It’s Jerky

What It’s Jerky does

It's Jerky is a privately held, family-owned premium beef jerky manufacturer founded by Jim Gurney in 1994 as a home-based hobby and officially incorporated as a USDA-certified plant in Redding, California in 1996. The company produces 10 distinct beef jerky SKUs — including Honey Pepper, Fire Hot, Pepper, Garlic, Teriyaki, Classic Teriyaki, Thick-N-Sweet, Thick-N-Zesty, Teriyaki Pepper, and Regular — packaged in 10oz bags and positioned on a "clean label, all-natural, no preservatives" proposition with 13g protein per serving and a 48-hour marination process backed by a 30-year proprietary recipe. Manufacturing is concentrated in a single USDA-inspected facility on Airport Road in Redding that doubles as a retail storefront and supports nationwide direct-to-consumer e-commerce.

The business operates three revenue channels: a direct-to-consumer e-commerce site with nationwide US shipping and a recurring subscription option (10% off, 15- or 30-day cycles); wholesale distribution through Costco (~67 locations), Safeway, and convenience/Pilot gas stations, reaching an aggregate footprint described as 40,000+ stores concentrated in the western US; and on-site retail at the Redding manufacturing plant with bulk pricing. Pricing is anchored at $19.99 per 10oz bag, shipping is tiered by order total from $9.50 to $25.00, and the customer base is primarily health-conscious snack consumers and active/outdoor enthusiasts. The company has remained entirely family-controlled — founder Jim Gurney was succeeded by his son Dustin in January 2013 — with no disclosed institutional or venture funding and a headcount in the 11-50 range.

Name

It’s Jerky

Legal name

It's Jerky

Website

https://itsjerky.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

It's Jerky is a family-owned, USDA-certified premium beef jerky manufacturer in Redding, California, selling 10 SKUs via D2C e-commerce with subscriptions, wholesale to 40,000+ stores including 67 Costco locations, and an on-site retail storefront.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Meat Snacks / Beef Jerky

SIC

Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013)

akta.pro primary industry

Jerky & Meat Snacks (CRADABAK)

Keywords

• Premium beef jerky
• Meat snack manufacturer
• High protein snacks
• All natural jerky
• Jerky subscription service

Headquarters

HQ city

Anderson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. E-commerce Direct Sales: Direct-to-consumer online sales through itsjerky.com. Customers can purchase individual bags or subscribe for recurring deliveries with 10% discount.
2. Retail/Wholesale Distribution: Wholesale distribution to retailers including Costco, Safeway, convenience stores, and Pilot gas stations. Products sold through third-party retail channels.
3. In-Store Sales: Direct sales from manufacturing plant/retail storefront in Redding, CA. Offers bulk deals like 'buy 5 get 6th free'.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

It's Jerky manufactures and sells premium beef jerky in 10 flavors, each packaged in 10oz bags at $19.99, using a 48-hour marination process and a 30-year proprietary herb-and-spice recipe. Products are made at a USDA-certified plant in Redding, California and sold direct-to-consumer via itsjerky.com (with a 10%-off subscription option), at the company's Redding storefront, and at approximately 40,000 retail locations including Costco, Safeway, and convenience stores.

Product overview

It's Jerky is a premium beef jerky manufacturer and online retailer offering a portfolio of 10 distinct beef jerky flavors. The product line centers on the core beef jerky collection (Honey Pepper, Regular, Teriyaki, Classic Teriyaki, Pepper, Thick-N-Sweet, Garlic, Fire Hot, Thick-N-Zesty, and Teriyaki Pepper), each sold in 10oz packages. The company operates on a direct-to-consumer model through its e-commerce platform, supplemented by a subscription service for recurring deliveries. Products are manufactured at a USDA-certified plant in Redding, California and distributed to over 40,000 retail locations including Costco and Safeway.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Honey Pepper Beef Jerky Premium beef jerky made with a unique blend of honey, brown sugar, salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt, offering a sweet and spicy flavor profile. Sold as a 10oz bag for $19.99 to consumers seeking healthier, all-natural jerky.
• Regular Beef Jerky Original-flavor beef jerky made with real beef that is tenderized and seasoned to perfection. The foundational product in the company's portfolio, sold in a 10oz bag for $19.99.
• Teriyaki Beef Jerky Premium teriyaki-flavored beef jerky featuring a combination of sweet and salty flavors, made with soy sauce and traditional teriyaki seasoning. Sold as a 10oz bag for $19.99.
• Classic Teriyaki Beef Jerky Traditional teriyaki beef jerky with a melt-in-your-mouth texture, made with soy sauce, sugar, and ginger-based seasoning. Sold as a 10oz bag for $19.99.
• Pepper Beef Jerky Savory beef jerky with a hint of spice from black pepper, available in Flat or Thick cut options. Made with beef, salt, pepper, brown sugar, onion salt, and garlic salt, sold as a 10oz bag for $19.99.
• Thick-N-Sweet Beef Jerky Thick-cut beef jerky prepared with pineapple juice and brown sugar, offering a sweet pineapple flavor with tender texture. Sold as a 10oz bag for $19.99 and also distributed to Pilot gas stations.
• Garlic Beef Jerky Garlic-flavored beef jerky with a sweet garlicky taste, made with minced garlic, brown sugar, and natural seasonings. Designed to be tender and juicy rather than tough or dry, sold as a 10oz bag for $19.99.
• Fire Hot Beef Jerky Hot and spicy beef jerky with intense heat from pepper extract, featuring hand-applied spices for a bold fire-hot flavor experience. Sold as a 10oz bag for $19.99.
• Thick-N-Zesty Beef Jerky Thick-cut zesty beef jerky with punchy flavors and artisan recipe featuring soy sauce, vinegar, and ginger for an intense taste experience. Sold as a 10oz bag for $19.99.
• Teriyaki Pepper Beef Jerky Hybrid flavor beef jerky combining traditional teriyaki savory taste with a black pepper finish for a bold blend. Sold as a 10oz bag for $19.99.
• Beef Jerky Subscription Service Recurring delivery subscription offered through itsjerky.com giving customers a 10% discount on all orders. Subscribers can customize delivery frequency to every 15 or 30 days, manage their orders through an account, and receive orders processed and shipped within 48 hours of payment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.3/5 star rating from 123 Google reviews
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Chomps: Chomps is a premium meat stick and jerky brand with strong DTC subscription mechanics and growing mainstream retail distribution. It is comparable to It's Jerky in targeting health-conscious, high-protein snack consumers with clean-label formulations and a subscription-led business model.
• Stryve Foods: Stryve is a US meat snack company producing biltong, jerky, and meat sticks sold through DTC and retail channels. It is comparable to It's Jerky as a premium, protein-forward meat snack brand pursuing growth through both e-commerce and conventional retail distribution.
• Country Archer Provisions: Country Archer Provisions is a premium, all-natural beef jerky and meat snack brand sold through DTC e-commerce, natural food retailers, and conventional grocery. It is the closest direct peer to It's Jerky in terms of clean-label positioning, flavor-driven SKU portfolio, and DTC-plus-retail distribution strategy.
• People's Choice Beef Jerky: People's Choice is a long-standing US beef jerky brand with national distribution and a wide flavor portfolio. Comparable to It's Jerky as a heritage, multi-flavor jerky brand serving similar grocery, convenience, and specialty retail channels with comparable price points.

Broad incumbents

• KRAVE Jerky: KRAVE Jerky is a premium, all-natural jerky brand (originally founded in Sonoma, CA and now owned by The Hershey Company) with national distribution. Comparable to It's Jerky in its premium, clean-label positioning and California heritage, though it benefits from Hershey's marketing and distribution scale.
• Tillamook Country Smoker: Tillamook Country Smoker is a US manufacturer of jerky, sausage sticks, and smoked meat snacks with broad national distribution. Comparable to It's Jerky in producing shelf-stable meat snacks with strong regional brand recognition that has scaled into national retail.
• Oberto Snacks: Oberto is a long-established US jerky and meat snack manufacturer with broad national distribution through grocery, convenience, and club channels. Comparable to It's Jerky as a multi-decade jerky manufacturer with mass-market scale, though Oberto operates with a wider, less premium-leaning product portfolio.
• Jack Link's: Jack Link's is the dominant mass-market beef jerky brand in the US, offering a broad portfolio of jerky and meat snacks across grocery, convenience, and club channels. It is comparable as the category leader that defines shelf and pricing benchmarks for It's Jerky, though it competes primarily on scale and marketing rather than the premium, clean-label niche It's Jerky occupies.

Emerging players

• Country Bob's / Duke's / Perky Jerky: Perky Jerky is a flavored beef jerky brand marketed through DTC, convenience, and grocery channels. Comparable to It's Jerky as a smaller, branded jerky competitor pursuing shelf space and online customers in the same premium-ish price tier.
• Wild Zora: Wild Zora is a smaller premium meat snack brand focused on clean-label, high-protein jerky and meat bars sold primarily through DTC and natural channels. Comparable to It's Jerky as a small, premium-positioned player targeting the same health-conscious outdoor and active-lifestyle consumer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ItsJerky

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about It’s Jerky