Prize-Winning Beef Jerky: Gloucester Township Man Takes Home Awards at World Competition

A Gloucester Township man trying to build up his business recently got a boost with a pair of awards at the 2015 World Hot Sauce, BBQ and Extreme Food Awards.

Scott Jacobson is the co-owner of Captain Jake’s Jerky, a business based in the township that produces gourmet beef jerky with no added preservatives, nitrates, MSG or sodium.

“I’m a TV news reporter and I travel a lot covering stories,” said Jacobson, who said that he carried around beef jerky to snack on. “The only thing is the beef jerky you buy in stores is high in salt.”

Looking for a healthier alternative, Jacobson decided he would learn to make beef jerky himself.

“I learned how to make it and I started giving it to my friends. They told me I should sell it,” Jacobson said.

After doing some legal research, Jacobson moved his operation from his kitchen in Gloucester Township to a USDA inspected facility that would make his beef jerky using his recipes.

Jacobson paired with his longtime friend Greg Giles to get the company off the ground.

They ran a successful Kickstarter campaign, and narrowed Jacobson’s 12 recipes down to four, based on survey responses. Flavors include: Classic Twist Beef Jerky, Korean Sesame Beef Jerky, Chili Beef Jerky, and Mesquite BBQ Beef Jerky.

The name Captain Jake’s Beef Jerky comes from Jacobson’s college days, when he worked as a boat ride operator who went by the nickname “Captain Jake.”

They then started marketing the product, and three years later, their beef jerky is being sold in 24 stores in South Jersey, Philadelphia and the Columbus, Ohio area.

Giles, 50, lives just outside Columbus, and the two business owners grew up in Ohio, outside Cleveland.

Jacobson, 51, graduated with a degree in communications from Ohio University. He’s lived in Gloucester Township for eight years.

Jacobson received a boost when two of his flavors won awards at the 2015 World Hot Sauce, BBQ and Extreme Food Awards.

The Mesquite BBQ Beef Jerky won second place in the Specialty Beef Jerky Division.

The Korean Sesame Beef Jerky won second place in the Teriyaki Flavored Division.

There were over 1,000 total entries from 231 companies in 13 countries, according to Jacobson, who wasn’t sure of the exact number in the Jerky Division.

“I was excited because we were going up against some big companies,” Jacobson said. “We’re a small business, but we’re growing and we’re trying to get into bigger stores.”

Jacobson said right now a lot of his business comes from shoppers walking into stores and picking up the product. He holds demonstrations at the stores and the employees talk up the product to those coming into the store.

He said he’s been told his product is more flavorful than other beef jerky brands, and it breaks apart easier. He said he’ll take his brand of beef jerky as far as he possibly can.

The beef jerky is available online at capatinjakesjerky.com. On the website, the product is $7.89. Stores that sell Captain Jake’s Beef Jerky sell it for between $6.99 and $8. He uses black angus beef.

The list of stores in which Captain Jake’s Beef Jerky is available are as follows:

South Jersey

Roger Wilco 665 Cross Keys Rd., Sicklerville

Salina Wine and Liquor 273 Egg Harbor Rd., Sewell

Wine Warehouse 1460 Blackwood-Clementon Rd., Clementon

Roger Wilco Wine Warehouse 700 Haddenfield-Berlin Rd., Voorhees

Roger Wilco Ventnor 5026 Wellington Ave., Ventnor

Wine Warehouse 222 Bridgeton Pike, Mantua

McFarlan’s Market 27 S. Centre St. Merchantville

Philadelphia

Independence Seaport Museum Penn’s Landing on Delaware Ave.

Foodery Northern Liberties 2nd and Poplar

Foodery Center City 10th and Pine St.

Foodery Roxborough 6148 Ridge Ave.

Corner Foodery 1710 Samson St., Rittenhouse Square

Parkway Corner Deli 22nd and Spring Garden St.

Old Nelson Food Company 35 S. 13th St.

Museum Market 1800 Spring Garden St.

Ohio

Blystone Farm 8677 Oregon Rd., Canal Winchester

Harvest @ The Woodward 107 S. Main St., Mt. Vernon

Celebrate Local 3952 Townsfair Way, Columbus

Pataskala True Value Hardware 37 S. Main St., Pataskala

CarQuest Auto Parts 80 Oak Meadow Dr., Pataskala

5 Bean Coffee 2087 Baltimore-Reynoldsburg Rd. Reynoldsburg

Delaware Food Mart 270 S. Sundusky St., Delaware

Casey’s Dry Goods 2518 Brecksville Rd., Richfield

Capital City Chrome 50 Park Ave., Pataskala

The attached images were provided by Scott Jacobson