There’s a moment we’ve seen play out again and again. Someone tries ostrich for the first time—maybe a steak, maybe ground—and there’s a pause. Then a look of surprise.
“Wait… this is actually really good.”
And then, almost immediately:
“Why isn’t this easier to eat more often?”
That question stuck with us. Because the truth is—most people don’t build new habits around proteins that require intention. They build them around things that are easy, familiar, and always within reach. So we started asking ourselves:
What would it look like to take everything we believe about healthy red meat, and put it into a format that fits seamlessly into everyday life?
That question became a multi-year process.
This is the story of how we got here.
STARTING WITH THE PROBLEM, NOT THE PRODUCT
We didn’t begin by saying, “let’s make a snack stick.”
We started with a constraint: People want better protein—but they default to convenience.
And convenience, more often than not, comes at the expense of quality.
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Highly processed ingredients.
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Questionable sourcing.
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Nutrition that looks good on the front of the package—but tells a different story when you look closer.
At the same time, we knew ostrich had a role to play—but it also had a barrier: It’s unfamiliar.
So the challenge became twofold:
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Make fueling with healthy red meat effortless
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Create an entry point that feels approachable—even for someone who’s never tried ostrich
Snack sticks weren’t just a format. They were the intersection of those two goals.
A PRODUCT YEARS IN THE MAKING
From the outside, a snack stick might seem simple. But for us, it was one of the most deliberate product development efforts we’ve ever taken on.
Before we ever stepped into production, we invested in understanding whether this was something we could—and should—do right.
DOING THE WORK UPFRONT
Through a Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) Planning Project, we took a step back and treated this like what it is: a new category for our business. We worked through:
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Market demand and competitive positioning
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Pricing structures and margin realities
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Operational requirements for scaling production
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Go-to-market strategy across multiple customer segments
The outcome wasn’t just validation—it was clarity. We weren’t entering the snack space to follow a trend. We were building a product that could:
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Expand how people experience ostrich
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Increase utilization of the entire animal
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And create a more consistent, scalable revenue stream for what we produce
Now, with support from a VAPG Working Capital Project, we’re executing on that plan—bringing the product out of theory and into reality.
BUILDING FOR IT—NOT AROUND IT
One of the things we’ve learned over time is that you can’t force a product into an operation that wasn’t designed for it. Snack sticks require precision. Consistency. Repeatability.
So instead of adapting what we had, we made the decision to build for what we needed. That meant investing in:
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A smokehouse capable of delivering consistent results across batches
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A custom fill–form–seal packaging system designed specifically for this format
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New production workflows to support shelf-stable, ready-to-eat products
Each of these decisions added complexity. But they also ensured something critical: That the final product wouldn’t feel like a compromise.
THE FORMULATION PROCESS (WHERE THINGS GOT OBSESSIVE)
If there’s one place where this product truly took shape, it was here. Because a great snack stick isn’t just about flavor—it’s about balance.
We went through iteration after iteration, dialing in:
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The right flavor profiles—something craveable, but not overpowering
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The right smoke time—enough to add depth, without masking the meat itself
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The right texture—firm, but not dry; substantial, but not heavy
And then there was the ingredient side. We didn’t want to rely on generic seasoning blends.
So we worked directly with our seasoning partner to develop custom, clean-label versions of the flavors we loved—stripping out anything unnecessary, overly processed, or circumspect, and focusing on what actually matters.
This part of the process took time. A LOT of time. But it’s also where the product became something we were genuinely proud of.
WHY WE CHOSE OSTRICH + BEEF
This was one of the most nuanced decisions we made—and one we revisited multiple times.
We explored the idea of a 100% ostrich stick. And while we believe in ostrich as a standalone protein, we kept coming back to a simple question: What creates the best possible experience for the most people—right now?
The answer led us to a blend.
By combining ostrich with premium beef, and using a natural beef collagen casing, we were able to achieve:
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A more familiar bite and texture
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Greater consistency at scale
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And a smoother on-ramp for first-time consumers
It’s not about diluting ostrich. It’s about introducing it in a way that sticks—literally and figuratively.
AN IMPORTANT NOTE ON ALPHA-GAL
We know that for many people, ostrich represents something unique: A red meat option that isn’t mammalian.
Because of that, we want to be very clear: This product is not suitable for individuals with alpha-gal syndrome.
The inclusion of beef and a beef-derived collagen casing means it doesn’t meet that need.
We didn’t arrive at this lightly. Our priority for this first product was to deliver something that truly meets our standards for taste, texture, and consistency.
But this isn’t the end of the story. Developing an alpha-gal safe snack stick is something we care deeply about—and are actively working toward. When we do it, it won’t be a compromise. It will meet the same bar we set for everything else we make.
DESIGNING WITHIN CONSTRAINTS
Snack stick packaging looks simple—until you try to design it.
You’re working with a very small physical footprint, strict regulatory requirements, and the need to communicate something entirely new in a matter of seconds.
We had to distill our brand down to its essentials to create something that:
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Feels unmistakably like us
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Clearly communicates what’s inside
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And stands out—without overcomplicating it
It’s one of the smallest canvases we’ve worked on. And one of the most challenging.
OUR FIRST SHELF-STABLE PRODUCT
This is a milestone for us. Up until now, our products have largely required refrigeration or freezing—something that naturally limits when and how they’re used.
This changes that.
For the first time, we’re offering something that is:
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Shelf-stable
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Ready-to-eat
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And designed for real life
It’s a different kind of accessibility. One that doesn’t require planning.
WHAT THIS REPRESENTS
At one level, this is just a new product.
At another, it’s something bigger.
It’s a shift from:
Occasional consumption → Everyday use
Curiosity → Familiarity
Intention → Convenience without compromise
It’s a way of meeting people where they are—while still holding the line on what we believe food should be.
WHAT COMES NEXT
We’re close. Closer than we’ve ever been.
And when these launch, they’ll represent more than just a new item on our site. They’ll represent years of planning, building, refining, and deciding—over and over again—to do this the right way.
