Beef Jerky Outlet opens in Rehoboth for carnivores, gourmet snack lovers

The all-new, locally owned and operated Beef Jerky Outlet will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m., Friday, Sept. 29, sponsored by the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce. The store is across the highway from Rehoboth Mall, near the intersection of Coastal Highway and John J. Williams Highway in Rehoboth. The address is 18949 Coastal Highway, Unit E, Suite 106, Rehoboth Beach. For more information, go to EasternShoreJerky.com or look on Facebook.

On Saturday, Sept. 30, starting at 12 p.m., Susan Monday of Delaware 105.9 News Talk will be broadcasting live from the store. The event will include 20 percent off all jerky storewide; free PETA (People Eating Tasty Animals) T-shirt with every $100 purchase; and 10 percent off for all first responders, fire, police and military personnel.

This Beef Jerky Outlet specializes in more than 100 varieties of premium jerky. There are exotic meats like kangaroo, alligator, venison and elk, as well as specialty flavors such as Moonshine and Cajun. Gourmet snacks, popcorn, nuts, candy, jellies, jams, sauces, spices and rubs are also available.

"This is such a fun store with an extremely unique shopping experience. You get to try it before you buy it," said Jim Schroeder, owner of the Beef Jerky Outlet. "We're very excited about celebrating our grand opening with everyone in the community." Schroeder said this will be the first of many stores opening in the area, and he is looking forward to continued involvement with the local community throughout the year.

History of jerky

The word jerky has its origins in the native languages of South America. In the 1800s, the term "jerky" quickly spread across the New World to describe the process of smoking, drying and curing beef. Native Americans, cowboys and pioneers made and embraced jerky as an easily transportable and long-lasting food source. Today, jerky is one of the fastest-growing snacks in the snack food industry. This is in part due to an increasingly high demand for lightweight, high-protein, low fat, nutrient-dense foods.

All about jerky

• Jerky has traditionally been the No. 1 favorite snack of the military, and for years, NASA has sent it into space with astronauts.
• IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm, reports sales of jerky jumped 46 percent from 2009-15, and Americans spent $2.8 billion on beef jerky in 2015.
• Jerky is in the beef snack category - the fastest-growing segment of the snack food industry.
• The nation's health craze is fueling the jerky revolution as runners, weightlifters, hikers and weekend warriors eat it before, during and after exercise.
• Jerky is a popular snack for folks on the Paleo diet, which urges consumers to eat the kinds of foods eaten by their hunter-gatherer ancestors.
• Jerky is catching on for women too, because the cured, low-fat snack provides an energy boost without spoiling the diet. A Penn State University study found physically active women ages 18-45 consider jerky more convenient and satisfying than tortilla chips.
• Chefs are now incorporating jerky into their gourmet dishes. Jerky can be found on the menus of high-end restaurants in Four Seasons hotels and others throughout the country. 

The Beef Jerky Outlet was founded in 2010 and is the country's first national jerky franchise. The company is headquartered in Kodak, Tenn., and there are currently more than 100 franchise locations, including six founder-owned stores, with 106 additional stores planned. Jerky is lean, high in protein, low in calories, contains less than 3 percent fat and has an extremely long shelf life. Millions seek out and enjoy this very nutritious snack every day. Across the country, people are literally eating it up.