LOUISVILLE VEGAN JERKY COMPANY CONTINUES TO GROW FROM KICKSTARTER BEGINNINGS
Three years before the Louisville Vegan Jerky Co. was selling a line of vegan jerky to stores across the US, there was only the idea of bringing a vegan food truck to Louisville. Owner Stanley Chase originally launched Morels Food Truck after raising $13,000 from over 200 pledges on Kickstarter.com, the online crowd-funding website.
Specializing in vegan versions of classic international street foods, the Morels’ truck was a popular fixture in and around Louisville. Operating throughout 2011 and 2012, they were the winner of “Best Food Truck” in the 2011 Leo Readers Choice Awards. In order to help support the food truck operation, Morels also began selling packaged vegan wraps to Heine Brothers’ coffee shops and Rainbow Blossom grocery stores across Louisville.
But this supporting business quickly ramped up, soon supplying over 1,200 sandwich wraps per month.
Chase was having trouble juggling the two businesses, and the decision was made to close the truck and focus on demand for the Morels’ wraps. “The maintenance and upkeep on the truck was always a major cost factor,” said Chase. “And when we first started, the laws around operating a food truck in Louisville were practically nonexistent. New ordinances were being put in place all the time, and some- times new regulations could require thousands of dollars to keep the truck compliant. We didn’t see the potential for scaling in the way we were already seeing with the wraps.”
In early 2012 Morels Food Truck changed their name to Morels the Vegan Butcher and continued to grow the business, landing in more locations and creating new and seasonal wraps. Morels the Vegan Butcher was also a frequent sight at Louisville events and festivals, offering dishes that were a hit with vegans and meat lovers alike, winning The Taste of Frankfort People’s Choice Award of 2013 and the Best Vegetarian Dish at 2013 Porktoberfest.
During the growing success of Morels the Vegan Butcher, a new opportunity again presented itself. Owner Stanley Chase recalls in late 2012, “I was making char siu (Korean BBQ) one night when I forgot to set a timer and left a sheet of soy protein baking too long.” Chase put the overcooked char siu to the side and moved on to a new batch. “But after it cooled I decided to try a piece and instantly thought, that tastes just like beef jerky.”
“So I bagged it up and took it with me to the bar. And suddenly everyone was eating it. I had dozens of people asking where they could buy some.” Inspired, Chase went back into the kitchen and got to work on perfecting the texture and developing flavors. Within a month the “Louisville Vegan Jerky Co.” had Bourbon Smoked Black Pepper and Bourbon Smoked Chipotle varieties offered in 12 stores across Louisville.
Throughout 2013 demand grew, and Louisville Vegan Jerky expanded to more than 50 stores across 16 states. A new flavor was added, Sriracha Maple, with a teriyaki flavor in the works. Chase again found himself in the position of juggling two businesses. “The wraps are huge in the community and I’d hate to see them go away.
But like before it really comes down to a question of scale. The wraps are prep heavy and have to be delivered fresh every few days. The jerky has a much longer shelf life, which allows us to supply stores nationally. And hopefully even internationally. Plus, there isn’t much vegan jerky on the market, and I don’t think anyone can compare to the taste and quality of ours.”
The success and continued ambition has led Chase to make another difficult decision, to end the sand- wich wrap business and pursue increasing production of jerky. The final Morels the Vegan Butcher wrap deliveries will go out April 24th 2014, coinciding with Chase and The Vegan Jerky Co. relocating to an expanded kitchen in Old Louisville. Regarding the newest venture and the closing of another chapter, Chase said “We started 3 years ago from Kickstarter and a lot of great things have happened. All of our sandwiches and wraps, I want to make those recipes available to anyone who would be interested in continuing the business. The demand for vegan sandwiches is definitely here in Louisville, there’s no question about that.”
Vegan Jerky Co. flavors are available at Heine Brothers’, Rainbow Blossom, Louisville Local Market, and Block Party. You can follow the business on their website at www.louisvilleveganjerkycompany.com or on Twitter and Facebook.