Since 1979, the Apple Factory Country Grocer has been one of Brampton’s and the community of Halton Hills go-to places along with a tourist destination for all the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Roy and Lenore Laidlaw along with their children opened the store. Originally, they sold only apples from their farm, and fresh pressed cider, and of course the famous Apple Factory Apple Pie. Starting out small and with the help of their children Cliff, Grant, Julie and Lynn, they created a shopping experience second to none. Moms and Dads can come in and let their kids watch the jamboree, chicken show, or follow the train.
When the Laidlaw’s decided to retire, Jim Picard was anxious and committed to continue with their country market vision, and purchased the Apple Factory in 2007. In 2013, The Apple Factory started selling beef jerky. The Apple Factory brand of jerky is actually made by family owned Stemmler Meats, who operate out of Heidelberg, Ontario, Canada. The Apple Factory jerky brand is distributed under the same name of The Apple Factory, and they are located in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
The first review on The Apple Factory will focus on a 4.3 ounce/120 gram bag of their hot flavored beef jerky. This bag was purchased at The Apple Factory store in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Reverse Osmosis Water, Sugar, Corn Syrup Solids, Salt, Hydrolyzed Plant Protein (from Soy), Onion, Garlic, Cayenne, Crushed Chili Peppers, Dextrose, Sodium Erythorbate, Sodium Nitrite, Maple Smoke. Allergen Warnings: Soy
The beef that Stemmler Meats sources from local farms is ethically raised, meaning no growth hormones or additional antibiotics are given to the cattle. The cows also have free range access to graze on grass. As a result, the ingredient rating starts at a Very Good (9/10) ingredient rating.
The only liquid used in the marinade is reverse osmosis water. It is impressive to see that a filtered type of water is used, which is far better than tap water.
The very healthy vegetables onion and garlic are used. The spiciness of this jerky comes from the cayenne pepper and the crushed chili peppers. Hot peppers are healthy if eaten in moderation, which flushes toxins out of the body.
The sugar level is decent at only 2 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. On the other hand, the salt level is high at 490mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky to lose a rating. Our preference is 350mg of salt or less per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky uses both sodium erythorbate and sodium nitrite as preservatives to lose a rating. The cheap highly processed flavor enhancer hydrolyzed plant protein is used to lose another rating.
Alright (6/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
THE APPLE FACTORY – HOT BEEF JERKY
Written by guest jerky reviewer Paul Rekker
When I open the bag I smell juice, with a fruity tinge. Almost like a raspberry tinge, not quite sure. The jerky is large in size, and is sliced rather thin. The jerky is soft and dry, and somewhat chewy, very close to the way I envision jerky should be. There is no oily residue left on your fingers while handling this jerky.
I can see the chili flakes on the strips of jerky. A very promising start. When I bite into the jerky, I am met with a myriad of delectable flavors. Damn, I already know what I’m going to rate this jerky. But let’s take a step back here and begin to justify and truly explain how I got to my score.
I am met with various delicious flavors, from the salt, pepper, garlic, natural beef and spectacular level of heat, not too intense, but enough to honorably justify the ‘hot’ label. I also detect a juice, I’ll guess as pineapple juice, but not entirely sure.
Holy crap, after 3-1/2 weeks in the Eastern hemisphere, I’m glad to be back, because ‘crack’ like this is definitely not available there, at least not where I visited. What a solid treat to receive after visiting the Philippines and Japan, I am duly impressed. Those countries have nothing on us, they can wallow in jealousy as we bask in the glory of having a heavenly hot and deliriously delectable jerky such as The Apple Factory hot beef jerky. A very emphatic 10/10 gentlemen. Two thumbs way up!!!👍👍”
Here is Stéphane’s take on this hot flavor: “The Apple Factory Hot Beef Jerky has a reasonably good taste although a little one-dimensional. It is significantly spicy especially after a few bites. I found the spiciness kept building up and up one bite at a time. The other flavors of onions, garlic and smokiness to name a few were muted at first. They slowly started developing, as I kept sampling the product over the course of the day while also becoming more acquainted with its flavor profile.”
“This jerky has a hint of sweetness and with bolder flavors and smokiness; this jerky would transition into a rich and tasty meat snack with many delicious layers of goodness.”
“In retrospect, The Apple Factory Hot Beef Jerky delivers on its promise and probably deserves a 9/10 taste rating.”
Here is what Mark had to say about this hot beef jerky flavor from The Apple Factory: “Thanks Stéphane and Paul for the great taste reviews. I am somewhere between you guys with this flavor. Don’t get me wrong, I loved this flavor also being a huge fan of hot flavors. Agreed that the heat level is at a very respectable level. I just found that something could have been added to liven up this overall taste profile a little more such as higher garlic, onion, or smoke levels”.
“This jerky was shared between six different people, all of whom gave positive feedback. Here are the official ratings between the Group of Seven (Mark J. – 9, Paul – 10, Stephane – 9, Nolan – 8, Mark M. – 10, Sid – 8, Ava – N/A ”)”.
This 4.2 ounce/120 gram bag of jerky cost $9.72. That works out to $2.31 an ounce, which rates as a cheap price.
Very Good (9/10) – Taste Rating
Bag Review
This clear non-resealable bag has a tray of jerky included. The bag is vacuum sealed, the best way to keep jerky fresh tasting. Not surprisingly The Apple Factory logo is an apple with a wedge sliced out.
A slogan printed on this bag is “I’m Fresh From The Apple Factory”. There are no facts printed on this bag.
Many bag categories are missing such as displaying the company web site, a nutrition facts table, some distributor address details, an ingredient list, a blurb printed about The Apple Factory or this hot flavor, this plastic bag not being resealable, no French translations, no slit to easily open this bag, a Canadian Department of Agriculture stamp, and a soy allergen alert. To the credit of The Apple Factory, a phone number is provided for customer inquiries.
The first empty bag displayed was purchased in 2016, with a tweaked bag design. The second empty bag displayed was purchased in 2013, with a tweaked bag design.
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