After developing a plant-based jerky during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, a Philadelphia engineer is looking to scale his brand to more states and add to product offerings in the next six months.
Philly Jerk grew out of Ben Doar’s desire to create a healthy, sustainable snack in the early days of the pandemic. Doar and his wife welcomed their first child on March 21, 2020 just days into lockdowns. At home with their newborn, the couple found themselves snacking frequently and the snacks they had on hand weren’t cutting it. Doar wanted something that was satisfying, easy to eat, but also healthy. He began experimenting in the kitchen and soon landed on jerky – albeit, of the plant-based variety to keep with their vegetarian diets.
It was also a creative outlet after having little in-person contact with others during those early months.
An engineer by trade – Doar has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Penn State University and has held numerous roles at GE Power over the past decade-plus, today as customer service leader – he spent about a year perfecting his recipes. He ultimately found that “soy was really the perfect vehicle for the jerky,” he said. After offering samples to friends and family, he got positive feedback and soon began considering growing it into more than just a snack for their family.
“It was so good, it was such a staple in our kitchen that I just knew it was something special that I had to build a business around,” he said.
He also saw ample whitespace for a plant-based jerky, particularly one that was soy-based. At the time there were some brands on the market, but few were national and few used soy, opting for proteins like mushroom or coconut, Doar said. One of the few big names in plant-based jerky remains Beyond Meat, which uses mung bean and pea proteins. The brand launched its offerings in March 2022, about six months after Philly Jerk came to market in November 2021.
“That was really validating,” Doar said of the timing.
Doar conceptualized the brand as both direct to consumer and wholesale. The tongue-in-cheek name is a nod to “the ethos of Philly,” he said, adding that it’s a take on being a jerk “in the best way.” He also created a quasi-mascot as part of the brand known as PJ. “It was kind of like our Gritty … it just embodied Philly in that sense, the authenticity and kind of the grittiness.”
Today Philly Jerk has three flavors: Spicy Togarashi, Earth Candy and Jalapeño Lime. The Spicy Togarashi and Earth Candy – which has notes of cacao, coffee and cayenne – are neck and neck for top sellers. The jerky is made with organic whole non-GMO soy beans. It comes in 3-ounce packages and retails for $9 a piece. They are also sold online in three packs for $27.
A 1-ounce serving has between 100 and 120 calories and six to eight grams of protein, depending on flavor, and each bag has a shelf life of about six months.
His first product was the Spicy Togarashi, which is made using the traditional Japanese seven-spice blend of the same name. He introduced Earth Candy on Earth Day in April 2022 and the Jalapeño Lime later that summer.
After working in various commercial kitchens, Doar leased a dedicated space in South Philadelphia at 1429 Wolf St. It was previously home to Vegan Commissary and as such was outfitted for a food business. Doar moved in last July and the space today serves as his manufacturing, packaging and distribution facility.
In the last 12 months, Doar estimated he sold about 9,000 bags, or nearly 1,700 pounds of jerky.
To perfect his recipes for scale and develop new ones, Doar tapped the Drexel Food Lab at Drexel University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions and continues to work with them on upcoming ideas.
He expects to introduce new flavors later this year or early next year and is also dabbling in a “crumble-style jerky.” Such a product, Doar said, is “fun to incorporate into salads or tacos. There’s just a lot of endless possibilities to incorporate it into other kinds of cooking.” He doesn't have a timeline for a launch, but said could be sometime next year.
Philly Jerk is currently available in about 25 spots locally, including South Philly Food Co-op, Rival Bros Coffee Bar and 1920 Gourmet Grocer in Philadelphia, plus Kimberton Whole Foods locations in the suburbs. It is sold in five states – Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, California, and Washington.
About 60% of business at present is wholesale with the remaining 40% coming from direct-to-consumer sales. As he looks ahead, Doar wants to scale distribution to reach a greater number of retailers and states with the hope of taking on the business full-time someday.
That day, however, is still a ways off.
The business has been self-funded thus far and Doar isn’t taking a salary from Philly Jerk as of now. “We are just kind of bootstrapping and doing what we’ve got to do to stay scrappy and make it work,” he said.
