About this project
$20,162
407
Stretch Goals!
Thank you all so much for the overwhelming support. We've put together a few last minute stretch goals and can't wait to see if you can spread the word and unlock them.
$15,000- Sticker Swag: Consider it done. Due to the overwhelming support we've just decided that we're going to unload stickers on everyone. Trust us, these won't be your Dad's bumper stickers.
$17,000- Digital Cookbook: If you thought our culinary brains cut off at jerky, think again. We're going to take it to the next level and give everyone a copy of our jerky cookbook so you have plenty of ideas for uses for our gourmet meat snacks.
$19,000- T-Shirt Swag: You give us $19k and we'll clothe all of you in our glorious t-shirts. Every backer from the $15 level up will receive a t-shirt in addition to their pledge tier.
$20,000- Spice Rub: If you can make this happen with five days remaining we'll up the ante. We'll ship everyone a bottle of our signature spice rub. This is the very same spice rub that's featured on our Mojo Jallerano, Mojo Habanero and Ghost Pepper Buffalo. We stole the recipe from that little old lady from the Frank's Red Hot commercials, so you know you're going to want to put it on everything.
About Us
If you're tired of the big brand jerky that's catered to the masses and want something that offers truly unique flavors and levels of spice to satisfy even the bravest of hot heads, we're the jerky company for you.
The guys over at BestBeefJerky.org said:
"I really like Brave Jerky's idea of using the traditional flavorings of Cuba as its base marinade. It really makes this jerky stand out from the rest and I couldn't help nodding my head in approval as I sampled their varieties. Perhaps the biggest common denominator in all four of the initial offerings is the strong garlic flavor. Add to that the lime, cilantro, and onion, and you have a flavor profile that really knocks your socks off."
Our Background
I'm Brad, and I love watching people eat. This might seem a bit odd, but there's something gratifying about watching the enjoyment people get when eating a delicious dish that you've prepared. It's this gratification that is the driving factor behind Brave Jerky. Not only do we want to fill a niche in a huge market, we want people to be truly happy to have our product.
Growing up in the south I've always been surrounded by spicy foods. Couple that with a background that includes work with the Fire Department and some guys that enjoy the hottest food around, and I was compelled to create Brave Jerky. We use the freshest ingredients, 100% USDA Choice beef and the highest quality equipment available.
Limited Edition Fireball!
We got called out at our local drinking spot recently about a Fireball Whisky infused jerky. We talked it over with our friends over at Fireball and they said they'd like to see it as well. So, we're introducing a special priced, limited edition Fireball Whisky jerky. This jerky brings you some great heat with a smoky, garlicky, chipotle BBQ backed with the slow burn that you love from Fireball's cinnamon whisky.
Get it while it lasts, we'll be stocking up.
Our Core Flavors
We like to think that we can offer a little something for everyone. Rather than use the traditional soy based marinade found in most jerky, we chose a route that keeps in the traditional flavors shared by my wife's family and their Cuban roots. We've coupled the Mojo staples of lime, cilantro, garlic and other citrus notes with spicy staples like jalapeno, serrano chiles, habanero and even ghost pepper.
Traditional Mojo
Our tamest flavor, the traditional Mojo offers hints of lime, cilantro, garlic and cumin while bringing out the great beef flavor of our handmade jerky.
Mojo Jalapeno-Serrano
Our mildest of the spicy flavors, the jalapeno and serrano chiles in this marinade bring just the right touch of heat with a mildly addictive forward note. The jerky is finished with our signature spice rub that includes cayenne pepper, granulated garlic, cumin and other spices.
Mojo Habanero
This flavor is for the ones that truly like it hot. Plenty of habanero peppers go into our Mojo marinade and soak for more than 24 hours before we toss it in the dehydrator. The result is a flavorful jerky that releases flavor over the entire chew but bites you in the very end with a lingering heat. The jerky is finished with our signature spice rub.
Ghost Pepper Buffalo
Finally, for the truly daring we've coupled our fresh cuts of beef with a ghost pepper buffalo sauce. The Bhut Jolokia is 400 times hotter than Tabasco sauce and offers a great, intense heat for this buffalo flavored jerky. We finish it with crushed pepper flake.
What we've done so far
We've poured over our core recipes with family and friends until we've finally achieved the proper balance of heat and intense flavor. We have purchased all of the equipment necessary to create small batch, handmade jerky that people love. We've received fantastic feedback from blind sampling through online forums and have tweaked until we can tweak no more.
In addition, we have created a brand that we believe fits perfectly with our product and have carried this into online channels, including a full eCommerce platform to support the product as soon as we receive product from our partner provider.
Why we need your help
We've taken our recipes and delicious product about as far as we can without the assistance of you. With your contributions we will be able to turn our passion into a product that people all over the world can have an opportunity to enjoy.
Every Kickstarter backer will receive a 25% coupon for a future jerky purchase on our website, in addition to the jerky selection at their reward level.
Packaging
Fortunately, my normal job offers me the benefits of working with experienced design professionals. With their help we're creating unique, sustainable packaging for our product and will submit for FDA approval shortly after funding.
Fulfillment
As business owners, we realize that we cannot do it all. Our goal is to retain strict control over the quality of our product, while making it available at a reasonable price. We will work with local suppliers, local commercial kitchens and continue to work hand in hand throughout the entire product cycle to maintain the highest quality product around.
Growth
After all backer orders have been fulfilled, we will place our first commercial order and oversee production with our partner facility. This will allow us to launch our eCommerce presence as well as distribute our product to local grocers who have already shown interest. From that point, we will continue to aggressively seek new distribution channels at a regional - and eventually - national level.
Kicking It Forward
We will also be reinvesting 5% of net proceeds back into Kickstarter campaigns along the guidelines at http://kickingitforward.org. As mentioned in our video, we were backers before we were creators and absolutely love the Kickstarter community.
Thank you
Again, I just want to thank you for helping us to bring this fantastic product to market. While we would love for you to back the product, more importantly we want to make you a happy customer and friend for the long haul.
Brad and Michelle
Risks and challenges
While we are taking all necessary steps to curb risks and challenges, as with every business they still exist. I'll do my best to answer a couple of them that we've either run into or could foresee.
1.) We're a niche product. We understand this and embrace it. There are many niche products in various markets and they are sustained by a passionate customer base. We believe, and have seen evidence, that there are enough people out there that enjoy spicy food to support a company like this.
2.) FDA Approval. We will be submitting our packaging for approval to the FDA as soon as possible to start the ball rolling on that end. As with any government agency, this can take time and might delay the launch of the product depending on feedback.
3.) People won't like it. While we have yet to run into this, we must realize that it's a concern. Our jerky uses unique flavors not found in other jerky products and that might be a turn off to some. We're fairly confident that this won't happen, which is why we're here.
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Funding period
- (30 days)