Seasoned local company has cure for your jerky craving
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SHELLEY — If you’ve eaten beef jerky from a local Walmart or grocery store, there is a good chance it came from Golden Valley Natural.
This Shelley company is leading the way in distributing premium jerky product all over the world. It produces up to 70,000 pounds of jerky per day.
“Our primary focus is on natural and organic type snacks,” said Bryce Esplin, CEO of Golden Valley Natural.
Golden Valley Natural has hundreds of jerky flavors and provides product for many national brands of jerky. The meat used is dehydrated in a smoker to the perfect tenderness. Customers can get favorites like black pepper, organic barbecue, and sweet and spicy buffalo.
“We have our own ranches here in Idaho and South Dakota where we raise buffalo,” Esplin said.
Golden Valley Natural originated in Idaho Falls in the late 1960s and was known as King B Jerky. It changed its name to Golden Valley Natural in 2000.
“Being in it since 1968, we’ve learned a few things that help us know how to make a premium snack,” Esplin said.
Golden Valley Natural specializes in distributing jerky products with many being certified organic. Its meat comes from ranches domestically and internationally. It offers beef, buffalo, turkey and pork jerky.
Esplin said the company has launched a new line called “Ascend,” the first non-GMO project certified beef jerky, ensuring the beef was raised without growth hormones.
“With the meat being certified organic, that means that the producers have to have certification that their animals were never fed anything artificial,” Esplin said.
Riverside Deli is a local distributor of the beef jerky product. Managers have said customers usually buy the ripple cut beef jerky.
“They have such a large variety, different options, and they seem to have the best quality. Every bag you open seems to be right what you want it to be when you think of a jerky product,” Riverside Deli manager Brian Jensen said.
Esplin said Golden Valley Natural focuses on keeping the human touch in its products.
“The hand crafting of the snack — It’s not so automated that there’s not any human involvement. There are human aspects every step of the way,” Esplin says.