jerky maker finds success while most packaged-food purveyors fading - beef jerky dehydrator

Hey, time traveler!
This article is published in 6/11/2015 (1358 days ago)
Therefore, the information in it may no longer be up to date. MINONG, Wis. —
It is appropriate that Jack link still raises cattle here, and his Angus Stiles and the heifer roam in the same Bush he grew up in.
Link made a new spin on an ancient foodjerky —
About 30 years ago, in this small town, 225 kilometers northeast of Minneapolis.
He peddled it at trade fairs and built an iron distribution network through regional convenience stores.
Today, the name of Link is synonymous with meat snacks, his Minong-
The company is the largest supplier of beef jerky in the United States.
"It's really beyond my imagination and beyond what I think," Link said . ".
"Growth is huge.
"The company's annual sales of over $1 billion led an unstable market it basically created.
Its farce advertising
Featuring dried meat
Sasaki-
Consolidated the brand's popularity. The meat-
There is no sign of a slowdown in the snack business.
Beef jerky is the two most popular trends in the food industry: protein and snacks.
Dried meat has a high protein content and is now so popular that grains
Manufacturer General Mills has launched a cheeriios chock-Rich in protein
In addition, the beef jerky is a very portable food, which is very suitable for more and more people in North America who like to eat snacks.
"In the past decade, dried meat has been at the center of what consumers want," said Troy Link, son of chairman Jack link and chief executive of the company.
Big food companies have seen this and are increasingly getting involved in meat snacks.
Just this year, Hershey bought beef jerky.
Manufacturer Krave, its first non-
Chocolate acquisition.
Tyson has expanded his popular brand of Ball Park hot dogs to jerky.
Rommel food has made one of its signature meat products dry and bite --
Portion size: junk snacks.
But Troy Link says no one is as immersed in meat snacks as Jack link: "We are meat --snacks experts.
That's all we do.
"The re-invention of commercial Jack Linke's products these days will also make Turkey dried, chicken and bacon dried, but the foundation is still the original whole --beef variety.
The meat arrives at Jack Linke's rice farm with a lean mass of round steak
About four kilograms per kilogram.
In a small garage-sized oven, slice, season and cook for six to eight hours.
The milnon factory is a complement to other factories in Jack link and has about 600 employees.
Since the population of minnon is only around 530, Jack Link's employees come from other towns in spuna, Hayworth and northwest Wisconsin.
Jack Link has a residence in Florida, but he still lives in part of the year in milnon.
On a trip to the town, he pointed out the green Rover he had spread, with the letters "J" and "L" plastered in front, painted white like a decoration.
Behind the wheel of a new Ford F-
150, he drove past a major street bar where his parents had lived and a shabby old house where his grandparents had lived.
Linke dates back to the 19 th century. He was in the roots of the farmers. great-
The grandfather of the sausage maker came from Germany.
Jack was born in 1946 and in the same year his father and uncle opened a Ford car dealership in town, which Jack now owns.
He works in a growing dealership, also on a family farm where cattle are raised, and at links department store where furniture, electrical appliances and meat are sold.
There are 47 kinds of sausages, beef and beef jerky in the store.
It's all done by links. But by the mid-
1980. The Link slaughterhouse has filed for bankruptcy.
Jack Link focuses on beef jerky, a favorite for hunters and fishermen.
He believes that the core athlete market can be better explored through a wider distribution network.
As a result, he made a individually packed strap, or what the company calls a "steak", which is thicker and tender than the traditional beef jerky.
In fact, it is not technically unstable.
The holiday station store, one of the largest chain convenience stores in the area, accepted the product.
"This is a big deal," Link said . ".
Super America signed up.
So is QuickTrip.
"We grew up in a convenience store.
Quick link to add seasoned dried meat steak-
Braised, pepper, sweet and spicy
Meat sticks packed with cheese sticks.
Then he began to produce small bags of traditional beef jerky.
Growing distribution network-
Walmarts in the world also signed an agreement.
JACK Link is now a global company.
In addition to Minong, Jack Link has five other Americans. S.
There are many facilities in the hotel, Alpena, S. D.
It is its largest business place.
Jack Link also has factories in Germany, New Zealand and Brazil, accounting for 15 of international sales.
Jack Linke's growing marketing and sales division is now primarily based in Minni apores, where Jack Linke employs about 130 employees.
Troy Link travels from Florida where he lives to and from minniabaris and minnon, where he also has residence.
Jack Link has a share of nearly 60 in the United States. S.
According to Chicago, beef jerky market
Market researcher IRI.
The most intense competitors are their own brands, which together account for 10 per cent of beef jerky sales.
Among the meat sticks and other meat snacks, Jack Link's products are second only to the publicly traded packaged food ConAgra Foodfood giant.
Jack Link sells dried meat and meat snacks in the United StatesS.
Only $1.
The year ended October was 3 billion per cent.
4, according to IRI.
With its fast and strong performanceA growing market
And the protein snack aura around the dried meat.
Jack Link is the target of the big food company.
"If we are interested in the marketing of the company, I think we will be very interested (for it)
Says Troy Link.
"But this is not our wish. . .
We decided that in the long run we would like to be a familyowned business. "—Star Tribune (Minneapolis)