This news announcement is long overdue, where we have started all of the most recent jerky makers that submitted their jerky for review. In this round of submissions, I approached four jerky makers that are likely in the bottom half of the top 10 for jerky sales in North America. All four jerky makers agreed, but then out of nowhere, last minute Divine Bovine changed their mind.
When I inquired as to why, the answer was using their words: “Divine Bovine has just signed a contract with a major food brokerage firm; therefore, we need to exercise greater control on how our products are marketed, etc..”
Divine Bovine actually did send me jerky samples around Christmas 2014, but the jerky was returned to sender because of a technicality. From day one, we have been largely ignored by the largest jerky makers in North America. Their ingredient ratings tend not to rate well with us, which we call standard fare jerky. Let’s hope Divine Bovine stays true to their values. It has been confirmed that they will continue to use brisket, which is regarded as the best cut of beef to absorb a marinade.
Lawless Jerky
The Lawless Jerky brand name was founded by Matt Tolnick, a former attorney. Matt has the courage to run from the law…to make jerky. There are currently six flavors for sale, with more flavors coming. Only 100% grass-fed beef is used, where that is the gold standard. They are located in Santa Monica, California. The trademark for Lawless Jerky is “A Braver Flavor™!”, which we can vouch for so far with four reviews done to date. Lawless Jerky is the first jerky maker reviewed to date that rated a perfect 10/10 in the ingredient, taste, and bag ratings.
For more information visit their web site: www.lawlessjerky.com
KRAVE Jerky
KRAVE Jerky is located in the wine country of Sonoma, California. The company was founded in 2009 by Jon Sebastian, who had a crave for all natural jerky with a soft and tender texture. Today, KRAVE™ Jerky is among the top 10 jerky makers in North America. They carry multiple flavors, including pork and turkey jerky. Recently, an artisanal line of jerky flavors was introduced. In an interesting move, KRAVE™ Jerky was acquired by the Hershey’s chocolate company in January 2015.
For more information visit their web site: www.kravejerky.com
Perky Jerky
The Perky Jerky brand is based out of Greenwood Village, Colorado. This jerky is distributed by Performance Enhancing Meat Snacks Inc. In their words, Perky Jerky was started by “two Jerks”. The goal was to make a great tasting jerky with a soft and tender texture. Today, Perky Jerky are most likely in the top 10 for North American jerky sales. They make both turkey and beef jerky. Admirably, portions of each bag purchased goes towards five organizations that support Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Down Syndrome research.
For more information visit their web site: www.perkyjerky.ca
Golden Valley Natural
This Golden Valley Natural jerky brand name is manufactured in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Since 1968, they have been the leading producer of natural and organic meat snacks in the United States. They carry three different styles of jerky: organic, all natural, and classic. They also sell their jerky using turkey, beef, and buffalo cuts of meat. Their products are advertised as being healthy, never using bag ingredients such as erythorbate, nitrite or MSG to their meats.
For more information visit their web site: www.goldenvalleynatural.com/
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