What Crescent Meats does

Crescent Meats is a family-owned, USDA-inspected meat processing company headquartered in Cadott, Wisconsin, founded in its current form in 2003 by a founder with roots in meat processing dating to 1995. The company operates a single 35,500 sq ft facility (after a 23,000 sq ft expansion completed in 2024) producing shelf-stable meat snacks — primarily snack sticks, summer sausage, steak strips, and landjaeger — across a broad protein portfolio that includes beef, pork, bison, elk, venison, chicken, turkey, and specialty formulations such as grass-fed, wagyu, and organic. The facility holds SQF and MOSA certifications in addition to USDA inspection, positioning it as a compliant co-manufacturing site for national meat snack brands.

Crescent Meats operates three distinct go-to-market motions. First, it sells direct-to-consumer through a BigCommerce e-commerce site and a physical retail store in Cadott, WI, with unit pricing on individual snack sticks ranging from $6.49 to $13.49 and bundled 'Crescent Crates' priced from $135 to $395. Second, it runs wholesale distribution to retailers. Third, and increasingly central to its strategy, it provides co-manufacturing and private label services to established and scaling meat snack brands, offering scalable production with multi-protein capability, clean-label formulations, and packaging flexibility for DTC, retail, and national distribution. A seasonal wild game processing service for hunters (November 1 – January 31) adds a minor, locally concentrated revenue line.

The business model is asset-intensive and operationally focused rather than technology-driven. The 2024 discontinuation of slaughter operations and the associated capacity expansion represent an explicit pivot toward higher-value shelf-stable snack production and B2B co-manufacturing. The company remains privately held by the founding family, with no disclosed external investors aside from a 2024 Wisconsin Department of Agriculture support tranche tied to the expansion. Revenue, headcount growth, and specific co-manufacturing customer identities are not disclosed in available source material, though the facility footprint and stated intent to serve national distribution channels indicate a business that is scaling beyond its local retail origins.

Name

Crescent Meats

Legal name

Crescent Meats

Website

https://crescentmeats.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Crescent Meats is a family-owned, USDA-inspected meat processor in Cadott, Wisconsin that produces shelf-stable snack sticks, summer sausage, and steak strips for direct-to-consumer retail, wholesale distribution, and B2B co-manufacturing/private label customers across multiple protein types.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Meat Snack Processing

NAICS

Meat Processed from Carcasses (311612), Meat Retailers (445240), Meat and Meat Product Merchant Wholesalers (42447)

SIC

Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Shelf-Stable Processed Meats (Canned, Retort Pouches, Jerky/Meat Snacks) (AFANAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Jerky & Meat Snacks (CRADABAK), Charcuterie & Cured Meats Specialty Stores (CRAHAGAE)

Keywords

• Meat snack processing
• Private label manufacturing
• Shelf-stable meat snacks
• Specialty sausage production
• Wild game processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Cadott

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct Product Sales: Retail and e-commerce sales of meat snacks, sausage, and fresh meat products to consumers through the company website and retail store.
2. Wholesale and Co-Manufacturing: B2B revenue from wholesale product sales to retailers and co-manufacturing services for meat snack brands requiring private label production.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Crescent Meats is a USDA-inspected meat processing company that manufactures and sells premium shelf-stable meat snacks, including snack sticks, summer sausage, steak strips, landjaeger, smoked bacon, bratwurst, and bulk Crescent Crates, directly to consumers via a Cadott, WI retail store and an online store. The company also operates co-manufacturing and private label production services for other meat snack brands, wholesale distribution, and seasonal wild game processing services.

Product overview

Crescent Meats is a family-owned meat processing company offering a focused portfolio of shelf-stable meat snack products and services. The core product line includes Snack Sticks (beef, pork, and exotic proteins like elk, bison, and venison), Summer Sausage, Steak Strips, and Landjaeger. The company operates retail in-store products including Ground Beef, Beef Patties, and Smoked Bacon, plus bundled Crescent Crates. Services include Wild Game Processing for local hunters, and Co-Manufacturing & Private Label partnerships for brands requiring scalable meat snack production, as well as Wholesale distribution. The company shifted focus away from slaughter services to concentrate on growing its shelf-stable meat snack production business.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Snack Sticks Premium shelf-stable meat snack sticks in multiple protein varieties (beef, pork, elk, bison, venison) and flavor profiles including Original, Teriyaki, Jalapeno & Cheese, BBQ, Garlic, Garlic and Herb, Spicy, Honey Zing, Sweet Maple Bacon, and Dill Pickle. Sold to individual consumers via retail store and e-commerce.
• Summer Sausage Traditional and modern summer sausage products with protein flexibility across beef, pork, elk, and bison, in flavors including Garlic, Jalapeno, Dill Pickle, Cranberry, and Jalapeno & Cheese. Sold to individual consumers via retail store and e-commerce.
• Steak Strips Protein-dense steak strip products designed for performance nutrition, convenience, and premium snack positioning with broad protein flexibility. Sold to individual consumers via retail store and e-commerce.
• Landjaeger Traditional dried sausage snack sticks available in Original, Spicy, and Garlic and Herb varieties. Sold to individual consumers via retail store and e-commerce.
• Bratwurst Premium bratwurst products in multiple flavors (Bratwurst, Cheddar, Beer, Garlic, Jalapeno & Cheese, Mushroom & Swiss, Beer Bacon & Cheese, Philly Cheesesteak, Sour Cream & Chive) in raw and cooked varieties. Sold to individual consumers via retail store and e-commerce.
• Smoked Bacon Smoked bacon products in multiple varieties: Smoked Bacon, Double Smoked Bacon, Country Smoked Bacon, Apple Cinnamon Smoked Bacon, and Brown Sugar & Maple Smoked Bacon. Sold to individual consumers via retail store and e-commerce.
• Ground Beef Fresh ground beef available for in-store purchase at the Cadott, WI retail store. Sold to individual consumers via the retail storefront.
• Beef Patties Various beef patty products including plain 1/3# beef patties, bacon cheddar patties, and mushroom & swiss patties. Sold to individual consumers via the retail storefront only.
• Crescent Crates Pre-configured meat bundles including Beef Bonanza Crate, Bacon Fever Crate, Brat Sampler Crate, Winter Lockdown Crate, Variety Combo Crate, Early Riser Crate, Crescent Craver Crate, Ultimate Grill Master Crate, and Hog Wild Crate. Available via the retail storefront for in-store pickup only.
• Wild Game Processing Professional wild game processing service accepting venison trim from November 1 through January 31, including cutting instructions, processing, packaging, and storage. Targeted at hunters and outdoor enthusiasts.
• Co-Manufacturing & Private Label USDA-inspected co-manufacturing and private label services for premium meat snack brands, offering scalable production of meat sticks, summer sausage, and steak strips with flexible formulations, packaging options, and multi-protein capabilities (beef, bison, elk, venison, chicken, turkey, pork). Targeted at established or scaling meat snack brands.
• Wholesale Wholesale distribution service for purchasing Crescent Meats products to supply at retail locations, including private label options. Targeted at retailers and distributors; wholesale pricing provided upon request by calling 715-289-3000.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Various Meat Snack BrandscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrescent Meats partners with leading meat snack brands to bring products from concept to production. They serve as a co-manufacturing partner for established or scaling brands requiring dependable production, strict specifications, and packaging options that support growth for direct-to-consumer, retail, and national distribution.
• Retailers and DistributorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGrowing private-label partnerships and distributor relationships. Helping retailers bring high-quality meat snacks to market under their own brand through private label programs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tillamook Country Smoker: Oregon-based manufacturer of jerky and meat snacks with both branded products and private-label capability. Comparable to Crescent in shelf-stable processed meat production and multi-channel retail/wholesale distribution.
• Chomps: Direct-to-consumer meat stick brand built on grass-fed beef and clean-label positioning, expanding aggressively into retail. Comparable to Crescent as a competing premium snack stick brand with co-manufacturing production and broad protein claims.
• Country Archer Provisions: Premium meat snack stick and jerky brand/producer serving DTC, convenience, and grocery channels with clean-label positioning. Directly comparable to Crescent's core product line and emphasis on quality proteins without fillers.
• Klement's Sausage Co: Wisconsin-based family-owned sausage and snack stick producer with its own retail stores plus wholesale and private-label production. Highly comparable to Crescent in product mix (bratwurst, snack sticks, summer sausage), family ownership, Wisconsin roots, and hybrid DTC/B2B channel model.
• Perky Jerky: Premium jerky and meat snack brand focused on clean-label, higher-protein formulations. Directly comparable in product positioning, e-commerce-led distribution, and shelf-stable snack platform.
• Wertz's Snacks & Quality Meats: Family-owned Pennsylvania meat snack producer with co-manufacturing and private-label capabilities. Highly comparable multi-generation family operation, snack stick / summer sausage focus, and B2B/private-label service offering.

Emerging players

• Field Trip Snacks: Emerging clean-label meat snack brand focused on grass-fed beef and exotic proteins. Comparable to Crescent in clean-label positioning and DTC go-to-market, though operating at smaller branded scale.

Broad incumbents

• Old Wisconsin Foods: Established Midwest meat snack brand owned by large parent, selling sausage sticks, summer sausage, and jerky through retail. Comparable product mix to Crescent but with much larger national distribution and branded marketing.
• Jack Link's (Link Snacks): The dominant U.S. jerky and meat snack brand with massive scale and broad protein and flavor range. Crescent operates in the same category but at a fraction of the scale, making Jack Link's a broad incumbent reference point for category economics and competitive intensity.

Regional players

• Brothers Marketplace / Hess Meat Market style regional butcher: Regional Midwest meat retailers / specialty meat markets offering fresh cuts, sausage, and snack products. Comparable to Crescent's in-store retail component and Wisconsin geography, though their processing depth is narrower.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/crescentqualitymeats

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Crescent Meats