About five years ago, Brian Tucker experienced a jerky epiphany. Tucker is the assistant general manager of Hi Mountain Seasonings in Riverton, and for him, this moment of clarity came at a gas station, in the meat snack aisle.
“I stopped in Orin Junction between Douglas and Lusk, and they had 10 different brands of jerky in that little gas station truck stop there,” Tucker told Cowboy State Daily.
Tucker felt surrounded by too many jerky options and sensed a saturating market. The owners decided it was time for his company to stop making jerky.
“It is just like the barbecue sauce market. Go to your local grocery store and see how many different brands there are on the store shelves,” added Tucker.
Hi Mountain Seasonings only produced its own brand of jerky for a couple of years, but since 1991, it’s been a major player in the do-it-yourself segment of the jerky market.
“Our bread and butter is the seasoning, especially the kits for making jerky and sausage,” he said.
“We're one of the largest manufacturers in the world for do it-yourself home kits for jerky and sausage. We have reach into Canada, into Australia, and we ship all over the world,” said Tucker.
Tucker was correct in his premonition about the jerky market’s continued over-saturation with more brands and more Americans relating to jerky as a lifestyle.
While Tucker chose to focus exclusively on selling supplies to jerky do-it-yourselfers, more and more of those who started making jerky at home turned pro. They opened their own jerky companies and now compete in this highly competitive but growing market for meat snacks.
Inside the Jerky Boom
The jerky aisle at Town Pump convenience stores across Montana is so long and stacked with choices, a shopper might reasonably spend an hour examining every flavor available in this cornucopia of seasoned protein.
At the gas station, grocery store, specialty meat market and online, jerky makers feed a $6 billion industry. The jerky market could grow to $10 billion by 2032, according to a 2024 report from Skyquest Research.
Another recent online report from The Food Institute declared, “Big Opportunity Remains in Beef Jerky Category.”
“It often becomes difficult for fledgling jerky brands to earn retail shelf space, keep it, and create a compelling value proposition that resonates with shoppers nationwide,” reported The Food Institute.
But many small jerky makers succeed by producing a much higher quality product with well-sourced ingredients and “often humorous or witty marketing,” according to The Food Institute.
That explains brands like Righteous Felon Craft Jerky, The New Primal and Think Jerky.
“Everybody and their mother across the country is starting like a boutique snack stick or jerky or even pet food company,” Wyatt Nelson told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday.
The Middle Meats
Nelson is the CEO of Montana Local Foods Distribution. He helps distribute sustainably produced jerky and pointed to jerky companies finding ways to efficiently use what are known as “the middle meats.”
“Middle meats are all like the meats that you typically don't get at a fine restaurant,” said Nelson. “Like chuck roast, top round, mock tenders, those sorts of meats that are harder to sell.”
As the jerky business started to boom and demand for middle meats rose, said Nelson, the price went up. Still, said Nelson, when it comes to jerky, “the markup is huge.”
One jerky pro tip from Nelson: Don’t buy anything marketed as “Wagyu.”
“My beef with Wagyu jerky is that they are genetically a fattier beef. Provided by nature, original genetics came out of Kobe, Japan,” said Nelson. “And because they're naturally fatty — typically you don't want a fatty jerky — bacteria will grow and it will go bad.”
The Jerky Lifestyle
“We want to create a community of jerky lovers from across the globe,” pronounces the landing page for JerkyJunkies on Facebook, just one of many outposts in the online jerky world.
The options are limitless online: alligator, antelope, duck, kangaroo and yak, which sells for $22.99 for 3.25 ounces at mountainamericajerky.com.
At jerkyup.com, there’s alpaca, snapping turtle and python jerky.
At Demo’s Meats in Ennis, Montana, three varieties of fresh jerky are on display in the meat case. The teriyaki beef was nearly sold-out Wednesday morning at Demo’s. It appeared to be the customer favorite over Demo’s own “spicy” and “original” flavors available as well.
A butcher cutting meat told Cowboy State Daily that winter is the jerky slow season. Sure, snowmobilers, ice fishing anglers and backcountry skiers load up on the stuff because it’s lightweight, filling and delicious.
But the true surge in demand for jerky comes at the peak of the summer fly fishing season on the nearby Madison River. Like cold beer, sunscreen and the right flies, Demo’s jerky is loaded onto drift boats and devoured across the community, according to the shop, at a rate of 100 pounds a day.
Preparation Is Key
To better prepare for this story, Cowboy State Daily executive editor Jimmy Orr ordered every jerky snack available from a company called “Carnivore Snax" -- a company whose advertisement kept popping up in Orr's social media feeds.
That includes five ounce bags of Ribeye, Pork Loin, New York Strip, Beef Sliders, Brisket, Bison Sliders, and Farm Sliders.
Their marketing plan is simple: “Meat and Salt. That’s it.”
It didn’t take long for all seven bags to be consumed. They lasted a whopping three days.
The verdict? Unbelievable.
“The jerky really does melt in your mouth and the fat is really buttery and rich,” Orr said. “So you want to do better than Greg (Cowboy State Daily's managing editor) and I did. You definitely want to pace yourself.”
Carnivore Snax are great because there’s no sugar. But watch out for the price. They aren’t cheap. Every five ounce bag costs about $30. Although the New York Strip clocks in at nearly $40. The grand total was $220.06. Ouch.
David Madison can be reached at david@cowboystatedaily.com.
