McDonald's Meats

What McDonald's Meats does

McDonald's Meats is a fourth-generation, family-owned meat market and USDA-inspected processing facility founded in 1914 in Clear Lake, Minnesota. The business operates a single physical storefront at 8601 Main Avenue that combines a full-service meat counter with retail-ready displays of 200+ products, free daily in-store samples, and on-site scratch production in dedicated smokehouses and a sausage kitchen. Its core offerings include 26+ varieties of jerky (beef, turkey, pork, buffalo, elk, venison), 60+ varieties of fresh and smoked sausages, award-winning bacon and hams, frozen and specialty items, meat packs, pet treats, and a fish/seafood/deli assortment.

The underlying technology and craft platform centers on USDA federal inspection, custom beef and pork processing on scheduled Tuesdays, year-round wild game processing (deer, bear, elk, moose, antelope, waterfowl), proprietary real-wood cold-smoking (deliberately differentiated from liquid smoke), and made-from-scratch sausage production. National and state-level awards — including Best of Show at the 2025 Minnesota Association of Meat Processors and Grand Champion at the 2024 American Cured Meats Championships — validate the artisanal positioning and underpin the "Jerky Stop" brand identity.

The business makes money through three primary streams: retail meat sales (in-store and a nationwide e-commerce storefront with shipping), custom processing services priced by the pound or per animal (e.g., beef at $1.44-$1.52/lb, pork at $1.95/lb, wild game from $1.45-$1.70/lb with a $169 minimum, jerky service $4.75-$5.25/lb), and community fundraising via Sidewalk Cookouts (April through October). Customer segments include local retail consumers, hunters and game processors, and community organizations, with no enterprise or B2B anchor customers identified. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via in-store experience, e-commerce, phone ordering, and community events.

Name

McDonald's Meats

Legal name

McDonald's Meats

Website

https://mcdonaldsmeats.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1914

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

McDonald's Meats is a four-generation, family-owned USDA-inspected meat market and processing facility in Clear Lake, Minnesota, founded in 1914, selling award-winning jerky, sausages, and smoked meats through a retail storefront and nationwide e-commerce shipping, plus custom beef, pork, and wild game processing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Meat Processing and Specialty Meat Retail

NAICS

Meat Processed from Carcasses (311612), Meat Retailers (445240), Poultry Processing (311615), Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering (311611)

SIC

Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013), Meat Packing Plants (2011)

akta.pro primary industry

Further Processing (Cooked, Smoked, Cured & Deli Meats) (AFAKALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Butcher Shops & Meat Markets (CRAHAHAB), Pork Further Processing (Cured, Smoked, Ham, Bacon) (AFANABAE), Deli Meats & Luncheon Meats (Sliced/Portioned Cold Cuts) (AFANAEAD), Shelf-Stable Processed Meats (Canned, Retort Pouches, Jerky/Meat Snacks) (AFANAEAJ), Poultry Cured/Smoked & Deli Products (Turkey Ham, Deli Slices, Bacon-Style) (AFANACAD)

Keywords

• Meat processing services
• Retail meat market
• Custom beef pork processing
• Wild game processing
• Smoked sausages jerky

Headquarters

HQ city

Clear Lake

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Meat Sales: The company operates a retail meat market selling over 200 products including beef, pork, turkey, wild game, sausages, jerky, and specialty items. Products are sold in-store and online with shipping available.
2. Custom Meat Processing Services: USDA inspected facility offers custom beef and pork processing by appointment. Customers bring animals for butchering, processing, grinding, smoking, and packaging. Also processes wild game year-round for hunters.
3. Sidewalk Cookout Events: Community event program running April through October where local organizations operate the grill and proceeds go to the groups. This drives customer engagement and product sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

McDonald's Meats is a USDA-inspected meat processing business and retail meat market that produces and sells over 200 meat products including jerky, fresh and smoked sausages, smokehouse specialties (hams, bacons, smoked turkey), fresh beef, pork, and turkey cuts, meat packs, pet treats, fish, seafood, and deli items. The company also provides fee-based custom beef and pork processing by appointment and year-round wild game processing for hunters.

Product overview

McDonald's Meats is a four-generation family-owned meat market and USDA-inspected processing facility located in Clear Lake, Minnesota, established in 1914. The company operates as both a retail meat market and a custom processing service. The core product portfolio centers on their World Famous Jerky (23 varieties, made with real wood smoke), Snack Sticks (60+ varieties), and award-winning sausages made from scratch in onsite smokehouses. Additional offerings include Smokehouse Specialties (award-winning hams, bacon, smoked turkey), a Full-Service Meat Counter (fresh beef steaks, roasts, ground beef, pork, poultry), Frozen & Specialty Items (stuffed/marinated chicken, party foods, gourmet pastas), Meat Packs (bundled packages), Pet Food & Treats, and Fish/Seafood/Deli Products. The company also provides Custom Beef & Pork Processing services (butchering by appointment on Tuesdays) and Wild Game Processing (year-round processing for venison, bear, elk, and other game). The product ecosystem is anchored by their Jerky Stop identity and their commitment to homemade, award-winning meat products made on-site.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• World Famous Jerky & Strips Real-wood-smoked jerky in 23+ varieties including beef, turkey, pork, buffalo, elk, and venison; award-winning at national cured meats championships. Sold in-store and online with shipping.
• Snack Sticks
• Smokehouse Specialties
• Sausages & Summer Sausage
• Full-Service Meat Counter
• Meat Packs
• Homemade Recipe Sausages
• Frozen & Specialty Items
• Pet Food & Treats
• Fish, Seafood & Deli Products
• Custom Beef & Pork Processing
• Wild Game Processing
• Gift Cards

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ years in business through four generations
• +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

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Boar's Head: National deli meat and cheese brand carried in McDonald's Meats' own deli case, with broad retail and foodservice distribution. Broad incumbent comparison: shared deli meat category overlap, established national brand presence in the same end-aisle where McDonald's Meats competes for premium sandwich and charcuterie purchases.
• Perdue Farms: Major U.S. poultry and prepared protein producer with branded smoked turkey, deli meats, and sausage lines sold nationally. Broad incumbent comparison: relevant overlap in the smoked turkey and processed poultry products that are part of McDonald's Meats' award-winning smokehouse specialty lineup.
• Dietz & Watson: Family-owned premium deli meats, sausages, and cheese producer serving retail and foodservice. Broad incumbent comparison: similar family-owned heritage and premium processed meat positioning; competes for premium deli/sausage customer spend both in-store and via retail deli counters.
• Jack Link's: Largest U.S. jerky and protein snack brand with nationwide distribution and a portfolio spanning beef jerky, sticks, and protein snacks. Broad incumbent comparison: dominates the same category McDonald's Meats competes in (jerky/snack sticks) but at mass-market scale via CPG shelf placement rather than specialty retail.

Emerging players

• Chomps: Venture-backed meat snack stick brand selling grass-fed beef, turkey, and venison sticks primarily through DTC and natural/grocery channels. Emerging player comparison: same core snack stick category, modern DTC-led growth model, premium/clean-label positioning that overlaps with McDonald's Meats' artisan identity.

Direct peers

• Kiolbassa Smoked Meats: Texas-based family-owned smoked sausage and beef jerky producer with USDA-inspected processing, retail, and online shipping. Direct comparable: small-batch smoked meats, family legacy, multi-channel retail and DTC, similar craft positioning against industrial incumbents.
• Burgers' Smokehouse: Missouri-based family-owned smokehouse producing cured hams, bacons, sausages, and jerky since 1949 via retail, mail-order, and wholesale. Direct comparable: multi-generational family business, USDA-inspected facility, focus on smoked/cured specialty meats with strong mail-order business.
• Oberto Snacks: Family-founded jerky and meat snack stick maker with national distribution across grocery, convenience, and DTC channels. Direct comparable: same core jerky and snack stick categories, multi-generational family heritage, overlapping retail customer base for jerky purchases.
• Country Archer Provisions: Premium jerky and meat snack stick brand specializing in grass-fed beef jerky, turkey jerky, and pork sticks sold through DTC and national retail. Direct comparable: same core categories (jerky, snack sticks, sausages), premium positioning, similar end customers seeking craft/artisanal meat snacks.

Regional players

• Kelley Country Meats / similar regional lockers: Midwest regional meat locker and processing operation offering custom butchering, smoked meats, sausages, and retail. Regional peer comparison: similar small-scale USDA-inspected meat processing, custom and wild game services, and direct retail model in a comparable rural geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/McDonaldsMeats
• Facebookfacebook.com/McDonaldsMeats

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 McDonald's Meats