From Laos to Minnesota, Mike and Mali used their aunt's traditional sweet and savory beef jerk to start a new business...

For about 20 years, Mali's Aunt Thaiphet Phongsavath has been making beef jerky based on recipes and traditions she carried with her to Minnesota when her family moved here after fleeing Laos shortly after the end of the Vietnam War. Crafted by hand and served primarily at family functions, this sweet and savory beef jerky quickly won the hearts of Mike and Mali's friends who happened to be at their house when we had a batch. They kept asking them where they could buy it and when they could have it next. Instead of waiting around for the next family get-together or dinner party, Mike and Mali invested in a deli-style meat slicer and a full-sized food dehydrator and persuaded their Aunt to kick her operation into high gear!

In the Spring of 2010, they found a flyer announcing a beef jerky contest and that was the fire they needed to get things started. After tossing a few name ideas around, Mali came up with Cool Jerk, after the '60s R&B song by The Capitols. It was simple and memorable enough to run with. Mike's background is in graphic design. He is the creative director at Burlesque of North America, a Northeast Minneapolis-based design and screenprinting studio. Eager to see the business take off, Mike jumped at the chance to create the logo and graphic identity for Cool Jerk. Mali is a veteran web designer and built their website with some help from our friend Bangbay Siboliban.

Although they didn't end up winning that contest, they've been shipping out orders left and right to all points of the globe since launching their website and online store in the Summer of 2010. Their Lao friends have loved seeing them share the food they grew up with, and the rest of their friends have loved trying this crisp, sweet, and fresh-tasting beef jerky. A food they've never tasted before. Traditionally paired with Lao dishes such as sticky rice, papaya salad, and chicken laap salad, Cool Jerk makes a great snack on its own and also goes great with BBQ, chips & salsa, veggies & dip, or just about anything else.

Cool Jerk currently has five flavors available:
Original - sweet and with a touch of garlic
Lemongrass - seasoned with this herb used in many Southeast Asian dishes
Light - a low-fat but full-flavor version of our original jerky
Sweet & Spicy - just a little bit of spice for those with a mild sense of adventure
Native Lao Hot - super spicy and definitely not for the timid! This stuff is no joke!

http://www.cooljerk.net/