peter Power/The Globe and Mail

4 of 7
Open this photo in gallery:

Thomas Euteneier takes a second to survey the first few rows of cedar shakes on a shepherds hut.Peter Power/The Globe and Mail

5 of 7
Open this photo in gallery:

Dylan thinks the company can do better online. “There has to be a better way than people just hearing the price and never talking to us again,” he says. The Euteneiers don’t think their price is high, based on what competitors are charging for prepackaged bunkies without the portability feature.Peter Power/The Globe and Mail

6 of 7
Open this photo in gallery:

How much online business can Güte expect to do? After all, their product costs more than a few dollars and is not an impulse buy. Dylan wants to know how he can better communicate with Web visitors to convert them into buyers.Peter Power/The Globe and Mail

7 of 7

Interact with The Globe