Thanks to Jerky Up for listing us on their site! We’re happy to be on their Germany page.
Lab Tests
James can confirm that one of my favorite activities is looking up ingredients and nutritional content of different foods. So when we sent our beef jerky to the lab for tests, I was delighted. The health department encourages food companies to get lab tests, but I didn’t need much persuading. I wanted to know exactly what was in our jerky.
We ordered two sets of tests. The chemical tests were necessary to create our nutrition facts. The microbiology tests checked for things like E. coli and Salmonella. We also got the aW-value (water activity value) tested to better understand the shelf-stability of the jerky.
Drop-off day at the lab felt like a big expedition. James and I had spent the previous days making final tweaks to the recipe, drying several big batches, and then packaging everything up according to lab specs. So on drop-off day, Kiddo and I packed up a big sack full of jerky and made our way over to the lab, first by train and then by foot. The lab turned out to be located in a big industrial complex, with large trucks, palettes, and loading docks. Kiddo and I walked up the loading dock. I’m pretty sure we were their first customers to arrive on foot carrying a sack of food. Thankfully, they accepted it.
After a couple of weeks of great anticipation, our results arrived. The best part were the results for the aW-value. You can see in the image below that molds, yeasts, and bacteria grow when the water activity level is above 0.7. Our aW-value is 0.46! This means that the jerky is so dry that it is highly shelf stable.
The results of the other tests were less surprising. Nutritionally, beef jerky is, well, almost entirely beef. In terms of microbiology, we’re all relieved to know that our beef jerky has no E. coli, fungus, yeast, Salmonella, Listeria, or other terrible contaminants growing in it.
I think future (non-jerky) lab tests will have more interesting results. I’m already looking forward to them.
Tasting
A big thanks to Metzgerei Widmayer, our local butcher, for hosting a jerky tasting! We got a lot of great feedback directly from customers.
Expert in Playgrounds
Kiddo and I have spent the last few months indulging in playgrounds. At least that’s what Kiddo would tell you. We rode all the different U-bahn lines and all the best buses. At every destination, we played hard.
Really, we were on a mission to find a production kitchen. And it wasn’t easy. Kiddo and I ventured far and wide.
You can’t open a food business in Germany without a proper kitchen which complies with a whole bunch of rules. However, there are zero production kitchens available for rent in Stuttgart. How, then, do people start food businesses? I had absolutely no idea.
Kiddo and I took matters into our own hands. Thankfully, two of Kiddo’s favorite things are public transportation and playgrounds. We settled into an afternoon routine. I would pick a destination from my list of possible food-establishments-with-kitchen, and the two of us would venture over. When we got there, the conversation would usually last about 10 seconds.
Me: Hi, I’m Alissa, and I’m starting a food business…blah blah…would you be willing to let me rent your kitchen during the hours you’re not using it?
Them: Nope.
Me: Do you have any other leads or information that could help a new company find a kitchen [or similar followup question]?
Them: Nope.
And then Kiddo and I would go find the nearest playground and play hard to recover from the rejection.
The rejection was seriously tough. Luckily, we didn’t give up, and our perseverance paid off. After many, many rejections, we finally got a yes. It’s all thanks to a generous person who is willing to give this far-fetched idea a chance. This can’t really be how people normally start food businesses, right?
The Proof of Concept Phase Begins
Peapod’s proof of concept phase has officially begun! We are now in full production mode with our first product, Classic Country Road Beef Jerky. For the next three months, September through November, we will be figuring out distribution and trying to test the market in Stuttgart.
Stay tuned for updates on our progress.
Welcome
We can’t wait to tell you more. Stay tuned!