Great steak — the type that’s tender and marbled, ultra-beefy and addictive — is a luxury of the well-to-do, a pleasure reserved for special occasions, vacations and life’s most memorable moments. Or is it? Could it not also be the type of food you devour after a gruelling workout session? The type of snack you scramble to find when your tot’s patience begins to wane, or a stubborn afternoon brain fog descends?
For Keith Lu and Peter Hanna, the co-founders of Better Bovine, quality beef is the key building block to jerky that’s delicious and startlingly simple, healthy and has consumers feasting on steak whenever the mood strikes.
“What’s the opposite of low-quality beef jerky?” That’s the question Lu and Hanna asked themselves when creating Better Bovine, their premium, clean jerky company. Unlike other jerky you’ve encountered, Better Bovine is made from the world’s best beef, salt and pepper. That’s it. “We turned the dial to the max on everything,” laughs Lu.
“We started the company,” explains Hanna, “largely because when we looked around and saw what sort of beef jerky and snacks were out on the market, we saw a lot of the same kind of stuff. Things masquerading as healthy but, when you looked at the label, they had all sorts of atrocities.”
What started as a bootstrap operation — “We started by trying different cuts of meat in my oven,” explains Hanna — has morphed into a booming business. Better Bovine is now available at over 700 retail locations nationwide—and that number’s climbing fast.
Behind the company’s impressive growth? Two simple products — 100% Grass-fed Beef Jerky and Wagyu Beef Jerky — each made with a charmingly succinct list of ingredients – 3 to be exact. From the beginning, says Hanna, the duo “set forth to do everything a bit differently.”
“At home” adds Lu, “you buy a good steak and just use salt and pepper. You’d never unload your whole spice cabinet onto it.”
To find the best beef for their jerky, the team turned to “a consortium of farm partners in New Zealand and Australia,” explains Lu. “We look abroad because those areas have some of the highest standards in terms of raising cattle.”
Humanely raised on open pastures, the beef used by Better Bovine aligns with the company’s standards of sustainability. It was also important, adds Lu, to use beef from farms that respect the animals throughout their lifecycle.
With its simple recipe and high amount of protein (each 50 gram package includes 26-30 grams of protein), Better Bovine’s products appeal to three primary groups, says Lu. “One are families, specifically mothers looking for a high-protein snack with clean ingredients for themselves and their family. It’s something they can trust.”
“Number two,” he says, “is the fitness crowd. Whether they’re into weightlifting, body building, hiking, anything with an active lifestyle where you’re looking for healthy protein. Lastly, people with dietary restrictions and allergies.” With its simple recipe, Better Bovine doesn’t force consumers to sift through a laundry list of ingredients hunting for possible allergens or irritants.
Not having to pay for added ingredients also means that Better Bovine offers more value per dollar. “When you compare from a protein-per-dollar perspective,” explains Lu, “we’re actually quite competitive if not better than most beef jerky brands out there. The reason being because with other brands you’re paying for sugars and fillers.”
But how does Better Bovine jerky taste? The 100% Grass-fed Beef Jerky “is made from the round, a leaner cut,” says Hanna. “It’s hearty and very beefy,” adds Lu. It’s got “a bit of a bite to it but is more tender compared to traditional jerky.”
The team’s Wagyu product is “melt-in-your mouth, aged wagyu beef,” explains Hanna. “It’s just very special,” adds Lu. “It’s slightly sweet and slightly caramel-y, but that’s just from the beef itself. We don’t add any sweeteners.”
Quite simply, says Hanna, “it just tastes like a really good steak, in your pocket”
Find Better Bovine beef jerky in stores nationwide, and at Buybetterbovine.com (with free shipping across Canada)!
