Made in Michiana: Cow Chips

WARSAW, Ind. -

This week ABC 57's Made in Michiana series takes us to Warsaw! It's something you can't find outside of the Hoosier State. And they say it's like it's like no other you've ever tasted -- the Almost Perfect Jerky.

Cow Chips Founder Joe Shepherd has been making beef jerky since 1989.
 
“People around me, I’d give them some and they’d say ‘Wow, this is the best I’ve ever eaten.’ And they said, ‘you need to market this,’” Shepherd said.
 
And that is how his quest began to come up with a recipe different from all the others.

“It’s a secret marination process. And we use an extreme method to extract all the water. And those are the real keys,” Shepherd said.
 
Five years and quite a few batches later, Shepherd says he's nailed it.

“Now we’ve got it down to where people come back and say, ‘this is the best jerky I’ve ever eaten.’ Now we want to get it out there,” Shepherd said.
 
He calls it -- "Cow Chips."

“It’s from a cow and it tastes like a potato chip when you put it in your mouth and it rehydrates in your mouth and it’s very easy to chew, so that’s how cow chips was born," Shepherd said.
 
It's a new take, on an old classic.

“The taste is so different and the product is so different than anything else out there,” Shepherd said.
 
With 18 grams of protein in each serving, the chips are a healthy treat for people on the go.

“Exercising, running, bicycling, swimming, whatever you’re doing, camping, this is a perfect, perfect snack,” Shepherd said.
 
You can't find anything like it, anywhere else in the country.

“It’s a product that you can only find in Warsaw, Indiana, nobody else has the right to make this product in the United States, we are patent pending and we are trademarked,” Shepherd said.
 
He started selling what he calls his "almost perfect jerky" last Fall. And he says there's never been a better time to get in on the action.
 
“It’s a two or three billion dollar business, jerky. And it’s really kind of getting really hot right now,” Shepherd said.
 
He says he asks just one favor of you, Jerky fan or not, just give it a taste!

“All I want them to do is just to try it. That’s all I want people to do is try it, let them make their own decision,” Shepherd said.

And let this Made in Michiana jerky speak for itself.

To place an order, head to their website, or check them out on Facebook.

If you know of a business you would like to see featured on ABC 57's Made in Michiana, shoot us an email at [email protected].