Hog Bites pork jerky web resize

Jerky and biltong manufacturer The Jerky Group has launched what it claims is the UK’s first pork jerky.

Hogbites Pork Jerky - the first jerky launched under the company’s pork cracking Hogbites brand - will roll out to major supermarkets from the beginning of next month in a BBQ flavor, with further variants in the pipeline (rsp: £1.99/40g).

High in protein and “relatively low in fat”, the product is made using selected cuts of pork leg that are sliced, marinated, cooked and slowly smoked, said the business.

The newcomer would build on a 31% year-on-year hike in jerky and biltong sales [Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 7 December 2014], said The Jerky Group managing director James Newitt.

“First to market with jerky and biltong in the UK, we have now identified that the category is ready for an additional healthy protein variant,” he added.

The decision to launch the NPD under Hogbites, rather than the company’s flagship Wild West brand, was a logical move because of the association in meat type, said Newitt.