We humans sure are a resourceful lot. More than 40,000 years ago—the time of the Cro-Magnon people of the Upper Paleolithic Period, to be precise—we realized we could use the sun and wind to dry meat and create a longer-lasting food source.
It’s believed that, roughly 500 years ago, the Quechua, a tribal people who are direct descendants of the Incas, were among the first to hang strips of buffalo meat over campfires. They called it “cha’arki,” according to foodpreserving.org.
Some 200 years ago, European traders, explorers and settlers learned jerky-making skills from Native Americans. Today, everyone from outdoors folks to mid-afternoon snackers around the world enjoys the seasoned, chewy goodness of jerky.
In Kentucky, Mingua Beef Jerky and Pap’s Genuine Beef Jerky have inserted their own jerky products into the hallowed, ancient timeline.
Mingua Beef Jerky
While the making of jerky goes back millennia, it wasn’t until the mid-1990s that Bourbon County farmer Ronnie Mingua entered the game. “My dad saw a Ron Popeil commercial for a dehydrator one day, and he decided to order that and then decided to make beef jerky,” said Ronnie’s daughter, Holly Mackley, who, along with husband Curtis, now helps run the family business. “So, he perfected the recipe … and they just started selling it from there.
“They went around to different horse farms and car lots and just sold it out of the vehicle at first and then sold it at stores.”
Sales took off—so much so that the United States Department of Agriculture noticed and began inspecting the product. That led Mingua to move into a 1,000-square-foot facility to satisfy the USDA’s regulations.
By 2004, Mingua was producing 5 to 10 pounds of jerky a day in a 10,000-square-foot building using more than two dozen dehydrators.
Curtis said that one day, “out of the blue,” USDA inspectors informed them they weren’t cooking the jerky properly. “We weren’t going to shut down, obviously,” he said. “That was the time we invested in industrial-size [dehydrators]. The real challenge from there was having the jerky … taste the same way.”
The recipe for that taste is the same as when Mingua first conceived of making beef jerky, using only the round cuts from a cow and sodium as a preserving agent versus artificial preservatives.
Their concerns about preserving the flavor proved to be unfounded as sales continued to grow. Now, the family is operating from a 20,000- square-foot facility in Paris.
The product line has expanded to include multiple jerky flavors. Along with the original are Hot, Cajun, BBQ, Garlic & Onion, Sweet and Hot, and Bourbon. Mingua Jerky also produces treats for dogs.
Most of the product line can be found in any gas station or convenience store east of the Mississippi River.
“We’re pretty much saturated in Kentucky and every state that touches Kentucky, as well as Florida, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, the Virginias, Pennsylvania and Illinois,” Holly said. “We don’t really have any salesmen beating down doors—it’s just word of mouth. Our quality speaks for itself.”
The Mackleys said they are already looking to expand their facilities yet again, ensuring that the family business will be around for the long haul.
“We’re still having a good time making jerky,” Curtis said. “We’re making jerky every day and having a good time, and our kids will be making jerky 10, 15 years down the line.”
Pap’s Genuine Beef Jerky
Jim Richardson wasn’t happy with the quality of jerky that was on the 21st century market. So, in 2013, he took matters into his own hands and made his own jerky. He joined forces with Rick Waldon, and together they founded Pap’s Genuine Beef Jerky. (Waldon sold his share of the company a few years later.)
John Good, who joined the company in 2016, said its goal was to make a “better, fresher” product. “He [Richardson] spent a lot of time in product development and came up with the Pap’s Jerky that we know today,” Good said. “He put together the methodology of making it to get that perfect texture and then developed flavors around it.”
The initial offerings included mild and hot versions as well as Pitmasters barbecue flavor.
“He was pretty exacting in what he wanted, but he was finally able to put his finger on it, and it’s phenomenal tasting jerky,” Good said.
Sales grew each year in the Louisville area. Thorntons gas stations and FiveStar convenience stores began adding Pap’s jerky to their shelves.
Initially, the owners had to rely on a Tennessee company to manufacture the jerky according to Richardson’s recipe and methodology. But in 2018, they teamed up with Cincinnati-based Grippo’s and began to include the company’s “legendary” barbecue seasoning to Pap’s jerky product line.
“Once we onboarded the Grippo’s product, we had the capacity and the confidence to strike out, buy our own facility and develop it, and move forward,” Good said. “That opportunity allowed us to reinvest in some marketing and continue to develop the product. In 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic, we opened our own plant here in Louisville.”
The company’s growth allows it to give back to the community. A portion of sales is donated to Friends of Metro Animal Services (FOMA), the sole fundraising entity for Louisville Metro Animal Services. Richardson is a member of FOMA’s board of directors.
“That’s been a great partnership,” Good said. “We’re big animal lovers around here … We try to give back where possible.”
Where to buy...
Mingua Beef Jerky retail locations and online store can be found at minguabeefjerky.com.
For more information, including where to buy Pap’s Genuine Beef Jerky, visit papsjerky.com.