How Elizabeth Holmes Changed This Austin-Based Jerky Brand Forever

Many things could be said about Elizabeth Holmes, the subject of Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s recent A24 documentary “You Can See Everything,” released in theaters on Oct. 16 and already predicted by some to become the first documentary to win Best Picture at the upcoming Academy Awards. Some may say that Holmes is a con artist; others may say she’s being conned herself. But at least one thing everyone can agree on is that she has great taste in jerky, or at least Think Jerky CEO Ricky Hirsch thinks so.

The scene that started it

The documentary offers a close look at Holmes, former CEO of the now-defunct health technology company Theranos, and her family in the weeks before she entered prison. In a later scene at a federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas, Fielder asks Holmes if she would like a snack from the vending machine. She says she would like a bag of Think Jerky — sriracha honey flavor. What may have been an inconsequential snack preference became anything but inconsequential for the snack brand itself, which seemingly blew up overnight, said Hirsch, who founded the company in Chicago and later relocated its base to Austin.

Since becoming known on the internet as “Elizabeth Holmes jerky,” the health-forward jerky company has seen unprecedented sales thanks to marketing that cost it nothing — and about which nothing was known beforehand. Hirsch said he had no idea that his brand made it into the documentary until one of his employees who saw an early screening texted him; he didn’t even know the jerky was stocked in a federal prison’s vending machine. So what did he do? He bought a ticket to see the film at the Alamo Drafthouse on Slaughter Lane and brought some turkey jerky. “Let’s see if they remember,” he remembered thinking. After the screening ended, he handed out samples of the snack to moviegoers, many of whom didn’t believe him when he said he was the owner. “People were freaking out,” he said. Needless to say, the people remembered.

The internet catches on

That was only the beginning. Pretty soon, Hirsch saw that people were dressing as Think Jerky for Halloween. His employees sent him entire Reddit forums dedicated to discussing the symbolism of the jerky in the film. Memes began spreading on Instagram and YouTube. Other businesses began reaching out to do collaborations. The Wall Street Journal and TMZ wrote about the brand. Sales were booming. During the 10 days after the film was released, sriracha honey turkey jerky sales more than tripled, Hirsch said. As a result, the Holmes-certified snack was frequently sold out. The small, employee-owned business was having its 15 minutes.

Back in 2015, when Hirsch launched the business, one of his goals, besides creating healthy and delicious jerky, was to brand the product in a way that felt inclusive to women. Safe to say, the branding worked on one especially prominent and infamous woman. And while the feature in the three-hour documentary was relatively short, Hirsch believes the attention to the snack was deliberate. It’s fitting, he said. After all, the brand is called Think.

Thinking about what’s next

Hirsch is still trying to process the brand’s new claim to fame, but one thing is for sure: he wants to strike while the iron is hot — opportunities like this may only come around once in a jerky business’s lifetime. That may mean restaurant collaborations, advertising campaigns and more. Still, for Hirsch, that doesn’t come without conflicting emotions. “I’m not here to judge (Holmes) and (her partner) Billy (Evans). I don’t know them, but I am playing into it,” he said. “However, I am doing everything from a place of love and joy.”

And if Hirsch ever gets the chance to meet Holmes, he has some nice words for her. “I really hope eating our jerky brings you a moment of joy in your day. And that’s it. And if you ever need more jerky, let me know.”

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