VIDEO: Our jerky set for Chinese shelves
IT WAS a cheap find that inspired Kev Steele to start his business, Kev's Jerky.
The Marmor man had thought about starting to make jerky for a while and said he jumped at the chance when he found a second-hand dehydrator at a garage sale.
"I said to myself, you cannot go wrong for $20," Kev said.
"I took it home and had a play around and here we are."
Five years down the track and Kev is about to start exporting his jerky to China.
The jerky entrepreneur recently had a stall at Beef Australia 2015 and was approached by four Chinese business consultants about exporting his product.
While the language barrier was significant, Kev said he could slightly understand what was going on.
"They gave me a thumbs up after trying some of the jerky, shook my hand and said welcome to China," he said.
"I was quite happy a foreign country has taken interest in my product, especially with Beef Australia and everything else."
The success of his product has certainly surprised Kev and he hopes the good news will continue.
"It is really good news, it is a starting point so I will export to China and probably will expand from there," Kev said.
"I do see the business growing more because there is that many more people and bigger clients I am interested in."
Since he started the business in 2010, Kev said it had grown incredibly.
"I first started doing the markets after I got registered and licensed because I realised the business was starting to grow and people wanted to buy it," Kev said.
"Shortly after we started doing little markets like the Kern Arcade ones in Rockhampton.
"We progressed from there and slowly got a bit bigger."
Not only do the Chinese love the jerky but so do the jerky judges.
Kev's Jerky has won a number of awards including first place in the 2014 sweet choice competition and fourth place in Australia in 2013 for his sweet chilli jerky.
"There is a lot of other jerky out there but I thought I would enter and see how I go," Kev said.
"I am the only one in Central Queensland that does it and wins awards across Australia."
KEV'S JERKY
To follow what markets Kev can be found at, look him up on Facebook under Kev's Jerky or visit his website at kevsjerky.weebly.com
KEV'S JERKY
To follow what markets Kev can be found at, look him up on Facebook under Kev's Jerky.
