Elizabeth Holmes’ Favorite Prison Snack Is Selling Out Online — and Flying Off Grocery Shelves
Elizabeth Holmes’ taste for turkey jerky is giving one small business a big boost.Credit: Food & Wine / Getty ImagesKey Points
Think Jerky’s Sriracha Honey turkey jerky has gone viral after appearing in You Can See Everything, a new documentary about Elizabeth Holmes, who reportedly requested the snack while in prison.
Sales of the turkey jerky have surged since the film’s release, increasing 92% on Amazon and 345% on Think Jerky’s website, according to the company’s CEO.
Developed in collaboration with 1994 F&W Best New Chef Gale Gand, the turkey jerky is made with free-range turkey, tamari, sriracha powder, and brown cane sugar.
Warning: Light spoilers ahead for You Can See Everything
Before You Can See Everything, Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s new documentary about disgraced tech entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes, who was known for guzzling green juice — along with a few other things: founding the blood-testing company Theranos and later being convicted of wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud investors after it was revealed that her blood-testing technology never worked as promised. But one of the film’s final scenes reveals that Holmes has a new favorite food: turkey jerky.
Fielder claims that when he visited her in prison, Holmes specifically asked for it from the vending machine, and in the final shot, Holmes is seen with her daughter and husband, Billy Evans, munching on that same Sriracha Honey turkey jerky.
Ricky Hirsch, CEO of Think Jerky, had no idea his jerky would be in the film, let alone that it would get so much screen time. “And then I went to the theater and saw the movie, and I was like, ‘Oh, wow, this might be a thing,’” he told Food & Wine. Within a week, Think’s Sriracha Honey turkey jerky began selling out online and flying off grocery shelves.
Nathan Fielder says Elizabeth Holmes requested Think Jerky during a prison visit, and the snack’s appearance in his new documentary has helped fuel a buying rush.Credit: Courtesy of Think Jerky
Hirsch founded his Austin-based jerky company 12 years ago and has never seen demand like this. “We are a small business,” he says. “I have five full-time employees and a couple of back-of-house support. I’m the CEO, the social media guy, the PR person, and the marketing person. We barely have a social media presence.”
But Hirsch has done his best to keep up with the virality. Fans of the film are theorizing about the deeper meaning behind the jerky on TikTok, Twitter, and Reddit.
Related: The Internet Loves This Protein-Packed Snack — But Is It Actually Good?
On the r/A24 subreddit, one user asked, “That last shot in You Can See Everything is too perfect, it makes me question the whole film!” The post has 345 responses, debating whether the jerky was a complex metaphor or simply a tasty snack.
Last week, Hirsch saw Elizabeth Holmes cosplayers touting bags of Think jerky for Halloween costumes. Some even made the Sriracha Honey turkey jerky the centerpiece of their entire outfit. “It’s bananas,” says Hirsch. “It’s not like someone can go buy a Think Jerky costume. You have to make it.”
According to Hirsch, sales of Sriracha Honey turkey jerky are up 92% on Amazon and 345% on the company’s website. “The real monetary benefit is going to come from brand awareness,” he says. Hirsch is looking forward to getting Think into more stores and more hands.
The Sriracha Honey turkey jerky isn’t a gimmick or a film prop. It was developed in partnership with 1994 F&W Best New Chef Gale Gand — a two-time James Beard Award winner. It’s tender and juicy, made with free-range turkey, tamari, and sriracha powder, and lightly sweetened with brown cane sugar.
Related: We Tasted 14 Meat Sticks So You Don’t Have to — These Are the 5 Worth Buying
Gand, too, was delighted to see her jerky on the big screen. “It’s been quite an exciting couple of weeks since we found out it was a favorite of Elizabeth Holmes,” she says. “I’m wondering how long that prison has been stocking my jerky, and I’m impressed they sprung for the good stuff.”
In the next year, Hirsch is looking forward to releasing two new Think flavors (a development that’s been in the works since well before the premiere of You Can See Everything), including a Thanksgiving-flavored turkey stick made in collaboration with Andrew Zimmern and a Philly Cheesesteak beef stick made with Pat’s King of Steaks in Philadelphia.
With the continued box office and critical success of You Can See Everything, the free advertising for Think Jerky isn’t ending any time soon. “I genuinely believe,” Hirsch says, “that we could be one of the most iconic product placements in film history.”
on Food & Wine
Source: Entertainment
0 Comments