Today I received this package of beef jerky.

People who are interested in starting up a beef jerky manufacturing business send me samples of their jerky to get my opinion on whether or not it is good enough to go commercial.

They find my beef jerky review blog, and realize that I've eaten so many brands of jerky, that they want my opinion. I guess that's an interesting benefit I never anticipated when I launched that blog.

Some folks in the beef jerky business told me I should charge a fee for my consultation. That's still in the back of my mind if this sort of thing increases.

So far, all of the evaluation jerky I've received over the last year has been pretty good. Today's sample was probably the 8th, 9th, or 10th prospective business that sent me jerky. It's always homemade jerky they send me, so you know it's pretty good. It's after they hire a USDA inspected meat processing facility to mass produce their jerky that the jerky loses that awesome homemade flavor.

There are a few beef jerky manufacturers that make all of their jerky from home, and don't get USDA inspection. They can't sell their jerky in stores, only directly to consumers, and I've found they usually produce some awesome jerky.

I write them back and tell them what I think, which is usually that their jerky tastes great. But considering that brands like Jack Link's and Oberto have done so well commercially with average or worse jerky, there's obviously more to running a successful beef jerky business than just taste.