History

With deep roots in the meat processing industry, we found a niche in 2018 manufacturing premium meat sticks and jerky that focusses on quality meat and exceptional spices without the need for all the fillers. Our ability to make delectable products for our co-manufacturing and private-label customers is unparalleled. With seven locations across four states, we’re able to make more than four million meat sticks each day.

The initial Western’s Smokehouse in Greentop, Missouri paved the way for our successful journey into the meat snack industry. In 2019, the addition of our plant in Galesburg, Illinois, founded by the Hankes family, allowed us to catapult to another level of performance. We quickly became aware that there was a need beyond our capacity with the two plants. Our relationship with the Turasky family in Springfield, Illinois was a logical fit to add a third plant to our organization.

By 2023 we had once again outgrown our capacity leading us to expand into Burlington, Iowa with a facility that covers over 100,000 square feet. While working to seamlessly open our fourth plant, we began discussions with the Ball family in Shelley, Idaho to acquire their facility that not only focusses on meat sticks, but jerky as well. The relationship was solidified in 2024 bringing us to a total of five plants spanning nearly 500,000 square feet.

Our growth has not stopped there. In 2025, we expanded our footprint to include a second plant in Galesburg, IL along with a plant in Mexico, Missouri. In addition to our seven production facilities, our corporate headquarters is based in Galesburg, Illinois.

Through our expansions and acquisitions, we’ve grown from an organization with 250 employees to one that will now employ more than 1300 people and have more than 1,000,000 square feet of production capacity.