We're so excited to share the story behind Jamie's Jerky with you! It all started 30 years ago when Jamie Watt walked out of a gas station with a bag of underwhelming jerky and a dream of a better product. He went home and got to work perfecting his secret recipe... Today, Jamie and his daughter Sasa are working in Crested Butte making delicious jerky in small batches with top of the line ingredients.
You can add Jamie's Jerky to your next custom box or find it in our Sawtooth Box or in our Bear Creek Tote.
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED? WHAT WERE YOUR FIRST STEPS AND HOW DID IT EVOLVE FROM THERE?
Jamie Watt bought jerky at a gas station while traveling back in the early 80's and thought to himself "I can make my own jerky, and probably better"... so he did! He started dehydrating in his home oven, perfecting the recipe until what it is today. In 2012 he and his daughter, Sasa, got approached to supply a local, high-end accommodations hotel in town, called The ELEVEN GROUP, with jerky in their rooms and thus began the business. In April 2020, we became fully USDA approved and have been going strong ever since.
HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH YOUR NAME?
It's Jamie's famous recipe, so why not call it by the owner's name! And the name just rolls off the tongue.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR WORKSPACE!
In 2012 we had to find space to work in outside of our homes, so we rented small spaces around Crested Butte. First in the Third Bowl kitchen, then moved to the Iron Horse kitchen on Mt. Crested Butte, then to the basement kitchen in the Secret Stash sharing with two other businesses, and finally in 2018 Sasa was able to purchase a small 700 sq ft. space in downtown Crested Butte.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE REVIEW OR COMMENT ABOUT YOUR PRODUCTS?
Well our slogan is BEWARE... YOU WILL BECOME ADDICTED! And sure enough when we meet people around town and tell them we are Jamie's Jerky... they all say they're addicted and are probably the ones who clean out the businesses selling our jerky!
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PRODUCT YOU SELL?
We currently only have one flavor so our favorite is of course our ORIGINAL Organic Grass-fed Beef, but our Half Pounds are priced really well and fly off the shelves. We have two other recipes in the works as well as and will bring back our Turkey Jerky once we get USDA approved for that type of meat.
ARE THERE ANY LOCAL ARTISANS THAT YOU'RE INTO RIGHT NOW?
We love Third Bowl, a local artisan ice cream joint. We also love the artisan pizza place, the Secret Stash. We always support local as much as possible.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE LOCAL RESTAURANT?
We love all the restaurants in town and patronize every single one throughout the year. They all provide a unique experience and are all fabulous to dine in.
Read Trip Advisor's list of the 10 Best Restaurants in Crested Butte!
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT COLORADO?
The weather!! Crested Butte especially because it never gets too hot and we love the low humidity. The wildflowers are insane here and so is the mountain ride-skiing! Sasa grew up skiing here so it's hard to go to other mountains where the terrain is less than extremely difficult! The people in a small community are the best. So friendly and welcoming, no matter if you've lived here your entire life, moved away and came back, or new-comers.
Check out our list of the 8 best wildflower hikes!
If you enjoyed this blog, check out some of the other artisan profiles we've done in the past:
- Taelor of Tea with Tae
- Simi of Muddy Mint
- Kelly and Matilda of Adventurist Backpacks
- Kelly of Spinster Sisters
- Brandon of Lift Chocolate