Family-owned and Operated for Generations

It all started with Chris

The foundation for Jack Link’s was set in the 1880s when Chris Link came to America from the old country and settled in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. He didn’t bring much with him, but he did bring his family’s sausage recipes. Talk about applaudable priorities.

Soon his sausages and smoked meats became legend. It was all anyone could talk about (or so we hear).

Then came Earl

Continuing the family tradition of taking meat very, very seriously, Chris’ son, Earl Link, later opened Minong’s first general store and butcher shop.

A boy called Wolf

Continuing the family tradition of taking meat very, very seriously, Chris’ son, Earl Link, later opened the town of Minong’s first general store and butcher shop.

In 1916, Earl had a son named Wolf Link who lived the meat business from day one. Despite his predative name, Wolf grew to be a successful cattleman, raising the finest beef in all the land.
Raising cattle was one thing. But his greatest accomplishment was raising The Chosen One. A boy named Jack Link.

The Man Behind the Name

While hunting one day with his boys, Jack had the idea to make jerky with his great-grandfather’s old-world recipes (because, let’s be honest, they were better than anything found in stores). Together, he and his sons worked to create our inaugural product: Jack Link’s original kippered beef steak, an instant classic that friends, neighbours and eventually the region obsessed over like a bunch of old-timey pioneers.

In 1986, Jack shook up the meat snacks category, selling his namesake beef steaks to convenience stores across Wisconsin. But things really escalated quickly when Jack purchased a jerky packaging machine – that’s when Jack Link’s started selling nationwide, in the stores you can find it in today.