Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake And Stacey Wagner.
Hi Jake and Stacey, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
We started in 2023 as an opportunity to share our love of making bacon with the world. Long before the business, Jake has been making and giving bacon to family and friends for years. The constant ‘you should sell this’ from those family and friends finally struck a little deeper as Jake was laid off from his corporate job. The opportunity presented itself, and as a family, we decided now is the time to try. Our little family is Jake, Stacey and two wonderful kids. The support of extended family (known as Unpaid Interns) during this adventure has been crucial as launching a new business has been a learning experience.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been about as smooth as a back country fire road. Moving from a career at a fortune 500 company to now having to be a Jack of all trades, has been a steep learning curve. The original direction of our go to market strategy, seemingly changing by the day, was quickly shown to not be an avenue to start with. We pivoted to a farmers market and event based business. This pivot provided an opportunity for people to get to know us. This had its own learnings as we found out, if we don’t sample, we don’t sell.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about South Ridge Ranch Bacon?
South Ridge Ranch Bacon produces thick cut, small batch, unique flavor profiles while using a process you won’t find in the grocery store. We start with pork bellies procured from a Midwest Co-Op. Now the secret sauce is that we do a 7 to 10 day dry cure. This process allows us to remove water weight from our finished product. Once cooked, our bacon does not curl up to half its size. This allows our unique flavors like Honey Habanero, Sweet & Smoky, and Masala Love to penetrate the bacon. This process combined with our flavor profiles is what sets us apart. We are most proud that many of our customers have told us that South Ridge Ranch Bacon has ruined traditional store bought bacon for them. We want people to know that South Ridge Ranch Bacon is not just a side, it is a culinary experience that just may steal the show.
What’s next?
We are about to announce expansion into fundraisers! We have a local youth organization that gave South Ridge Ranch Bacon an opportunity to be there food fundraiser for the year. It was an absolute success. We were able to connect more with the community, ship across the country so family and friends could support this youth organization and also get some pretty good South Ridge Ranch Bacon. We will be focusing on teams, organizations, and clubs in the Twin Cities area.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Southridgeranchbacon.com
- Instagram: Southridgeranchbacon
- Facebook: Smallbatchbacon
