Starting a beef jerky business can be a challenging undertaking, given the sheer number of jerky brands globally, with North America alone accounting for over 1,000 brands. The market is fiercely competitive and crowded, making it no easy feat to enter the jerky business.
Our interactions with small jerky makers starting out have revealed that success in the industry requires hard work and dedication beyond just jerky making. In addition to perfecting their jerky recipe, successful jerky makers often work tirelessly to improve and expand their business. Be prepared to put in long days if you’re planning to start a beef jerky business.
MAKING JERKY
Jerky as a Side Business
For those considering selling beef jerky as a side business while working a full-time job, it’s important to keep in mind that balancing both can be challenging. Without proper planning and management, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and risk burning out. Additionally, taking a break from jerky-making and running out of stock could disappoint your loyal customers and prompt them to seek out other options.
Copacker
If you’re considering selling jerky and want to ensure that your product is USDA compliant, you have two options: either manufacture it yourself in a compliant facility, or hire a copacker to make it for you. With a copacker, you can decide whether you want to be involved in the preparation process or leave it entirely up to them. Ultimately, it’s important to carefully weigh the pros and cons of each option before making a decision that aligns with your business goals.
Government Regulations
The regulations for selling beef jerky can differ significantly depending on the location. To meet minimum standards, you may need to comply with over 100 different rules, which are subject to constant change. The specific regulations can vary from state to state, province to province, and country to country. As such, it is crucial to conduct thorough research in the area where you plan to make and sell your jerky to ensure compliance with all applicable regulations.
Government Inspection
Beef jerky makers are subject to government inspections, depending on where the jerky is sold. To ensure the safety and quality of the product, it may need to be submitted to the relevant government agency for inspection and processing. Many jerky bags display a stamp indicating that the product has been inspected by the Department of Agriculture or other regulatory bodies. It’s important for jerky makers to comply with these regulations to ensure their products meet safety and quality standards.
JERKY EQUIPMENT
Dehydrator
Consider purchasing a used dehydrator to save on costs for your beef jerky business. There are often opportunities to find great deals on dehydrators from companies that have gone out of business, allowing you to potentially pay only a fraction of the original price. Take the time to search through classified ads and au ctions geared towards the food industry to find these deals.
Our nine tray Excalibur dehydrator has been reliable for over ten years to experiment with making jerky. We upgraded to the stainless steel trays and upgraded to the heavy-duty Excalibur dehydrator model. Excalibur sells commercial dehydrators also.
Used Dehydrator
Consider purchasing a used dehydrator to save on costs for your beef jerky business. There are often opportunities to find great deals on dehydrators from companies that have gone out of business, allowing you to potentially pay only a fraction of the original price. Take the time to search through classified ads and auctions geared towards the food industry to find these deals.
Food Slicer
For those considering purchasing a food slicer for their beef jerky business, a basic commercial-grade model can typically be found starting at around $500, though the price may vary depending on the size and brand. Those on a budget may consider buying a used slicer, which can often be found at discounted prices through classified ads or auctions.
JERKY BAGS
Plastic Bags
Purchasing plastic bags for your jerky company can be a cost-effective option when compared to buying labels. Typically, you can buy 2,000 resealable bags for an average of around 5 cents per bag. However, when it comes to buying labels, 2,000 plain colored labels with only the name of the flavor can cost you up to 30 cents per label. If you purchase your bags and labels in larger quantities, you can enjoy considerable discounts.
Labels
When starting a jerky business, custom labels can quickly become a significant expense. Label makers typically charge an upfront fee to develop a template, which can range from $5,000 to $10,000 or more. For a business with four flavors, this could result in a label cost of $20,000 or more. However, purchasing resealable bags for your jerky is a more affordable option. On average, 2,000 resealable bags cost about 5 cents each, whereas plain-colored labels with just the flavor name can cost up to 30 cents per label. By buying bags and labels in bulk, you can significantly reduce costs.
Oxygen Absorbers
Using oxygen absorbers is not a requirement for jerky making, but they can be a valuable addition to your packaging process. When used correctly, they can be a powerful tool for keeping your jerky fresh and extending its shelf life. These absorbers are usually available in bags containing a minimum of 500 units and are relatively inexpensive. However, once you open the bag, it is essential to use the oxygen absorbers within a few days; otherwise, they will be rendered useless if exposed to air for an extended period, even if you seal them tightly.
CLEANING
Cleaning your equipment and workspace is crucial for ensuring the safety and quality of your jerky. Neglecting this aspect of your business could result in serious consequences such as contamination with harmful bacteria like Salmonella or E. coli, which could lead to lawsuits and bankruptcy. It’s important to note that the cost of cleaning can be significant, with some meat store owners allocating up to 25% of their budget towards cleaning expenses. Don’t underestimate the importance of maintaining a clean and sanitized workspace, as it could ultimately make or break your business.
DISTRIBUTION
The distribution of your jerky can be one of the most challenging aspects of starting a new jerky business. While you may have a fantastic product, finding outlets to sell your jerky can be difficult. Trying to convince large chain stores to carry your jerky can be an uphill battle. Many small jerky makers opt to sell their products at Farmer’s Markets, where they can connect directly with customers.
To illustrate, consider the experience of one jerky business owner who had the fourth highest jerky sales in their state. However, the difference in sales between first and fourth place was significant. They explained that in order to make their business profitable, they needed to sell over 3,000 pounds of jerky per month, which can be a daunting task.
Website
Having a website is crucial for any jerky business in today’s world as it allows customers to order your products online, expanding your reach beyond regional markets to national and international ones. Without an online presence, your business may miss out on a significant number of potential customers.
Though it may come at a cost, Shopify is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms for jerky makers, and it offers numerous features that can streamline the online ordering process for your customers. Additionally, it’s important to ensure that your website is optimized for search engines using SEO techniques. This will increase your website’s visibility and make it easier for potential customers to find your jerky business online.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For jerky makers, it is crucial to have a presence on social media platforms. This is because social media serves as a powerful tool for free advertising and can help you grow your customer base by reaching out to potential customers. The earlier you start building your social media presence, the better it is for your business.
However, it is important to maintain a clear separation between your personal and professional accounts. It’s recommended to create a separate social media account for your business and keep it professional-looking. This ensures that you don’t mix your personal affairs with your business, and your customers see you as a reputable brand. So, make sure to stay active on social media platforms and engage with your customers to build a loyal following.
www.instagram.com – People just seem to love pictures of food, and jerky is no exception. Instagram has the most user activity of all the jerky centric social media sites.
www.twitter.com – Any business should be on Twitter, not just jerky makers. Twitter gives you a good pulse on the jerky and other industries.
www.facebook.com – It is essential to be on Facebook, currently the world’s largest social media website. Facebook can be very good, but it’s arguably too large.
RAISING FUNDS
The most common way of raising funds to start a jerky company is using Kickstarter. Another alternative is Go Fund Me. For example, let’s say you need $15,000. You set an exact target date to achieve $15,000 from any potential backers. You need to reach the entire $15,000 on the date you committed. You get nothing if you miss the deadline and the campaign ends.
Generally, you would make a short video that sells your jerky above the rest. If you succeed in repayment to the financial backers, you could offer some jerky in exchange for compensation later.
JERKY FLAVOR NAME
We are sticklers here at Jerky Ingredients in that the flavor name should match the actual flavor. Many jerky makers in our jerky reviews have lost one taste rating only because the flavor name does match the actual flavor itself, regardless of how good the taste is.
While a pure technicality, this taste rating deduction can be avoided by appropriately naming your jerky flavor. If you name your jerky flavor Hot, then have a reasonable amount of heat. Otherwise, just name the flavor Spicy. If you name your jerky flavor Peppered, have a detectable level of black pepper, a garlic flavor should have a noticeable garlic taste present, etc. Think of it as somebody eating jerky blindfolded and being asked to guess the flavor name.
Here at Jerky Ingredients, we reviewed over 600 unique jerky flavor names, broken down into over 70 jerky flavor categories. Jerky makers are encouraged to add a flavor description for each flavor sold on their jerky maker websites, which is much appreciated, where the flavor description factors into the taste rating.
JERKY REVIEWS
Submitting jerky for review can be a great way to get free advertising, apart from shipping and the jerky itself. We see submitted jerky as a win-win situation. We get new jerky to review, and the jerky maker gets advertising and exposure, including on social media.
In the last five years, we have seen more and more of these jerky subscription clubs. A customer will sign up and pay a monthly fee for a jerky box, where the jerky brands can vary from month to month. We have noticed that we will favorably review a jerky brand, and a few months later, we will see the jerky brand in one or more of these monthly subscription boxes. Do not underestimate the publicity and possibilities garnered from a professional jerky review.
True, we may not favor the flavor, and rate the taste low, but that is highly unlikely. Most craft jerky makers have good to excellent jerky flavors in this day and age. Contact us at jerkyingredients@gmail.com for further details. As usual, we provide jerky makers with a draft copy of each review before they are published. Fair, honest, and thorough are the most common descriptions given to us in our jerky reviews.
THE COURSE – BRING YOUR JERKY TO MARKET
Learn from a jerky maker who made a lost of mistakes and learned from them. The Bring Your Jerky to Market Course has 23 modules that will guide you through starting a beef jerky business from the ground up.
The Course – Bring Your Jerky To Market
Guiding you through the process of choosing a name, starting a website, & creating a business plan; in making beef jerky, testing for safety, and navigating all government regulations and approvals.
Modules:
- Module 1 – Choosing the Name of Your Business
- Module 2 – Bag Selection & Layout, Must Have Info
- Module 3 – Declaration of Ingredients (What they don’t tell you until it’s too late)
- Module 4 – Creating Your HACCP Plan & Flow Chart
- Module 5 – Meat Selection & Slicing
- Module 6 – Specifications For Commercial Kitchen
- Module 7 – Making & Processing Your Beef Jerky Safe Temperature
- Module 8 – Purchasing the Best Commercial Dehydrators for Under $500
- Module 9 – How to Get Nutritional Values
- Module 10 – Water Activity Test Kit
- Module 11 – Food Safety Certification
- Module 12 – Copy of Daily Cooking Log Information for the Dept. of Agriculture
- Module 13 – Fat Yankee Business Plan – Distribution Methods
- Module 14 – Getting Started Building Your Brand
- Module 15 – How to Find the Best Festivals
- Module 16 – Marketing Your Jerky Online (How Keith sold 50k in 1 year Online)
- Module 17 – Setting Up Your Website – Shopify 14 Day Free Trial
- Module 18 – Shelf Life
- Module 19 – All Natural Nitrate Curing Like The Big Guys
- Module 20 – Pricing Your Jerky (Important)
- Module 21 – USDA Processing – List of USDA Processors
- Module 22 – Start Making Sales
- Module 23 – Beef Jerky Master Class (FREE Access)
- Bonus – Fundraiser Template & Documents
- Bonus – 1 Hour Consultation With Keith
I love that you created this article. Starting a beef jerky manufacturing business is not easy and costs money. Many companies start out by creating their own recipe and then move on to using a co-packer who handles the manufacturing. This becomes even more expensive but is definitely needed if your jerky brand begins to grow.
If you have a mind for business and a will to win, then the jerky business may be for you!
Thanks John. This starting a jerky business page was one of the first pages that I started writing in 2013. Kind of as a filler when we were just starting, something to add jerky content on the web site. Now it’s the most visited page on this web site, after multiple revisions. A kind thank you to all of the great advice given in the comments section.
The article straight forward, and simple. It has given great ideas on how to set up my own small business on jerk you beef making.
Interesting. But my consideration was for a small unit catering to a very sharply focused limited market say 500 or 1,000 lbs per month what are the government regulations to be met? Who do we go to and who do we apply to and how difficult or easy it is. About Making and Marketing the product is absolutely no problem for me being a Management, Marketing, Communications and a PR guy career all my life.
Can somebody throw light on govt. permissions and regulations please? And what about insurance if any ideas please?
hi how did you go finding out the regulations I’m starting a small jerky business in Australia and have no idea where to start any help would be great
Just to give an update here. I got Jen in touch with the very talented owner of Mad Cow Jerky, based out of Victoria, Australia. This one woman show jerky brand managed to talk Jen out of starting a new jerky company. Recently introduced food regulations proved to be too many restrictions.
way to stop competition! wow! talking someone out of starting a competing business.
Yep
I don’t know, sounds like a daunting task. All my friends have been urging me to sta Rd t a jerkey business but they don’t realize the hoops you have to jump through, still stuck need more info
Fat Yankee Jerky I help People Start their Own Business, Including Commercial Ktichen standards. HACCP Plan Flow Chart & Declaration of Ingredients. Not as hard as it seems to be. Just have to go step by step.
Great Article
Are you looking to start from scratch with your own recipe or are you open to selling a currently branded product?
I have a phenomenal jerky which I do on the side and trying to figure out a way for somebody to process it and for me to receive royalties
Hi. Pls email me to discuss your suggestion.
I’m interested in branding my jerky. My email is jascmeatcompany@yahoo.com
Yeah right. Of course, you’re just some scumbag selling instructions, right?
Bug off.
I have started a side gig as a hobby and I have people begging me for my jerky. I have all the commercial tools for big amounts. And have no problem selling 20 lbs a week at 30 bucks a lb. just intemadated by start up and regulations not sure if I should pursue this ideas or keep my day job
hi I’m starting a small jerky business in Australia and would love to know how you went I have no ide where to start
I don’t know how his business is going because I have others begging me to start up. I’ve been making it for fun because I’m tired of spending big money for little packages of meat.
If you’re wanting to start up just for yourself, you still need to buy the spice mix and cures, dehydrators, bag sealing systems, meat slicer, meat guns if you’re going to do beef sticks, etc.
I learned the hard way about losing over $50 of meat due to air and moisture. That’s why I bought a vacuum system to bag up my product. Also gotta have a scale to know how much of the item you’re going to bag at one time. Don’t forget the price of to replace items once it breaks.
Just to give an update here. I got Jen in touch with the very talented owner of Mad Cow Jerky, based out of Victoria, Australia. This one woman show jerky brand managed to talk Jen out of starting a new jerky company. Recently introduced food regulations proved to be too many restrictions.
Reach out to me at chadfarokhnia@gmail.com. I have a few questions about starting my own business
Hi!
Very interesting article.
What kind of slicer do you use for industrial production without frozing the meat?
Thanks!
Bill, I been in the business for over 40 years. The first name in slicers that is dependable and affordable is Hobart. Before you shout that I am nuts being wrong about the cost. Yes a new one is 5k. I myself by used Hobarts for around 350.00 to 400.00. I surf the auctions. I have other slicers and hate them. Berkel for sure. A pain in the ass to clean. Not worth buying. You need screw drivers and wrenches etc. to take them apart for cleaning and you end up spending 30 or 40 minutes for the washdown. In 10 minutes my Hobart is apart cleaned and back together. Almost all the slicers out there function well. The thing to remember is “user friendly”. Before you buy one have the sales person do a teardown and see what is needed. Remember this unit has to be super clean if you don’t want to poison all your friends.
If you have any questions about jerky manufacturing feel free to ask, glad to help. mike
Bill, I apologize for the delay in response. Just swamped. FYI I was born in Windsor….not far from you. Answer to your question. I do not sell Jerky anymore. Smokinmike is one of names I branded and am part owner of this business. I create recipes and watch quality control. Also, to be truthful and a little embarrassed at the same time. I had never looked at the smokinmike.com website till a moment ago. Think it needs a lot of work.
Anyhow, I would love to send you samples of the non-infused Jerky, Pepperoni, Prosciutto and cured sausage. The problem is at the moment it is illegal to send meat products to Canada from the states. My brothers have been put through the ringer at the Ambassador Bridge after getting caught with jerky I gave them. Not sure why but that is the case. If you have a US address I will oblige you.
Bill, there are a couple of private label firms up where you live that would manufacture your recipe of jerky for you less than you can do it yourself. They will do it all including the packaging and Bill can concentrate on Brand building etc..
If I could guide you the right way I would tell you to toss the Beef Jerky deal and make pork jerky. 1/3 the cost to make. Final product easier to bite through. Tastes the same. Less fat, waste and a buck a lb. instead of 4 bucks a lb.
Cost around 4 dollars a lb to make instead of 10 dollars. The stuff I make is preferred over beef 5 to 1. I do not eat beef jerky since I came up with the current pork jerky mix.
I use loins only. Cut them in half and run the slices lengthwise on the Hobart at about 1/4 inch thick. Then flip the pieces over and run them through again. Come out like long fat french fries. Marinade overnight and then the smoker. The yield is 10% higher than beef because of the density of the meat. Nevertheless, way better than beef and you also have a niche that others do not have.
Bill, if you have any questions about the business just ask via contacting me through the website. I have been selling this stuff internationally and across the country for 40+ years and really have seen it all. Maybe I can help you avoid a lot of mistakes that might cost you for nothing. Tired and going to crash. Best wishes,, miike
hi I am starting a small jerky business in Australia and have no idea where to start any help would be appreciated
I would love to talk with you, we are starting a Jerky business and have only found one manufacturer/packaging company willing to work with us to date. We have a great business plan with a solid marketing platform for sales. We ran an 24 hour ad and ended it after 300 emails asking where they can purchase our products.
Where would I find your contact info?
Thank you,
Sean
I read an article by the FSIS yesterday that said a temperature of 160° must be reached to assure all bacteria is dead. Do people precook the meat and then smoke it or do they just smoke it to 160°?
Hi Kevin, my dehydrator recommends to dry jerky at 155°. I can comfortably dry jerky at 147° (my preference for personal jerky) with no fear of bacteria, but mind you I dry the beef for at least 8 hours. If I dry jerky at 160°, I find that the jerky texture gets too crispy, at least with my dehydrator. Smoking jerky should be no different, where 155° in a smoker is 155° in a dehydrator for example. There is no need to precook the meat.
Yes, Jerky has to reach an internal Temp. of 160 or above
Fat Yankee
I’ve been looking into this lately and thought about pork as well. Are there any examples of cash flow out there or are we left modeling our own through trial and error? Would love to chat. tnoye40@gmail.com
Hi have questions can you call me 361688 6064
Hi Bill, on the low end, Cabela’s Jerky Slicer is an option: http://www.cabelas.ca/search?q=slicer Cabela’s also carry commercial dehydrators: http://www.cabelas.ca/product/94811/cabelas-160-litre-commercial-grade-food-dehydrator
Bill, I been in the business for over 40 years. The first name in slicers that is dependable and affordable is Hobart. Before you shout that I am nuts being wrong about the cost. Yes a new one is 5k. I myself by used Hobarts for around 350.00 to 400.00. I surf the auctions. I have other slicers and hate them. Berkel for sure. A pain in the ass to clean. Not worth buying. You need screw drivers and wrenches etc. to take them apart for cleaning and you end up spending 30 or 40 minutes for the washdown. In 10 minutes my Hobart is apart cleaned and back together. Almost all the slicers out there function well. The thing to remember is “user friendly”. Before you buy one have the sales person do a teardown and see what is needed. Remember this unit has to be super clean if you don’t want to poison all your friends.
If you have any questions about jerky manufacturing feel free to ask, glad to help. mike
Question?
I have 7 stores willing to carry my jerky. From small mom and pops to a grocery store… I’m just starting negotiations next week.
What percentage of my net profits should I share?
What’s typical market % on these types of goods sold?
50/50? 60/40?
Any information would be HIGHLY appreciated!
Thx,
Rob
Rob, you don’t share any of your net profit. Unless your married, then you get nothing and the wife gets it all. Your going to need to determine what you need per package to make the profit you want. Generally I get 2.60 for a 3oz pack. That is what I need to make 1.00 a pack. I sell 200 to 400 packs to each vender once a month. Now I have a roll stock machine and all the other equipment to produce high volume production. If you are doing this at home and doing all the work yourself you have to love what your doing or you are crazy.. You cannot make enough money to even meet minimum wage. What causes that is competition. Even if you have the best tasting product in the world. Dealers are looking at the bottom line. This may help you. The norm is your cost to the store is around .90 per ounce. The store normally marks it up 30 to 40% depending on what type of store. The little neighborhood stores mark up 50 to 60% over what they pay you. Big stores stay around 30%. Most big markets will not buy from you. You have to go through a distributor. You see the norm is you get yours, distributor gets 30% mark up, big store does the same. Plus 30%. So if you sell a 3oz bag for 2.70, the distributor get .80 a pack now that’s 3.50 and the store sells it plus 30% at 4.55 or so. What you charge is critical. The higher you are is magnified buy the time it is on the shelf. Something else for you to know, if your dreams are to be in the big stores that is not hard to do. The problem is slotting fees.
You have to pay the big stores sometimes 5 to 15 thousand a month to have your product on their shelf. If you do not have a product that moves you will go broke and have to take the product back. They also want 1 to 2 million insurance policy which is up 5k a year on you. I have more than 40 years in this business and don’t sell beef jerky anymore. Not close to worth it. Figuring beef denutted top round at 3.60 a lb wholesale and as you know takes 2 lbs to make 1 lb jerky you have 7 to 8 buck just in meat. Leave no room for profit. Wonder how the other guys do it. Uruguay and Argentina. Beef is 40 cents a lb clean. I bought containers full of fillet for .50 cent a lb. Just got tired of the screw ups along the way. The solution for me was a niche product. Prosciutto. I pay 2 bucks a lb to make it and sell it for 70.00 a lb. Get it…..
Best Wishes mike
Mike, Hows the prosciutto biz going?
Hi. Pls email me to discuss your suggestion.
Hey guys any new Jerky business that wants to or is interested in sponsoring a growing Esports Org that can really promote and advertise your business through the gaming and social media Community, send me a DM on any of our Social media and check out our website @NovaCoreGaming
We can discuss this if your really interested plus we have our own designer that can make personally made Ads, and promos for advertising and promoting your brand.
Thank you for your time.hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
Carlos J Garrido
Founder & CEO of NovaCoreGaming
Hi,am Afolabi from Nigeria,i find it difficult to liquid smoke in Nigeria all other ingredients are available.please can you just give a substitute for liquid smoke or what is you suggestion.thank and hope to hear from you soon
Hi Afolabi, I am not aware of any substitutes for liquid smoke, other than to use a smoker to dry your jerky. Many jerky makers who use real smoke will scoff at jerky makers that use liquid smoke. My personal opinion is that liquid smoke is overrated anyway. It should be noted that the quality of liquid smoke can vary widely. High quality liquid smoke such as hickory or mesquite can be quite pricey, to remove the carcinogens. While not a proud moment, I have used liquid smoke from plywood, an extremely cheap $10 gallon jug, which had induced vomiting from multiple people during the drying process.
hi my name is Antoine I’m starting a small jerky business in Australia. I’ve been working on the Food Safety Program since a month, and now i have no idea whats the next step. Also I’m wondering if a dehydrator excalibur will be fine or i will need to buy one commercial?
Any help will be great thanks
Hi,
My name is Ugi, I am from Mongolia. I am trying to starting jerky business in my country. Can I take your email address? My email: idlegfoods@gmail.com
I’m disabled and on social security with absolutely no ambitions of earning more than a $1000 a month period.
Currently the farmers market venue appeals to me as a small sidle hustle just to make ends meet.
I can definitely do small batch quality artisan jerky.
I prefer investing in high quality equipment and packaging because it lasts.
I’m wondering if I need special insurance?
Obtaining a handlers handlers permit is no problem for me.
I’m disabled and on social security with absolutely no ambitions of earning more than a $1000 a month period. I make maybe 20 lbs a week of Beef & Turkey jerky.Not wanting to get big in this just a hobby more or less.I sell it cheap & mostly to people I know.Is there any wrong doings here?
hola me ciento un poco ancioso y confundido al mismo tiempo,sucede que Yo preparo carne de cerdo estilo jerky y la llevo a mi trabajo ,mis companeros la compran y la consumen y la opinion de ellos acerca del savor de mi jerky es de el 1 al 10 = 10, gracias a Dios. y deseo emprender mi propio negocio, pero para ser honesto no cuento con dinero ,tampoco con conocimiento de las regulaciones en mi estado (vivo en Carolina del Sur, EEUU), mi pregunta es: hay alguien que pueda ayudarme en este caso? toda respuesta y comentario sera altamente agradecido.gracias.
Here is Rodrigo’s comment translated to English according to Google Translate: “Hello I’m a little bit antsy and confused at the same time, it happens that I prepare jerky style pork and take it to my work, my co-workers buy it and consume it and their opinion about the savor of my jerky is from 1 at 10 = 10, thank God. and I want to start my own business, but to be honest I do not have money, nor with knowledge of the regulations in my state (I live in South Carolina, USA), my question is: is there someone who can help me in this case? Any response and comment will be highly appreciated. Thanks.”
hello ones again ,just to you know any response comment ,that you have can be in english or spanish,thanks to all of you.
my email is : ricoduro1@yahoo.com
Thanks for the very useful information I just started making my jerky and selling it on the side for cash to coworkers neighbors family and friends. Probably how everyone started out but I live in New Jersey where you need a team of legal experts to do anything. Thank you for the basic out line of what I need to look into to take it to the next level.
Do you know of anyone who has had success in going from homemade jerky to FDA approved jerky? In California?
Tyrell, get in touch with Jeff from Jeff’s Famous Jerky. You can also ask Franco from Smokehouse Jerky Co., or Dustyn from Empire Jerky.
Hi Tyrell,
Ii would be happy to talk with you. Send me an email with your number: Jeff@JeffsFamousJerky.com
Question- we have beef cattle and sell directly to consumers. I’d love to add on jerky but don’t want to make it myself and can’t find any kind of company to give my meat to so they can make it. Any tips on finding one?
Hi! How much money overall do you think this type of business takes to start up?? I have 40 of my own personal accts…..pretend you’re walking into a 1000 square foot area.
Thank you!
Can you guys recommend some good Copackers to work with In Louisiana Texas or Mississippi?
Hi Chris, some jerky makers will likely frown on me for mentioning this. Research a company named Boyds located in California. I say that jerky makers might be upset because Boyds had a heck of a time keeping up with demand in 2020 due to covid restrictions. The last update I had was in August 2020. No idea what the status of Boyds is today. Otherwise, Boyds is among, if not the best copackers out there tastewise. Good luck.
Hi Chris, some jerky makers will likely frown on me for mentioning this. Research a company named Boyds located in California. I say that jerky makers might be upset because Boyds had a heck of a time keeping up with demand in 2020 due to covid restrictions. The last update I had was in August 2020. No idea what the status of Boyds is today. Otherwise, Boyds is among, if not the best copackers out there tastewise. Good luck.
For those interested, here is Boyd Specialties website. They output more than 5 millions bags of jerky a year as a private labeler/copacker. https://boydspecialtiesjerky.com/
For those interested, a guest post was published today titled “Top 11 Questions to Ask Private Label Manufacturers”. http://jerkyingredients.com/2022/06/14/top-11-questions-to-ask-private-label-manufacturers/
Thank you for all of this. I am interested in making a batch or two this week to try it for the first time—partially so that I can use it as a protein snack for myself and partially to see whether selling it on any scale might be feasible. There is a ton of information in this comments section alone, and I am going to check out the modules when I get off of work tomorrow.
Also of note in the website and with the Boyd’s one you shared are jerky from other meats, as well as flavor names to inspire some of the creative process of experimenting with recipes.
Thank you, and thank you to all who contributed to this comments thread. I should have some more questions after I start a couple of batches, but for now, I think I have enough resources to find the information that I am curious about while I worry about flavor and cost. I borrowed a food dehydrator and am going to try that and an oven method I found a video.