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Burlington, Vermont - July 2, 2010

Many July days remind us why we live here. But last time we met Mike Van Buren, we saw the other Vermont: A January snow squall froze us to the core as we were talking about his new beach accessory.

Now, with the sun and heat a better backdrop, Van Buren is growing sales of "The Beach Fire." It's a propane tank and hose that connect to a burner you bury in the sand. "I am optimistic," Van Buren says. "I think there's a lot of potential for this product. I really do."

Users light a starter flame, turn on the gas, and get an instant fire for nights on the beach or in the backyard. "We tried to keep it as simple as possible," the inventor explains.

The Beach Fire is assembled in a South Burlington workspace, where the full-time fireplace engineer launched his startup.

"It's not a bad day to be at the beach," says University of Vermont junior Peter LaPlante. "So it's a pretty good internship!"

LaPlante is on board for the summer. He's studying entrepreneurship at UVM's School of Business Administration. "I'm learning a lot," he says. "I'm learning how hard it is to actually get a product out."

LaPlante is helping market The Beach Fire, spreading the word on social networking sites like Facebook.

With no coals to clean up or smoke produced, the $180 set has a flame-control nozzle, and stays lit even in the wind.

Van Buren is working on future generations of The Beach Fire, including smaller units, but he promises the big summertime fun like easy s'mores making won't change. I told him, "I'd much rather be covered in marshmallow than covered in snow any day!"

Mike Van Buren is selling a taste of nice weather, with his "Made in Vermont" portable party. "That's the beauty of Vermont! You know the nice weather's coming!" he beams.

The Beach Fire comes with a list of safety instructions. The maker also asks you check the rules of the area you're setting up in, to make sure fires are ok.

Click here to visit the company's website.

Jack Thurston - WCAX News - Made in Vermont

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