OUR MISSION
We here at Jack & Friends® believe in inclusivity—especially when it comes to food. That’s why we’re on a mission to make snacks you can feel good about eating, regardless of your lifestyle or diet. Our plant-based jerky is carefully crafted to ensure as many people as possible not only can consume our product, but also enjoy it. Who said you have to choose between function and flavor? Not us.
INGREDIENTS
Two ingredients form the foundation of Jack & Friends® and are responsible for our vegan jerky’s ability to mimic the texture and appearance of real meat: jackfruit and pea protein. Jackfruit is a fruit grown and popularized in Southeast Asia that is proving to be a versatile food ingredient because of its neutral flavor, white color, and meaty texture when unripe. It contains a large amount of minerals and fiber, making it nutritionally favorable as well. Pea protein is a hypoallergenic and vegan alternative to soy, wheat, and dairy proteins, which are three of the eight major allergens. Despite being derived from plants, it is a complete protein, meaning it contains each of the nine essential amino acids necessary in the human diet. While jackfruit and pea protein create our jerky’s texture, additional ingredients are used to develop flavor. In our flagship Jack & Tom jerky, tomatoes, poblano peppers, and a signature blend of spices pack each bite with bold, savory flavor and a spicy kick that keeps you coming back for more.
NUTRITION
Jack & Friends® is always conscientious of its consumers, including their health. That’s why we designed our jerky to provide as many benefits as possible through both the inclusion and exclusion of specific ingredients. Although jackfruit and pea protein play important roles in developing texture, they also qualify our product to be a good source of fiber and protein, meaning each serving contains at least 10% of your daily recommended intake of these two nutrients. By excluding unnecessary ingredients, we ensured Jack & Friends® jerky would be low fat and contain no added sugars as well. Our flagship Jack & Tom flavor specifically contains 7g of protein, 4g of fiber, and only 80 calories per serving, so you can indulge in snacking and feel good about it.
THE “FRIENDS”
Jack & Friends® draws its inspiration from the very ingredients used to create it. As the foundation of our plant-based jerky, it seemed only right to honor jackfruit with the permanent place in our name—the “Jack.”
So who are Jack’s friends?
These are the ingredients that make our jackfruit jerky taste great. Each iteration will feature a new friend named from one of the predominant flavors in that jerky. In our flagship Jack & Tom vegan jerky, the name stems from the tomatoes used to create the foundation of its flavor. We hope you will look forward to the expansion of our circle of friends and join us along this journey!
LIFESTYLE
We at Jack & Friends® embody our mission of inclusivity by striving to make our food as suitable and desirable to as many people as possible—no matter your lifestyle. Whether you’re a a vegan fitness enthusiast in need of plant-based protein or an overworked analyst looking for convenient desk snacks, a health-conscious student buying fuel for study sessions or a parent purchasing food for an allergen-sensitive family, we want to be your solution. Life is full of enough tough choices, but choosing what you can and want to eat should be easy. Let us take some of the thinking out of your day (and taste great while doing it). Learn more about how our jerky is suitable for all lifestyles and occasions.
OUR FOUNDER
Curious about the woman behind Jack & Friends? Read the story of our founder, Jessica Kwong, to learn about her background in food science and why she decided to become an entrepreneur as a 22-year-old fresh out of university.
MEET JESSICA KWONG
Although her love for food began with baking and the Dining section of The New York Times, Jessica’s background is a bit less traditional than most food entrepreneurs. She graduated from Cornell University in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in food science after studying technical areas like sensory analysis, food chemistry, food safety, etc. During her four years as a student, Jessica deepened her knowledge of food and its industry through Cornell’s vigorous food science curriculum, product development competitions (leading the team to national and international titles), and R&D internships with food companies ranging from small startups to multi-billion dollar corporations. She has developed countless products: everything from yogurt to baby food to baked goods.
As a senior, Jessica had a difficult decision to make—accept a full-time return offer from one of the world’s largest snack companies or pursue her own entrepreneurial venture. After much consideration (and stress), she declined the offer and founded Jack & Friends as a fresh Cornell graduate. Passionate about crafting food inclusive of different lifestyles, diets, and allergy restrictions, Jessica focused on utilizing her technical background to innovate products that fulfill her brand’s self-created mission. Their first product line to embody lifestyle inclusivity is a plant-based jerky made from jackfruit and pea protein that is not only vegan and top 8 allergen-free, but also a good source of protein and fiber with no added sugar.
Since launching Jack & Friends’ first product in March 2019, Jessica continues to manage and grow the company while based out of New York, and is eager to share Jack & Friends with even more people of all lifestyles to enjoy! Listen and read more about her journey in these interviews: Vegan Startup Podcast, The Cornell Daily Sun, Essential Ingredients Podcast, and Fem Founder.