SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Country Archer Jerky Co., the number one meat snack brand in the natural and specialty channels, today announced it is expanding again and plans to move to a new, larger meat snack facility down the road from its current facility, following a $12 million capital raise from long-time equity partner, Monogram Capital Partners. This investment from the Los Angeles-based private equity firm will support development and build out of a new state-of-the art meat snack facility, doubling Country Archer’s production capacity to meet rapidly growing demand for its products for the second time in less than two years.
Opening in San Bernardino in late Spring 2020, Country Archer’s new 72,000 square feet facility will allow for streamlined operations to meet consumer demand, cutting-edge manufacturing and facilitate on-going innovation. The move is fueled by the continued outperformance and strong growth of the brand’s clean-ingredient meat snacks. Country Archer has the top five jerky SKUs in the natural channel and the rate of growth is significantly outpacing overall jerky and meat snack growth, outperforming the natural products meat snacks sub-category* by 295% and the category overall by 550%.
Founded on the core values of sustainability, authenticity and real-ingredients, Country Archer is committed to crafting real food to craft a better world. The brand is currently the fastest growing meat snack brand out of the top 15 brands in the U.S.** Since launching, the company has expanded internationally into Canada and has built a robust portfolio beyond traditional jerky, including 100% natural turkey jerky as well as high protein, low sugar mini and full-size meat sticks.
“As we continue to grow at such a rapid pace, one of the most important things to us is that we retain what makes our brand so special – we’re a heritage company that is still making a craft product the exact same way that the artisan butcher who taught me did,” said CEO and Co-founder, Eugene Kang. “It’s critical to me that we manage every step of our unique process, from ingredient selection, to butchery, marinating, slow cooking and packaging, and owning our own facilities enables us to do that. Monogram has been an incredible partner from early on and shares the same values and vision in terms of sustainability, quality, and scaling in a smart way. We’re thrilled to work with them again to open our new facility doors in a few months.”
Just last year Country Archer secured an investment from Monogram Capital Partners, which helped to expand production at its current facility doubling output capacity. However, it quickly outgrew this space necessitating a larger scale operation to meet market demand.
“It’s rare to see a company experience such accelerated growth in a short amount of time and it’s been incredible to join Country Archer on this ride,” said Jared Stein, Co-founder and Partner at Monogram Capital Partners. “What is even more unique is to find a brand in this space that controls production. Vertical integration and owning quality control are key. With their commitment to manufacturing in-house and maintaining authenticity in their products, we are confident that Country Archer will prove to be an even bigger force in the meat snack space. We’re excited to help fund this next phase of expansion and continue to invigorate the meat snack category through innovation, clean ingredients and sustainability.”
Country Archer jerky and meat sticks are crafted with gourmet cuts of extra-lean, USDA-inspected 100% grass-fed and finished beef, tender antibiotic-free turkey and pork, and are free of nitrites, MSG, gluten, antibiotics and added hormones. Country Archer products are available at more than 25,000 conventional, natural, mass, and convenience stores nationwide, including Starbucks, Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, Costco, The Fresh Market, Wegmans, Walmart, Target, Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway, Walgreens, 7-Eleven, and more. For product and sales inquiries, please contact info@countryarcher.com. To learn more about Country Archer, please visit www.countryarcher.com or follow the brand on Instagram (@CountryArcher) and Facebook (@CountryArcher).
*As defined by SPINS database (NPI).
**During latest 52 weeks in MULOC + Natural + Specialty as reported by SPINS-IRI (period ending December 30, 2019).
About Country Archer Jerky Co.
Country Archer Jerky Co. is a leading producer of delicious real ingredient jerky and meat sticks. The number one jerky brand in the natural and specialty channels, Country Archer crafts all its meat snacks with high-quality, premium and clean ingredients. Made for outdoor adventurers, busy parents, athletes and all the everyday go-getters who want more from their food, Country Archer pushes the envelope with innovative and mouthwatering flavors, high protein content and responsibly sourced, real ingredients. The brand supports sustainable farming practices, including sourcing its protein from grass-fed and finished pasture-raise cattle that are never confined to feed lots. Each meat snack is crafted with gourmet cuts of extra-lean, USDA-inspected 100 percent grass-fed and finished beef, tender antibiotic-free turkey and pork. All Country Archer products are free of nitrites, MSG, gluten, antibiotics and added hormones. Country Archer meat snacks are available at fine retailers nationwide, including Starbucks, Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, Costco, The Fresh Market, Wegmans, Walmart, Target, Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway, Walgreens, 7-Eleven, and more. To learn more about Country Archer, visit www.countryarcher.com, or follow the brand on Instagram (@CountryArcher) and Facebook (@CountryArcher).
About Monogram Capital Partners
Headquartered in Los Angeles, CA and founded in 2014, Monogram Capital Partners has >$200 million in equity capital under management and focuses exclusively on investing in emerging consumer and retail brands. The firm seeks opportunities to partner with founders and strong management teams, typically investing $5-30 million of equity per transaction. The investment in Country Archer represents the firm’s twenty-eighth investment across nineteen platform portfolio companies.
