Five Star Jerky continued.

1. What products are currently your best sellers and what makes them so popular?
Our Five Star Signature Wagyu Grilled Mesquite Beef Jerky is our best seller. It is the taste of a grilled steak in a bag with just enough smokey seasoning to not distract from the natural flavor of the Wagyu beef. Our Wagyu beef is measured at an A4 and best known for its tenderness and marbling that gives the beef jerky a fantastic, savory finish. Our Five Star Signature Wagyu Teriyaki Beef Jerky is our second best seller, but only less by one percentage point.  

2. Which countries are you currently exporting your products to?
Bangladesh, Australia, South Korea, and Bahrain. 

3. Which export markets will you be focusing your marketing efforts on next?
Five Star Halal Beef Jerky will focus on the Middle East. In addition, we will focus on other countries that require Halal beef. We have identified export markets where Halal beef jerky has not been introduced as a portable protein snack, in fact, many retailers do not have allocated space for it. We go into a retailer and find the nut section and discuss with them how to add SKUs and market beef jerky. Most buyers are interested in the product, have knowledge of beef jerky, but also keep in mind that this is a new product for their customer. There is a level of educating the customer that we have developed. We adjusted packaging to read "Ready To Eat" since the word "jerky" is not common or translated in some countries. We offer free products for demos and we changed the packaging to clear so customers can see that the beef is already cooked. 

4. What sets your products apart from the competition?
Our products are 100% Made in America. The competitors make their products in other countries other than the USA, then ship to a second country for packaging, then ship to the third country for distribution. Claims that our competitors are USA based are in licensed brand name only. The preservatives the competitors add can dilute the product ingredients since it takes much longer for them to create beef jerky and get it to retail. Longer shelf life is necessary in their process with all the stops in countries to get the product to retail thus the addition of preservatives. We are using resources internally to naturally produce a product in the USA and then ship directly to the country. Our lead times are reduced, less paperwork for countries, distributors have direct access to our USA team, and that translates into better results for the customers. 

5. Will you be participating in any trade shows in 2024?
We attended the Gulfood Expo in Dubai in February 2024 and will attend a Seoul Food Show June 2024 in South Korea. 

6. Any other pertinent information you would like to provide and I will include.
The Five Star Jerky slogan is "Made For Go". We designed a niche market beef jerky for the international customer. Our goal is to increase the exportation of American harvested beef by creating a protein snack with our unique recipes to make a tender beef jerky that is made for go! We have partnered with the Southern United States Trade Association, the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, the World Trade Center of Arkansas, and Halal Transactions of Omaha. Each of our partners are critical in our success to export to other countries. Each serves a different aspect of our business model which would not be easily done without them.

We send a company representative to each country we export to in order to meet onsite with retail buyers and distributors. This shows our support for the country carrying Five Star and builds relationships with our buyers and distributors. We want Five Star to be in the hands of customers for a long time and that means we need to be in-country to see the product on the shelves and meet the customers. Global relationships are incredibly important to us.

Caribe Producers is the parent company of Five Star Jerky. Our products include Five Star Signature Wagyu Jerky and Five Star Prime Halal Jerky. Five Star Jerky® and Signature Wagyu® are registered trademarks owned by Caribe Producers.