Last October, we covered the story of Stryve Biltong, who had secured a cool $10 million (around R14,4 million) in order to show the Yanks that biltong is far, far superior to beef jerky.

Stryve’s CEO is a famous former American football player, Gabe Carimi, and he seemed confident that he was going to crack the US market and take it all the way to the bank.

Business Insider decided to check in again, and found out that Stryve is once again very cashed up:

Texas-based company Stryve Biltong says it has raised another $16.5 million – the equivalent of some R236 million – in investment to fund its marketing efforts.

The now two-year-old Stryve intends to use the cash in education and awareness drives, as it further ramps up its marketing efforts across America…

There is huge demand in America for its “clean protein snacking” range, which includes pre-sliced biltong in various flavours, droëwors it markets as “biltong sticks”, and a distinctly un-South-African “trail mix” that packages biltong with nuts and seeds, Stryve says.

Nuts and seeds are for the birds, man.

That healthy protein angle is clear from this post on the Stryve Biltong Instagram account:

I didn’t need the protein chat but I’m in.

Can’t say I am wowed by that trail mix flavour range. Dark Chocolate? Nah.

The business has also hired a few old hands to help with the new push:

Stryve has also announced the addition to its board of directors of Peter Rahal, who is best known for creating protein snack company RxBar in his parent’s basement – and selling it five years later for the equivalent of R8.6 billion.

The company’s new chief marketing officer, Jaxie Alt, on the other hand, is best known for the more than 18 years she spent in various positions at the Dr Pepper Snapple Group, first as a junior brand manager and later as a senior vice-president.

Peter, if I sold my business for close to R9 billion, I’d never be seen in an office again (like the latest big lottery winner).

I’m also going to have to comment on these so-called ‘biltong sticks’:

That’s droëwors, pal, and you can keep your ‘hatch green chile’ abomination.

Then again, when most of your country can’t point out Europe on a map, and you elected a barely sentient naartjie to the presidency, keeping things simple, instead of trying to get the Yanks to learn the word ‘droëwors’, is probably a good strategy.

Go forth and conquer, biltong people.

Oh, that Trevor Noah connection – you may remember this video from earlier in the year, when the comedian and host talks about bringing biltong to America:

I’m sure that would have driven a few Americans to Google biltong, and led them down that wonderful path.

If you’re feeling the craving, you can order some biltong goodies, and have them delivered, here.

[source:businsider]