The roll call starts here
Protein-packed vegan jerky made from jackfruit, crafted to be inclusive of different lifestyles and diets without compromise.
Concept by Danilo Vicioso for Jack and Friends Jerky: this page runs as a roll call. Jack, the jackfruit, introduces his friends one at a time, and every chapter wears the color of its own bag.
Why Jack comes first
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.”
These are the flavors that make our jackfruit jerky taste great. Jack & Tom is Tomato & Poblano Pepper, Jack & Barb is Sweet Barbecue, and Jack & Teri is Ginger Teriyaki.
JACK & FRIENDS BELIEVES IN INCLUSIVITY—ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO FOOD. WE ARE COMMITTED TO CRAFTING PRODUCTS YOU CAN FEEL GOOD ABOUT EATING, REGARDLESS OF YOUR LIFESTYLE OR DIET, SO YOU CAN ENJOY FOOD WITHOUT COMPROMISING ON QUALITY.
choosing what to eat should be easy
Whether you’re a vegan fitness enthusiast in need of plant-based protein, an overworked analyst looking for convenient desk snacks, a health-conscious student buying fuel for study sessions, a parent purchasing food for an allergen-sensitive family, or anyone in between, we want to be your solution.
Friend one · the flagship
Tomatoes, poblano peppers, and a signature blend of spices bring bold, savory flavor with a spicy kick.
Our first plant-based jerky flavor, Jack & Tom, uses only the best, all natural ingredients in its recipe to distinguish itself from all other allergen-free snacks and healthy foods brands while providing nutritional benefits. In addition to the main ingredients of jackfruit and pea protein, tomatoes, poblano peppers, and a signature blend of spices pack each bite with bold, savory flavor and a spicy kick to awaken your taste buds.
Jackfruit, Poblano Peppers, Tomato Paste, Pea Protein, Spices, Salt, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder.
Tom is the friend who showed up first, so he is the one to try first.
What the friends are made of
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 nine 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.
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.
Four trails, one bag
Inclusivity is our platform—we’re on a mission to create snacks for anyone and any lifestyle.
Whether you’re a teenager or young adult, students of all ages need fuel for their body and brains. It’s tempting to reach for that bag of chips or sugar-loaded protein bar when you’re on the go between classes or need a mid-study snack break, which is why we made our healthy, vegan jerky portable and easy to eat.
Because our plant-based jerky is also packed with protein, it will maintain satiety longer, allowing you to focus on your studies instead of hunger.
Exercise and fitness are important to maintain healthy, active lifestyles, but food choices can often be a hindrance in meeting our goals—especially if you follow a particular diet. When you’re vegan but also looking to gain muscle for bodybuilding, your snack options are pretty limited.
That’s where Jack & Friends comes in. Our vegan jerky made from jackfruit and pea protein is a perfect source of plant-based protein, and it’s convenient to take on-the-go to the gym, hiking, or anywhere you exercise.
Let’s face it—millennials aren’t dubbed the “burnout generation” for no reason. Working hard and long hours is commonplace for many professionals, which can lead to some pretty unhealthy eating habits.
As a healthy, vegan / vegetarian, and allergy-free option, it’s a great snack to satisfy your cravings and fuel your long workday.
Our top 9 allergen-free (gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free) and vegan jerky made from jackfruit and pea protein is the perfect risk-free, healthy option for kids—and even better, it’s a delicious snack for adults as well.
Packed with the flavor, Jack & Friends plant-based jerky is sure to satisfy all members of the family, making your grocery shopping that much easier.
Friend three · the bright finish
Blends sweet and savory notes traditional of teriyaki with a touch of ginger to add a bright and warm finish as an interesting twist to a classic.
Ginger and other delicious seasonings blend sweet and savory notes traditional of teriyaki while also adding a bright and warm finish as a twist to a classic flavor.
Each bag of jackfruit jerky is also vegan and top 9 allergen-free while still containing a good source of protein and fiber with no added sugar, making it the perfect healthy, grab and go option among plant-based snacks for people looking to explore meatless, high protein, and/or low sugar diets!
All three at the table
Want to try all three of our delicious vegan jerky flavors? Order a variety pack with individual 2.2 oz bags of our Jack & Tom (tomato and poblano pepper), Jack & Barb (sweet barbecue), and Jack & Teri (ginger teriyaki) flavors, and get a discount when ordering a 12 pack.
Signature blends of spices and other delicious seasonings pack each bite with bold, savory flavor to awaken your taste buds. With three unique flavors, why not try them all?
| Pack | Price (USD) |
|---|---|
| 3 bags (6.6 oz) | 27.99 |
| 6 bags (13.2 oz) | 54.99 |
| 12 bags (26.4 oz) | 102.99 |
From the founder
Hey, Jessica here! With a food science degree and an appreciation for jackfruit, I founded Jack & Friends to craft food you can feel good about eating–regardless of your lifestyle or diet.
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.
Jessica’s background is a bit less traditional than most food entrepreneurs. She graduated from Cornell University in 2018 with a degree in food science after studying technical disciplines, winning national and international product development competitions, and conducting R&D for 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. Passionate about crafting food inclusive of different lifestyles, Jessica declined the offer to pursue Jack & Friends and innovate products that fulfill her brand’s self-created mission.
Since launching Jack & Friends’ jerky in March 2019, Jessica continues to manage and grow the company while based in New York. Listen and read more about her journey in these interviews: Vegan Startup Podcast, ContenderCast, and Fem Founder.
The guide
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS VERSATILE AND SUSTAINABLE INGREDIENT
Have you heard of jackfruit before? Recently, you may have heard or seen it in passing more frequently—after all, “jackfruit” has seen a 400% increase in Google searches in just the past five years, and The Wall Street Journal touted it as the next meat alternative with “the most potential to go mainstream” in its list of The Next Hot Trends in Food!
Jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world (an individual fruit can reach up to 120 lbs or 55 kg!), and originates in South and Southeast Asia. Not to be confused with the durian, which also has a green and spiky exterior, jackfruit is actually a species in the Moraceae family—the same family as the fig. Crazy, right?
As the main ingredient of our plant-based, jackfruit jerky, jackfruit plays an important role in Jack & Friends—so much so that we honored it with the permanent place in our name! We chose jackfruit as the core of our product because its meat-like macrofibril structure helps create our vegan jerky’s chewy and tearable texture that mimics traditional beef jerky.
In addition to its desirable texture for meat alternative applications, jackfruit also boasts an impressive nutritional profile. It’s full of fiber and important minerals, such as iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium, and has a higher protein content than most typical fruits. Jackfruit also has a modest calorie count and is extremely low in fat.
Not only is jackfruit good for your body, it’s also good for the environment! The fruit is grown on trees that are resistant to drought, a variety of pests and diseases, and high temperatures, making it an ideal crop for farmers in sub-tropical areas.
Jackfruit is somewhat magical in that it has two completely different flavor profiles and appearances depending on its stage of growth. When ripe, the inside of a jackfruit is bright yellow and the majority of the fruit is comprised of large pods. Ripe jackfruit has a very chewy, stringy texture and unique, tropical flavor—almost a hybrid of pineapple, banana, and mango.
Alternatively, the flesh of unripe or young green jackfruit is off-white in color and almost neutral in flavor. These attributes in addition to its signature texture make it ideal for cooking applications in meat alternative or plant-based recipes. Because the fruit is not fully developed, the pods and seeds are also smaller!
From the kitchen
Because jackfruit is an extremely versatile fruit, both when ripe and unripe, it’s important to know how to prepare a fresh jackfruit and all the ways you can utilize it in different applications!
As a tropical plant, most of the world’s jackfruit production is in its areas of origin, South and Southeast Asia. Due to its increasing popularity though, jackfruit is not only becoming more widely available to consumers across the world, but also being introduced to farms in other regions like the U.S. and Mexico that have the climate to support it.
Use a large knife to first cut the entire fruit lengthwise in half (please note that jackfruit contains a very sticky sap, so it’s best to wear gloves and lightly oil any utensils that will come into contact with the fruit).
Cut each half lengthwise again so you have quarter wedges.
The center of the fruit will contain a white core, which should be cut away next. Removing the core will allow you to bend back each wedge, consequently loosening and separating the pods from each other!
Now, it should be fairly easy to remove the pods from the outer spiky rind. You can remove the seeds from each pod, but remember, these seeds are edible as well (we recommend roasting them for a nutty snack).
Once you have finished breaking down your jackfruit and have all the flesh separated, it’s ready to eat or cook with! Ripe jackfruit is commonly eaten raw like other fruits, or it can be used in sweet applications like desserts.
Unripe or young green jackfruit can be consumed raw as well, but because of its neutral flavor, it is much more suited for absorbing flavor in savory cooking applications. To use it as a meat alternative, we recommend shredding the jackfruit and cooking it in your favorite sauces or spices!
Jackfruit is becoming more widely available in U.S. supermarkets and can be found in a variety of styles. You can find purely dried jackfruit or our protein-packed jackfruit jerky for snacking purposes, so no preparation needed!
Canned jackfruit is also widely available in stores, which makes it easier for people who don’t want to worry about breaking down a whole fruit and storing any leftovers for future use (freezing leftover jackfruit is the way to go, by the way).
You’ll find ripe jackfruit already seeded and packed in syrup, ready to eat as-is or use in desserts and other sweet applications. Young green jackfruit comes packed in brine or water, typically as triangular wedges that can be chopped or shredded for whichever savory dish you’ll be using it in.
BUT DON’T JUST TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT
THIS JERKY IS AWESOME. THE TEXTURE IS SPOT-ON AND I LOVE THE POBLANO KICK! IT’S SUPER FILLING AND I LOVE HOW HIGH IN PROTEIN IT IS!
I’ll probably eat an entire bag tonight if my fiancé doesn’t finish it before I do. :)
I ordered for the first time the trio sampler and LOVED IT! All three flavors are delicious. I am very picky about the food I eat, and was so impressed with this jackfruit jerky. It's high-quality, healthy, very tasty, and has a wonderful texture!
Wow! The texture is amazing and surprisingly mimics real beef jerky, but less chewy which is a huge plus. And the flavor is very savory with a bright pop of ginger. Highly recommend!
Everyone in my family loves these jackfruit jerkies. Great options for flavors—something for everyone. My daughter loves these for her snack and she even has some to flavor up her lunch! What a gem!
I am not vegan but try to limit my meat consumption to 1-2 meals a week. I love beef and venison jerky but in my effort to eat it less have tried a myriad of plant based alternatives. Really none of them have hit the spot EXCEPT for this one. It really satisfies the meat craving and the spice profile is on point as well.
I am addicted to this jerky! It has such a good texture and flavor! It reminds me of biltong (a South African beef jerky). So it gives me all the spicy flavors of home! I will keep on buying!
Jack & Friends Jack fruit jerky is delicious. I love all the flavors and wish there were more flavors to enjoy, like curry? Korean Kimchee? Sweet Chili? Pesto Herb?
Thank you so much for the kind words, Amy! We are so glad you enjoyed our jackfruit jerky. Stay tuned for more flavors in the near future!
Find the friends
Can't find us? Request our products in your local store!
Or find our jackfruit jerky in our online retailer.
The shelf list on the right comes straight from the store locator, one Big Y at a time.
Short answers first, the long ones after. Everything below is the brand's own wording from its FAQ and shipping pages.
Before you ask
Have a plant-based jerky flavor you want us to make? Submit your ideas to inspire our next product.
Danilo's note: the roll call ends with an empty chair on purpose. The next friend is whichever flavor the community asks for, and this page already has room for them. The rest of my package is in the tabs at the top.