Jerky retail store opens

Minneapolis, MN, recently became home to the first Jack Link’s beef jerky retail store. Located in the Target Center, the store will obviously sell jerky. But that’s not all. The company is also set to open a 78,000-square-foot research lab and office space in downtown Minneapolis with an adjacent bar and restaurant. The retail store will provide an outlet to pilot new ideas, letting shoppers sample new snacks and menu items before going to market. “There is a lot of culinary expertise that goes into making our product,” said Wes Castelsky, executive research and development chef for Jack Link’s. “It’s not just dried meat.”