Link Snacks, Inc., better known as Jack Link's Protein Snacks, is an American snack company best known as the producer and marketer of the eponymous brand of

beef jerky Jerky is lean trimmed meat cut into strips and dried (dehydrated) to prevent spoilage. Normally, this drying includes the addition of salt to prevent bacteria growth before the meat has finished the dehydrating process. The word "jerky" derive ...

. It was founded by John 'Jack' Link in 1986, using his great-grandfather's recipes. They are known for their "Messin' with

Sasquatch Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forest of North America. Many dubious articles have been offered in attempts to prove the existence of Bigfoot, including Anecdotal evidence, ...

" ads. In addition to their original facility in

Minong, Wisconsin Minong is a village in Washburn County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 548 at the 2020 census. The village is located within the Town of Minong. History ''Minong'' is a name derived from the Ojibwe language. It is generally trans ...

, the company also has facilities across the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

including in

New Glarus, Wisconsin New Glarus is a village in Green County, Wisconsin, United States at the intersection of Wisconsin Highways 69 and 39. It has a population of 2,266 according to the 2020 census. The village, and the town that surrounds it, were named after the ...

;

Alpena, South Dakota Alpena (pronounced al-PEE'-nuh) is a town in northeastern corner of Jerauld County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 286 at the 2010 census. History Alpena was platted in 1883, and most likely was named after Alpena, Michigan, th ...

;

Mankato, Minnesota Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, Blue Earth, Nicollet County, Minnesota, Nicollet, and Le Sueur County, Minnesota, Le Sueur counties in the state of Minnesota. The population was 44,488 according to the 2020 United States ...

;

Laurens, Iowa Laurens is a city in Pocahontas County, Iowa, United States. Its population was 1,264 at the 2020 census. History Laurens was platted in 1881. It was named in honor of Henry and John Laurens, father and son, two French Huguenots who became resid ...

; and

Underwood, Iowa Underwood is a town in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 954 at the time of the 2020 census. History Underwood is located in Norwalk Township, so the early history of the township is also of the town. The historical ...

;and its marketing office in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. On April 1, 2014, Jack Link's acquired

Unilever Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy drink, t ...

's meat snack division in an attempt to expand its consumer base into Europe. The acquisition includes the

BiFi BiFi is a brand of meat snacks owned by the American snack company Jack Link's. BiFi Roll (introduced in 1987) and BiFi Carazza (introduced in 1994) are the most popular ''BiFi'' products besides BiFi Original. Up to this day, the meat snacks are ...

brand, sold across Europe and

Peperami Peperami is a pork jerky snack manufactured by Jack Link's. It is similar to BiFi and is manufactured in Ansbach, Germany, and sold in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, across multiples and independent retailers. The snack has mul ...

, which retails in the UK and Ireland; and the manufacturing unit in

Ansbach Ansbach (; ; East Franconian: ''Anschba'') is a city in the German state of Bavaria. It is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Ansbach is southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the river Fränkische Rezat, a ...

, Germany. In addition to traditional beef jerky, the company also manufactures

bacon jerky Bacon jerky is an American snack made out of smoked, thick cut bacon. It is often flavored with maple syrup, barbecue sauce or sriracha. Although it is named after jerky Jerky is lean trimmed meat cut into strips and dried (dehydrated) to ...

, made with salt-and-sugar cured

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...

meat. In 2019 Jack Links acquired the Golden Island brand from

Tyson Foods Tyson Foods, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, based in Springdale, Arkansas, that operates in the food industry. The company is the world's second-largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork after JBS S.A. It annually ...

Advertising

In 2013, they signed a sponsorship deal with the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

. Also in 2013, Jack Link's Jerky appeared in mid-credits scenes in Season 1 of the

Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...

animated show ''

The Awesomes ''The Awesomes'' is an American adult animated comedy streaming television series created by Seth Meyers and Mike Shoemaker for Hulu. Meyers and Shoemaker serve as executive producers alongside Lorne Michaels. It debuted on August 1, 2013 and en ...

''. In April 2015 Jack Link's Beef Jerky changed its logo "to better represent the brand’s 'Feed Your Wild Side' positioning and overall appeal." This new logo was designed by Davis Design of

Mississauga, Ontario Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...

. In 2017, Jack Link's extended its "Messin' with Sasquatch" ad campaign to feature

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

player

Karl-Anthony Towns Karl-Anthony Towns Jr. (born November 15, 1995), sometimes known as KAT (his initials), is a Dominican-American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basket ...

. The company also employs a nutritionist, Christina Meyer-Jax, to explain the dietary value of protein as part of their marketing. , the company sells apparel in their online store.

Controversy

In December of 2021, six European supermarket chains, including two owned by the Dutch firm Ahold Delhaize and a Carrefour subsidiary, said they would stop selling some or all beef products from Brazil. The companies' decision was made due to suspected ties with the clearing of segments of the Amazon rainforest for local cattle farming. The world's largest meatpacker JBS and Jack Link's each source cattle from Brazil.

References

External links

*
Official Website AustraliaJack Links: Big growth in little Alpena
Brand name snack foods Food and drink companies based in Wisconsin 1986 establishments in Wisconsin Bigfoot in popular culture American companies established in 1986 Food and drink companies established in 1986 Washburn County, Wisconsin {{Food-product-stub