248. A Pit Master and a Navy Aviator Create a Meat Chip

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Ian Timmons and Billy Knox, founders of Beefy, and one of my favorite new snacks—featured in our Winter Foodbevy Insider Box.

We talk about:

• what went wrong (and right) in early R&D
• the complexity of manufacturing and scaling a brand-new product format
• the GTM strategy that got Beefy their early traction
• where they’re headed next as they expand beyond DTC

Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn about becoming a member or an industry partner today.

Transcript

Jordan Buckner (00:00)
Most protein snacks taste the same. Chewy, jerky, soft bars, or something with the texture of compressed sawdust. But a few months ago, I got to try Beefy, a new meat chip on the market. Beefy isn't jerky. It's not a chip pretending to be protein. It really tastes like beef bacon, in my opinion, of meats like kettle chip, like crunchy, savory, clean ingredients, and honestly, one of the most surprising snacks I've had all year long.

Today I'm joined by the founders behind this new category busting product, Ian Timmons and Billy Knox, who are the co-founders of Beefy And it's one of my new favorite snacks and also featured in our Winter Foodbevy insider box. Welcome to the podcast, guys.

Ian Timmons (00:41)
Thank you.

Billy Knox (00:41)
Yeah, Jordan, thanks so much for having us and for featuring Beefy. We're really excited to chat with you.

Jordan Buckner (00:47)
So I'm excited to share more the story behind kind of how you got started in your journey so far, but you know, first I'd love to know what really sparked the idea to create a beat chip and when did you know it could become more than just a novelty?

Ian Timmons (01:00)
Yeah, I was a, Texas monthly top 100 pit master for the previous 10 years before I did beefy. And, one of my friends actually brought me a similar product to my pit room one random day. And I, true American capitalism forum, I just thought I could do it way better. And I think, I know for certain, I did it a lot better and, you know,

beefy chips are here to stay and take over. So that's kind of what we're planning on doing. And when I knew it was more than, you know, just a novelty is it's truly like a new textural experience. And not only that, but it's healthy. It's, know, we use only clean ingredients. But I think one of the more surprising things is

Kids absolutely love it and they destroy it. And both Billy and I have kids and, ⁓ and trying to find a healthy protein that kids like is very difficult, almost impossible. so when kids started to like it, I think that was a big sign. And then just when people started like sharing the product and other, and some of our customers were excited to share beefy with their friends is when it really started.

you know, moved from just a cell to a brand, like a brand that's, you know, making waves in the market.

Billy Knox (02:16)
Yeah.

Jordan Buckner (02:16)
That's

really cool. I mean, like you came from the pit master experience, Billy, how did you get involved?

Billy Knox (02:21)
Yeah, so I had the privilege of meeting Ian. Our wives are friends and, you know, Ian makes it seem like pretty easy, but mad kudos to him. His garage smelled like wet hot beef for like six months while he iterated the product and just was like laser focused on quality and bringing it up to where it is today.

You know, I had recently transitioned out of the Navy. was an instructor pilot on 737s. All my buddies, you know, went and flew for the airlines and I, you know, was like, I want to watch my kids grow up. So I was kind of looking for something different. And our wives are friends. So I was hanging out with Ian and I tried the product and I had this like quasi religious moment, as I'm sure you can relate to. was like, wow, these are insanely good. And I remember like,

that night too, like the night after I first tried them, like, like thought about them. Like I was like, I need more beefy chips. so I, got back with Ian and I was like, Hey man, like, how's this going? And he was like, yeah, it's pretty good. and he had this like list on his phone of people that had ordered, they were waiting like three months for, you know, one bag of beef chips. And I remember he got a text message from someone and it was like,

Hey, I hear you the meat chip guy. Can I, ⁓ can I place an order? And it was like, nobody's ever heard of like someone just randomly, you know, reached out to him. And I was like, that's when like the light bulb clicked for me. was like, okay, there's organic like demand. There's organic traction. Like, you know, this could really be something. And so I went into like nerdy naval aviator mode and dove into unit economics and things like that. and

I have a finance background too and the CPG world is just absolutely fascinating with just brands and building a CPG company. Although if I knew then what I know now about what it takes to start a CPG company, I probably would have been a little more resident. But yeah, we dove in head first. We partnered up 50-50 partners.

and kind of burn the boats and haven't looked back since. And it's been a wild ride, but it's been really fun and really.

Jordan Buckner (04:25)
How long have you, has the business been together and like been growing now?

Billy Knox (04:30)
Yeah, we hit a year of sales on the 17th of this month. So we just passed the one year mark. did some, you know, we were kind of building the business side out for a few months before that. But yeah, we've officially been selling for a year now.

Jordan Buckner (04:43)
Congratulations,

that's a big milestone. You know, it's interesting, I actually worked with different jerky brands and kind of me-pros brands before and like with any...

product in a space a lot of times people start like in their home kitchen or a small production space but then as they are scaling up production the product ends up changing based on how they're manufacturing it and One thing I'm really impressed by is just like the quality and texture of the chips are like really great tell me about your decisions that kind of like continue to manufacture it yourself how you're manufacturing it and

⁓ how that affects kind of product quality.

Ian Timmons (05:21)
Yeah. ⁓ I think from the beginning, Billy and I wanted to keep control of our quality. you know, a lot of companies will go and use a co-manufacturer, but, with such a new product, it's hard to get a co-manufacturer to do something that doesn't really exist one. So that, ⁓ kind of takes out that option for us, but, you know, I think there's more.

to creating a company and a brand than just creating a product to sell. think something that I wanted to do, and I think Billy did too, is we want to create jobs, we want to create a culture in our company, and we want to make sure that we can really care about the product and give it the attention that it needs from receiving the briskets to packaging the chips. I think that

that type of quality and attention to detail and care really shines through when the end consumer gets our package. So I think it's all really important and a part of the process that we wanted to have control of.

Jordan Buckner (06:24)
Yeah, I think, you know, it's interesting because having done this before, can kind of see maybe some of the potential obstacles in the way, both on the manufacturing and operations side and on the sales side with kind of coming up with a new product in the market. And so what are the biggest operational challenges that you've had to face as you navigating making all the chips?

Billy Knox (06:44)
Yeah, hands down, the biggest operational challenge for us has been production capacity. So like we just can't keep up with demand, like organic demand growth. And just figuring that piece out, like, okay, how do we scale a business? We were self-funded up until, you know, honestly, a couple of weeks ago, we're in the middle of raising around right now to really like put some gas on the fire and to build out like a production facility that we can grow into.

But for the past year, that's been our biggest, that's the nightmare that like, you wake up in the middle of the night and there's all these orders and you're like, well, we can't fulfill these. So that's probably been the biggest operational hurdle. Ian created such a phenomenal product that literally, it just takes one chip, like, hey, just try this. And most people are blown away.

You know, so the sales portion, the marketing portion is actually quite easy. it's just building out, building out operational capacity. And neither of us have done that before. So we get to, kind of fumble our fumble our way around in the dark, which has been, uh, which has been fun, but we've met some really interesting people along the way that have really helped us. And that's been awesome too.

Jordan Buckner (07:50)
Yeah, I think that's exciting. terms of the sales, know like meat chip is not a common kind of product form. And so I like it and I can totally be like once people taste it, they're kind of on board. Have you had challenges or find it difficult at all to like get people to want to try it or kind of attract them that have never tried it?

Billy Knox (08:11)
Yeah, I would say no, actually. So the thing that I mean, and I will caveat this with where like in Texas, where you say meet anything and people are like, yeah, sure, like, I'll give it a go. But I think, you know, it's brisket, right? And brisket is like a quasi religion in Texas. And then chip, you know, everybody loves chips, everybody can relate to chips and having those two things like juxtaposed next to each other.

creates this like natural curiosity to where it's really funny. Like we'll say, we'll be out at like a farmer's market and we'll say, Hey, do you want to try a meat chip? And you can see like the gears turn in people's heads where they're like, did he just say meat and then chip? Like, I don't know what that is, but now like, I feel like I need to know. so that playing into that curiosity has actually been really beneficial for us. you know, I'm sure there's,

a subset of the population that probably doesn't lean heavily into that curiosity, maybe vegans.

Jordan Buckner (09:08)
You know, it's interesting. So I was thinking like when I first had it, I imagined, you know, the brand like wild and like chicken kind of chips. And there was kind of like this chicken chip thing. And like, that's a little bit what I was imagining kind of when I heard meat chip, but I was like really surprised that when I got the, I shouldn't say I was really surprised, but when I got it and like saw the form factor and tasted it, ⁓ I was like, this is cool. And like, as soon as I tried it, I was addicted. And so.

I think, you know, I love the fact that you're like getting the products into people's hands and getting into their mouths. and I think very much leading into his like taste for world is interesting because my product and I feel like coming out of the last 10 years, a lot of products have been selling. What like function other products, like better, like rest, sleep, energy, focus, calm, like all of these things. And there's been a real, revival, I think of.

just like really great tasting products with great texture. And I think your product is one that's kind of, you know, able to like lead that conversation. Like it's just really good meat, right? It's not trying to make you do anything or like change some weird functional thing. Like it's just a really satisfying good, good product.

Ian Timmons (10:18)
Yeah, I mean, we certainly have the functionality, but I think, you know, the thing that hits you in the face about a beefy chip is, wow, this is delicious. I've never had anything like this before. And it's almost like sometimes it takes a minute to like, you have to process what you're eating and what's going on. But yeah, yeah. I think that's one of our challenges is like, you know, we're a simple product. We're a clean product.

And how do we make clean eating like attractive again? How do we make it delicious instead of not tasting like you're eating a piece of cardboard?

Jordan Buckner (10:53)
Talk to me about deciding what the ingredients to put in. Cause I know a lot of products are using things like unnamed natural flavors and lots of additives kind of within their products. But, know, looking at your ingredient decks, that's one thing that's like really attractive when I was looking at them all. It's like you're using just like real, you know, prime brisket, using a lot of organic ingredients and even in your seasonings. And so tell me about like that.

selection of ingredients and things to put inside the product. Don't let that.

Ian Timmons (11:23)
Yeah, I mean, we simply try and use the highest quality of whatever it goes into our product. It's a really simple product. So when it comes to the briskets, the beef that we're using, we try and find the highest quality beef we can use. When it comes to the salt, we're trying to find the highest quality, best tasting salt. Same with seasoning. The seasoning is one of the more challenging aspects, but we try and find

the cleanest seasoning and the best tasting seasoning that we can find. So that's like a ⁓ core value in our company is to be honest and upfront with all of our customers and to be transparent about what they're eating and just to make sure that we can fulfill that on our end by doing the best we can, you know, using only the highest quality ingredients.

Billy Knox (12:12)
Yeah, Jordan, I think that brings up kind an interesting point too. And like something that we're really passionate about is like, if you look at the arc of like, kind of the snacking industry over the past 30, 40 years, it's like, for whatever reason, like people making snacks decided to put on like lab coats and go into, you know, basically create science experiments. I mean, we're putting protein in water, we're putting protein in like brownies, we're putting like

One thing that we want to do is we want to get back to like the source, right? And we want to get back to food as it's designed to be, you know, directly from the source, like, and as minimally processed as possible. And by the way, like if you do it right, it can be delicious. and it turns out that that's actually going to be the best for you because mother nature has spent, you know, a millennia designing our bodies, our systems, like, you know,

to function off of real food. so, you know, that's, we have two little kids, like nutrition is like at the center of our universe, right? And we're really passionate about putting something out there that we can be proud of. It's like, yeah, like it's minimally processed. It's like flip it over and read the ingredient deck and like, it'll blow your mind because nothing that simple has ever tasted that good. But like,

Food can be that if we stop trying to make it in a, know, in a, via a science experiment and we just go to like the source. and this, and so that's what that's kind of like one of the main passions behind like, you know, you talked a lot about funk food being function and, we're kind of like flipping that conversation is like, we think it should be functional, right? And like beefy definitely is like,

very high protein counts, like great macros, know, good fat soluble vitamins, like, but before any of that, it has to be delicious, but we're not going to want it. We're not going to want to consume it. And that's what's

Jordan Buckner (14:05)
And

it's functional like through, through naked.

through the form, not through additives. You mentioned like protein being added to water, which is innovative as ⁓ you mentioned, like a science experiment, but it's trying to force something into something else, which yeah, there's probably people who will consume it, but I like a game match to the source. ⁓ As you're growing the company, where are you selling beefy and how do you think the next year's gonna go from a sales perspective, through channels and how you're selling?

Billy Knox (14:35)
Yeah, so right now we're just Direct-to-Consumer. So you can buy it directly via our website, getbfee.co or getbfee.shop. We're also opening up Amazon. And we really see like the next wave, six to 12 months is really focusing on Direct-to-Consumer, especially because we can't keep up with demand from a production side. So as we bring demand online, just like

scaling up direct to consumer. And then we really like to start exploring kind of specialty retailers, boutique retailers, things like that. And kind of like testing the retail model before we go full scale in national change and chains and things like that. There's also some other kind of interesting projects we're working on, working with the DOD.

and some other other outlets like that. But what we're really passionate about connecting directly with consumers, especially in this early stage. And so we'll probably focus on that for the next little bit.

Jordan Buckner (15:33)
Nice, that's definitely exciting. I'm curious too, as we're closing out, what advice would you give other founders who are trying to innovate in a category? Because as you mentioned, there's a couple other companies who are doing something little similar around the country. There's a lot of jerky brands. Kind of how are you thinking about building up your brand in your category within this space?

Billy Knox (15:56)
Yeah, what words of ice you got, man?

Ian Timmons (15:58)
I I think if you're passionate about solving a problem or something means something to you in a deep way and you want to chase that, by all means, you should certainly do that. Life is too short and you should, kind of like Billy said earlier, if we had a huge amount of knowledge about what it took to build a successful CPG company,

Probably, you know, wouldn't have done it, but, ⁓ I think, ⁓ that, that comes to like move quick. There's the, you know, there's the saying of, ⁓ paralysis by analysis. think if you just, ⁓ avoid that at all costs and, just dive into whatever you're passionate about and, and don't think beyond that, just take it one step at a time, just one foot in front of the other. And there's going to be some challenges that come up, you know,

in your path. But, I also think if you think about, ⁓ you know, kind of like the, ⁓ Ryan holiday book, the obstacle is the way like seek that discomfort, because that discomfort is generally, a huge amount of growth on the other side.

Billy Knox (17:03)
Man, yeah, I would say like the biggest thing is solve a real problem. Like don't chase a trend, solve a real problem, something that you're passionate about. Listen to like early feedback. So one of the things that we got to see is like we went out to the local farmers market here in West Texas and like we saw the reaction and like we knew we had something. So, you know, listen to that. Like don't...

people are gonna tell you, people are gonna give you opinions, like listen to what people that are actually buying your product are saying because they're the only opinions that matter. Yeah, mean, into this comfort. I'm a big believer in like burn the boats. Like once you think you've got something, like you can make a million excuses as to why it won't work, but if you burn the boats and don't give yourself a way out, you'll figure out a way to make it work. So yeah, like.

There's a million and one products that need to be evolved and need to be iterated. There's, there's problems that we need solutions to. like the space is wide open. If you're willing to roll up your sleeves and do the work, um, I would say 100 % like go for it. you know, jump in. and one other thing that's been really interesting is the CPG community is like

I would say very giving. we've throughout this whole process, like you meet people and the first thing that they tell you is their name. And the second thing they tell you is like, how can I help you? And it's just been really amazing to see in an industry that is like competitive. mean, it is, you know, at the end of the day, like we're all trying to make a dollar and build a brand or build a company,

But you also feel like you're all on the same team, because we're all working towards the common goal of cleaning up the food aisle, the snack aisle, whatever it may be, solving real problems. It seems like each individual founder is really passionate about the problem that they're solving. And so we're all committed to that rising tide raises all ships mentality of, yeah, we may be

competing for people's attention, competing for people's dollars, but we're also on the same team of like, we're all working towards a better food system. And that's one of the coolest parts about it, I think.

Jordan Buckner (19:14)
I love that. Ian, Billy, thanks so much for being on the podcast and telling your story. And for everyone listening, make sure to check out our Foodbevy Insider Boxes. You can discover amazing products like Beefy and tons of others. You can find that insider.foodbevy.com and check out Beefy if you haven't tried them already, you won't be disappointed. Thanks so much guys for being on.

Billy Knox (19:34)
Thanks a lot. see you.