A chance encounter between a young entrepreneur and a high-quality beef jerky resulted in one of the most recognizable brands in the meat snack market.
Typically, a trip to the Grand Canyon results in spectacular views, incredible photos and maybe a couple of souvenirs from the park’s gift shop. It does not, generally speaking, involve discovering a beef jerky that changes your business aspirations and sets you on a new career path. In fact, that jerky revelation has only happened once, but when it did, it led to the rise of one of the hottest companies in the meat snacks market.
Country Archer Jerky Co. has a history that dates back to 1977. For most of that time, it was operated by its founder out of a small kitchen in Southern California, primarily producing private-label beef jerky. It didn’t produce any products under its own name. It just happened that one of the places where its products were sold was at a roadside stand on the way to the Grand Canyon.