Twelve Years of Refining What Matters Most

Back in 2014, beef jerky was nowhere to be found in Israel, so I set out to make my own.

I converted an old oven I found into my first dehydrator. I began marinating every cut of meat and trying every bottled sauce I could find, moving through flavors and textures without knowing what made each batch turn out the way it did. Some batches were phenomenal some were too salty; others were bland. Some became crisp and over-dried, while others stayed too wet. The early batches went to family and friends. I remember designing my first bags and proudly labeling them Hand Crafted. I’d also pack little bags of jerky for walks with my little boy. When I pulled one out and handed him a piece, his face would light up. I’d hand him another, then another. He was so proud of the jerky that one Friday, in the hustle and bustle before Shabbos, he set up a little table in front of the bakery with a few prepackaged bags. He came back home thirty minutes later saying the city inspector sent him home with a warning.

The journey was both exciting and discouraging at times. There were moments when part of me wanted to leave the craft behind for good. Then something would always pull me back in: a 20-bag order from a soldier in the field, a request from someone who remembered Beef Up! and wanted 50 bags for his wife’s keto diet, or a beautiful cut of meat at the market that I just couldn’t pass up. I might step away from making jerky for a few months to collect myself, but sooner or later, I’d always return to the drawing board. I kept coming back because I loved the craft itself: developing flavors, refining textures, and getting closer to the bite I had in mind.

As I began investing in professional equipment, I slowly started losing what had made some of my earlier batches exceptional. I had to ask myself: Why couldn’t I reproduce the great batches I used to make despite having better equipment. Then came an epiphany. I needed to leave the direction I’d been following and approach the craft in a completely different way. 

After years of making great batches—and plenty that weren’t—I began asking myself what truly made the successful ones different. I needed to go back to the beginning I revisited past experiences and replayed every part of the process: the ingredients, the cuts of meat, the slicing, the drying time, the humidity, and the way each oven’s heat and airflow behaved. I began testing each variable one by one, trying to understand how they worked together so I could recreate the perfect jerky bite.

After years of trial and error—and processing hundreds, perhaps thousands, of kilograms of meat—I’m finally proud to introduce Beef Up! A gourmet beef snack.

Over the years, people often asked me why I didn’t open up a beef jerky business. I’d humbly answer, “Hopefully one day.” The truth was that I didn’t yet feel confident in my ability to produce a consistent, repeatable result. Every minute variable seemed to change the outcome; at times, it felt like I was chasing ghosts. I needed to fully understand the cause and effect of every parameter if I was going to create the perfect bite. Until I could do that, I couldn’t fully commit. Making jerky is much more than tossing meat in a marinade and drying it in a dehydrator.

That understanding continues to shape how we make Beef Up! Instead of relying on bottled sauces, we build flavor from real ingredients chosen to complement the beef. We keep refining each recipe through hands-on preparation and tasting, making adjustments until the flavor and texture feel right. We are guided by the belief and commit to Passing Down What Nature Created. Thoughtfully Enhanced.

We hope you enjoy Beef Up! jerky as much as we enjoy making it for you.

Beef Up! is rooted in Jerusalem, and is proudly made כחול לבן in Israel.