The shuttering of corner delis across suburban Australia was the nail in the coffin for an afternoon milkshake, lolly bag, or ice cream.
With a growing emphasis on healthy, protein-rich diets among families and households, consumers are turning to alternative approaches to snacking on the go.
A fine foods store in Karratha, about 1,600 kilometres north of Perth, is selling up to $10,000 a week in a salty, vitamin-rich snack made from locally sourced meat, known as jerky.
The Karratha store used to sell produce at farmers’ markets before setting up shop in the CBD. (ABC News: Jessica Shackleton)
Part-owner Alun Jones said people of all demographics came from across the Pilbara to buy the strips of dried beef.
“It’s flowers for men really, so we also have wives buying for their husbands,” he laughed.
“We have mining workers come in from Paraburdoo and Tom Price to buy over a kilo of traditional biltong.
“I guess we could well be the evolution of the corner lolly store.”
Meat and Livestock Australia spokesman John Marten acknowledged the growing popularity in the snacking trend, nationally and globally.
“The jerky category is worth $US5 billion ($7.3 billion), so it’s not insignificant,” he said.
“We’ve got a lot of manufacturers in Australia that are exploring those opportunities in the international market.”
Biltong, jerky, and pemmican
Nigel Smith, owner and operator of Crackatinny Beef Jerky, said the process of drying beef had a long history and tradition across the world.
“It came from the Native Americans, they used to make beef jerky with a wet marinade,” he said.
“And then South Africa did the biltong which was the dry-hanging with a dry-rub.”
Nigel Smith turned a hobby of jerky making into an award-winning business. (ABC News: Michelle Stanley)
A chef by trade, Mr Smith went into mining before suffering a shoulder injury which launched him into making his own award-winning jerky.
“It was an interest, but back in the day only road kill was the main business or jerky company in WA,” he laughed.
“It started out as a hobby and then it became a passion.”
Competitive beef
Jerky competitions are also increasing in popularity, with one regional New South Wales town staging an annual event titled Jerk Off.
It is held in Sofala, a gold-mining town about 235 kilometres west of Sydney.
Organisers of Sofala’s jerky competition say the one street in the tiny town is packed for one day a year. (Supplied: Peter Gardiner)
One event organiser, Peter Gardiner, said it was a big day for the small community with a population of 200, according to the 2021 census.
“Like most things it started with a conversation at the pub over who made the best jerky,” he said.
“There’s five categories of beef, lamb, roo, goat, and then we have miscellaneous.”
More than 80 competitors in Sofala vie for the best jerky trophy each year. (Supplied: Peter Gardiner)
Now in its seventh year, the panel is comprised of about 10 judges and more than 80 entries which pack out the 162-year-old Sofala Hotel.
Deputy Mayor of Bathurst Benjamin Fry said it was a serious competition which was an honour to judge.
“The joke in the name is almost a misname, that’s where the humour stops,” he said.
Sofala’s jerky competition serves everything from beef, lamb, kangaroo, duck, and a “miscellaneous” category. (Supplied: Peter Gardiner)
“It’s this unique thing that the village has created and developed and it’s only growing as the popularity of beef jerky does.”
Is jerky a healthier snack?
The rise of DIY jerky kits have inspired Aussies around the country to take up the hobby. (Supplied: Sophia Alston)
Bunbury liquor store manager Jon Abbs noted customers travelled specifically to stock up on their Bullbar Wagyu jerky.
“Once people taste it they just can’t help themselves,” he said.
“One woman, I’ve never seen her before, someone told her that we’re stocking this product and she popped in and bought three packets.”
Experts have pointed to traditional consumption habits changing since COVID-19, leading to an increase in jerky sales. (Supplied: Sophia Alston)
A fellow of Dietitians Australia, Associate Professor Sara Grafenauer, said she was not surprised the snack was trending in regional mining towns.
“Keto and paleo-type diets are really the first sort of diet that’s sort of appealing to men,” she said.
“There’s a lot of Australians that think that they’re needing to eat low carb so that’s probably why there’s an appeal.”
But she warned against a downside in consuming high sodium foods like jerky.
