Just over 200 retailers. Also, we expect to double that number because we are already approved to be sold in the entire Albertsons Southern Division (167 stores) and Bashas (45 stores). At this point, we are waiting on them to issue a PO, which will expect to happen soon. We are also in talks with our current retailers to get additional stores as well.

The salty snack category has annual sales of $27.5B. Meat snacks account for 10% of that, or $2.7B. We started with meat snacks because we love meat snacks, and it was the segment where we felt we could have the greatest impact right off the bat. The category is seeing incredible growth, and we feel that the competition is going in the wrong direction. However, as we grow we plan to diversify into other areas of the salty snack category where we feel the VC Dry Goods brand can have a disruptive impact.

We don’t strive to fit into the snack category. When we are creating a new flavor, we don’t look to what other snack brands have done as our inspiration. We know what our competitors are doing, and don’t get me wrong, but we’re not impressed. Our inspiration comes from the executive chefs on the cutting edge of gourmet food. When I sit down for a great meal that knocks my socks off, I take notes and try to find ways to incorporate elements of that into our products. The composition of each meal may change, but there are a few basic aspects that carry over from one meal to the next. Specifically, each chef carefully curates the ingredients of their meals, they also put a high level of care into them, and they undoubtedly take into consideration the multisensory aspect of the meal. Those aspects elevate the meal into something more than just a meal - it becomes an experience. That is what really motivates us at VC Dry Goods. We want to give people that feeling when they snack. There is value in providing a better snacking experience.

When we sit down to eat a meal or a snack, or really anything we put in our bodies, there is more going on than just putting it in our mouths and chewing. There is a visual aspect when you first see it. Your sense of smell comes into play when you first smell it. Then, once you put it into your mouth, it isn’t even as simple as just tasting it. Yes, your tastebuds tell you how something tastes, but you’re also taking into account the texture. In our busy lives, we skip over all that food foreplay most of the time. One area of food in which it is still expected is in gourmet food. Every chef will focus on every aspect of their food before it is served. They carefully curate the ingredients, they take time to ensure it is prepared properly, and they make sure it looks perfect when it is sent to your table. That is how you create a great experience. In contrast, with beef jerky, most of the time you have no idea what kind of meat was used. The ingredients are all dried or artificial. Liquid smoke is used in many cases. Many brands that don’t use artificial preservatives use sugar as a substitute, which is why a flavor that isn’t sweet can still have 9 or 10 grams of sugar per serving. The result is jerky that looks awful. It tastes pretty bland, if not downright bad. The texture is usually off also. Sometimes it is so tough, you have to chew on it for a while just to get any flavor. Other times, it is soft to the point of being mushy. Meat shouldn’t be mushy. And the smell. I challenge anyone to go into their grocery store, find a bag of jerky, open it and take a big whiff of the bag. Most jerky smells so bad that it’ll make you gag, or at least recoil a little. What other food would you eat if it smelled or looked bad? That’s usually the sign to throw something out.

At VC Dry Goods, we take all of that into account with our multisensory approach. When you see our jerky, it looks like a nice piece of real meat. When you smell it, your mouth might start to water and it may beckon you to grab a piece. Once you finally take a bite, we feel like the flavor is out of this world - the kind of thing you want to tell all of your friends about, and our customers do. Whether that process happens in a couple seconds or much longer, that’s up to you and how you snack, but we think the experience is far superior to the competition. That doesn’t happen by accident. It’s hard work, and you can credit the multisensory approach that we take.

Right now, my main concern is capital to assist with cash flow. I remember getting our first large purchase order, which was about $25,000. I was excited, then immediately got nauseous because I had no idea where we would get the funding to fulfill the PO. In the end, we worked it out. However, we are growing and we are getting to the point where it will be much more difficult. For example, we just finished our vendor setup with Albertsons, and our initial PO (based on our estimates) will be around 40k-50k. That’s for 167 stores. When I do the math in my head for even larger customers that have 1000+ stores, it makes me worry that we may need to turn down business if we don’t have the capital we need when we get there - and I hate lost opportunities.

When you think Texas, what comes to mind? Beef, or oil - but you don’t eat oil. Everyone knows Texas as THE beef state, yet there is no Texas-based national brand in the beef jerky space selling whole-muscle jerky. Epic is from Austin, TX, they sell ground meat bars mixed with various other ingredients, as well as other ground meat jerky, and they’re doing well. They were acquired by General Mills for over 100 million dollars. Whole-muscle jerky, like we currently sell, makes up the bulk of the jerky market, and is overdue for a competitor from the Lone Star State - and we don't think we're just any company stamping TX on our bag for bragging rights. Our story is authentic. We’re based in Texas because we live in Texas. We started out buying beef from Texas ranchers, and created jerky with flavor as big as the Lone Star State itself, which we sold in Texas farmers markets to get started. As we grow, we plan to utilize our authentic Texas roots more and more in our branding, and we definitely see it as an asset.