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Articles & resources

Articles for jerky and meat stick founders

Practical, plain-English guides on starting a jerky brand, choosing a product, working with a co-packer, formulation, scaling up, and troubleshooting.

How to start a jerky brand: the first decisions

A practical guide for founders on how to start a jerky or meat stick brand: product, customer, production path, and the first decisions that shape everything else.

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Meat sticks vs. jerky: choosing your first product

Meat sticks or jerky? A founder’s comparison of format, texture, process, equipment, and packaging to help choose the right first product.

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Working with a co-packer or co-manufacturer

How founders can find, evaluate, and work well with a co-packer or co-manufacturer for jerky and meat sticks — and how an operations agent can help.

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Beef stick formulation basics

Beef stick formulation basics for founders: meat, fat, salt, seasoning, cure options, casings, and why a written formula matters for consistent production.

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From pilot run to production

What pilot runs are for, what to look for, and how to scale a jerky or meat stick product from bench to full production without the product drifting.

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What to bring to your first call with a consultant

How to prepare for a first conversation with a jerky or meat stick consultant: what to share, questions to ask, and how working with 6R Meats begins.

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Troubleshooting meat sticks and jerky: where to start

Jerky troubleshooting and meat stick problems: a practical starting point for producers dealing with texture, bind, casing, color, flavor drift, inconsistency, and yield issues.

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Images are representative illustrations, not photos of 6R projects or client products.