As Canada heads into peak grilling season, a company is using made-in-London technology to offer a different way for customers buy and exchange the propane tanks that fuel barbecues and other equipment.

In recent months, kiosks branded 'My Propane Buddy' have been popping up outside retailers in London and surrounding areas, from Chatham to Hamilton.

Despite the retro feel to their graphics, the kiosks are high-tech vending machines that allow customers to buy a full propane tank or exchange an empty one without going inside a store.

The My Propane Buddy brand was launched last year by Sleegers Engineered Products, a London company that has been selling the kiosks to U.S. propane vendors since 2009.

Sleegers has sold more than 4,000 machines to U.S. customers who operate the machines under their own brand. Last year, they decided to create their own propane distribution brand using their own automated vending kiosks.

"We've been doing this for a long time, but the difference here is that now we're doing it ourselves in Canada," said company president Dan Granger.