Biting into the State of Meat-Snacking

It’s no secret that America is obsessed with protein. While sugar, fat, and carbohydrates are carefully watched and scrutinized, it seems protein can do no wrong. Wanna get lean? Protein. Wanna get ripped? Protein. Want something delicious? Protein. And despite all the noise the plant-based category has made, demand for animal protein is at an all-time high.

So, we thought it was only right to examine this bull market (beef pun intended) to see what’s happening now and what’s coming next in the space.

Jerky Walked So Sticks Could Run

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The OGs of jerky—like Old Trapper, Jack Link’s, Matador, and Oberto—make up the bulk of jerky sales in America. But the BFY (Better For You) wave of brands, led by Country Archer, Krave, Chef’s Cut, and Think, exposed consumers to real ingredients, real flavors, better cuts of meat, and the benefits of grass-fed beef. As the war on sugar continued, jerky underwent some self-reflection, which ushered in the Biltong craze of the late 2010s. Biltong, a South African air-dried beef that requires no sugar or carbohydrates to soften the meat and is free of sodium, was championed by Kalahari, Ayoba, Brooklyn Biltong, and Stryve. Country Archer and Krave also got in on the mix with their Zero Sugar lines of jerky. But just as jerky seemed to be at its peak, along came sticks.

While Slim Jim seemingly invented the stick category and had one of the all-time great ’90s campaigns and taglines—“SNAP INTO A SLIM JIM!”—the new-age, better-for-you brand Chomps has quickly become an industry darling. Other notable brands, such as Fatty’s (recently acquired), New Primal, Duke’s, and Country Archer, are all jockeying for the #2 spot in the BFY space, innovating with unique flavors and formats like foot-long or double-thick options.

Interestingly, Jack Link’s launched a campaign highlighting its meat stick offerings while taking shots at Slim Jim. “Nearly fifty percent of [Jack Link’s] customers start with a meat stick as their first purchase. It’s their ‘on-ramp’ to jerky, and as the leader in the category, [Jack Link’s] plans to own this segment, too,” said Holly LaVallie, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Jack Link’s.

Wilde Innovation

Beyond the land of jerky and sticks lies an exciting new field of innovative meat snacking. Wilde, a brand that makes protein chips from chicken, has been a pioneer in crossing the salty-snack divide with its complete protein product. Other brands like Flock Chicken Crisps, Chyler’s Beef Crisps, and Irvin’s Salmon Skin Crisps all bring a crispy, crunchy element to the animal protein space. While these can be seen as more inventive forms of the humble pork rind, brands like 4505, Epic, Porq, Southern Recipe, and OG Baken-ets saw a huge lift during the keto boom. It still remains to be seen who will come out on top of the salty-snack-protein crossover.

What’s Next?

Organ Meats: Thanks to influencers like the Liver King, organs are in. These nutrient-dense ingredients are on the rise, with brands like Lineage and Country Archer’s Ancestral Sticks leading the way with heart, liver, and beef blends.

Hispanic Influence: Vacadillos, Righteous Felon, and People’s Choice Carne Seca are bringing lime, chili, and other Hispanic flavors to the forefront, catering to the growing minority-majority in the U.S. and Gen Z. We’re eagerly awaiting an official Tajin collaboration soon!

Far-out Flavors: Jack Link’s is truly mixing things up: a Doritos collab, a Flamin’ Hot collab, and even collaborations with Dr. Pepper, plus a Slim Jim Dill Pickle. This is essentially the Oreo flavor strategy applied to meat, and consumers are gobbling it up. We expect to see more of this in the category to drive nostalgia and intrigue.

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