Jack & Friends with Jessica Kwong feature 37 of Together Talks

KLS
Jun 27, 2023
5 min read

Updated: Apr 14

"Together Talks" feature 37: Jack & Friends presented by KLS, freight company

Some Background on Jack & Friends

Today's edition of "Together Talks" campaign, KLS had the fortune to interview Jessica Kwong founder of Jack & Friends. Jack & Friends believes in inclusivity—especially when it comes to food. That's why they are on a mission to make snacks you can feel good about eating, regardless of your lifestyle or diet. Their jerky is carefully crafted to ensure as many people as possible not only can consume their product, but also enjoy it. Made with jackfruit and pea protein, Jack & Friends jerky is not only vegan and top 9 allergen-free, but also a good source of protein and fiber with no added sugar—truly a "plant-based jerky for any lifestyle."

Meet the Friends!

The company soft-launched its first SKU in March 2019. Currently Jessica is the only full time employee, but she is supported by three fractional employees, and additional supporting agencies. The product is currently sold in multiple stores and their website. The locations can be viewed here. Currently the company has 3 flavors

Jack & Tom - Tomato & Poblano Pepper
Jack & Barb - Sweet Barbecue
Jack & Teri - Ginger Terriyaki

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Jessica told us that the plan from inception was always to be creative with the name and branding to highlight the star ingredient, jackfruit. Each "firend" is then named after the predominant flavor in that jerky to create a fun play on the names and ingredients. The goal was to have a name with a message that also allowed them to focus on creativity a fun challenge that also matches their brand mission of inclusivity,

The Path

While studying food science at Cornell University, Jessica led a student product development team. This would become the springboard for her to dive into entrepreneurship. Upon developing the concept for a plant-based jerky and completing that competition, she discovered that not only did the product have a lot of potential, but it would enable her to create a brand with a mission that resonated with her. She could create something she was passionate about that was sustainable. Jessica made up her mind and turned down a full-time offer for an R&D position and a multi-billion dollar food company, she was going to embark on creating a brand that breathes inclusivity into its message.

Strategy

Jessica shared how she constantly is learning and tweaking the approach. Most recently, it has been the lessons experienced on the retail side. She explained, "Because our product is more 'niche' compared to others, we want to be more specific with the doors we are in." Jessica advised us that retailers are reaching out which is a great development, but she is remaining committed to selecting the right partners. Jack & Friends is currently focusing on fitness studios and outdoor recreation outlets, which allows them to have a targeted approach with health conscious and active individuals who would appreciate their products. "There is competition for shelf space, eyeball attention, and in-store location. It might make more sense for us to continue to grow through targeted independents before we attempt to get into the larger retail space," Jessica noted.

Makeup

The most direct competition for Jack & Friends is plant based jerky, followed by traditional meat jerky, and even protein bars as the categories have similar use cases. We asked Jessica what separates her company from the competition, and she educated us that not only is the product vegan, but it is top 9 allergen free. In addition to those two caveats, it is also a good source of protein and fiber, AND contains no added sugar. Starting at Cornell with her research and then founding her company, Jessica did a ton of R&D to hone in on a product concept and develop the macros of the product. Most plant-based jerky produce force consumers to choose between either allergen-friendly status or protein content. As a result, Jessica said it alienates millions of consumers who have allergies or consumers that are focused on nutrition. Enter Jack & Friends which provides for all. If only there was a word for that.... ah that's right, INCLUSIVITY!

Strengths

Jack & Friends mission of inclusivity also translates to the community efforts of the company. During the pandemic, Jack & Friends donated products to various organizations, including Founders Give (now Wellfare) to provide different hospitals and healthcare workers. They also made a conscious effort to donate products and funds to similar organizations during this time, along with creating marketing opportunities with organizations they were passionate about like Welcome to Chinatown and Pridelines. They also participated in social media efforts during the pandemic to raise awareness for hate crimes against Asian, including various promotional efforts to raise attention.

Vision

Jessica has a clear vision for the company that doesn't pigeonhole them into just Jerky. As evidenced by the creativity of the brand and product names, she also possesses creativity for future product lines. "Eventually we want to expand outside of snacking into the frozen/refrigerated meal sector. The ethos will remain consistent with Jack & Friends in that all products will continue to be inclusive of diets and health restrictions, and jackfruit remain as the star ingredient," said Jessica.

For the remainder of 2023, the goal is to increase brand exposure while increasing the reach of product availability and distribution. On a longer time frame, the goal is to introduce new Friends to the jerky line and a new product line as well as new product lines.

We were curious what Jessica's favorite aspect of working at Jack & Friends was, and she said "Being the founder, being able to bleed, sweat, and cry for this business and then see it grow before my eyes has been rewarding. Having a tangible product makes it extra special and always puts it into perspective. It is hard to get that feeling and experience outside of entrepreneurship."

As always, we closed with asking Jessica if there was one moment that stood out to her on her journey. "Probably, the first visit to our current manufacturing partner. It was such a big hurdle to find the right partner that it felt like a black hole that would never work out. I flew out to meet with owner and went through a crazy production trial before revamped the whole process to adapt to their facility. But in the end, we made it work, and the company was all in and ready to support us. Creating that bond and trust the first time definitely strengthened the relationship. It was such a long journey, so securing that partnership to help us scale it was a wonderful and validating moment."

In Closing

Jack & Friends is offering a special discount for all the loyal "Together Talks" readers.

Use the coupon code "TOGETHERTALKS" for 15% off any order!!!

Jessica recently served on a panel for the Women Innovators Talk, which she classified as "a rockstar group of women!" Check out the link, here. The company has also been featured in the New York Times, Vegnews, and Today. Jessica has been a part of multiple podcasts including, Contendercast, Essential Ingredients, and 15 Minutes of Genius.