It Started as a Joke Between a Dad and His Daughter

One evening, sitting in the living room with his nine-year-old daughter, our founder, Matthew Kelly, floated the most ridiculous business idea he could think of: mermaid jerky. He expected a laugh, maybe a groan, but what he got instead was a brand name.

"Wouldn't it be funny if there were mermaid jerky?" Like many ridiculous ideas, it should have ended there. But the more the idea sat around, the funnier it became. What would mythical creatures taste like? What would the packaging look like? Could something like that actually exist?

Matt quickly registered the domain, and two years later, they launched with a full lineup of exotic game meat snack sticks inspired by the most legendary creatures in lore.

More Mythical Than Your Average Snack

The goal was never to make a slightly better version of what already exists in the grocery store. Mythical Meats makes something that belongs in a completely different category: premium exotic game meats transformed into creature-themed snack sticks, held to high-quality standards.

The meat and beef jerky industry is often very traditional, as most brands focus on the same familiar proteins and standard cuts. Mythical Meats was built around a different idea entirely: that food can be fun, surprising, and a little legendary.

Every stick is small-batch crafted, naturally hardwood smoked, and made without MSG, artificial flavors, or liquid smoke shortcuts. The proteins alone set them apart, including cajun alligator, ostrich, elk, wild boar, antelope, BBQ camel, buffalo, duck, and more! Each one is paired with a flavor profile as bold and distinctive as the mythical beast it's named after.

Mythical Meats works exclusively with independent, family-run manufacturers, and that relationship shows up in every bite. Today, the lineup carries 37 flavors across 16 creatures, and every single one of them has a story worth knowing.

Built for Nerds, Gamers, and Everyone Who Rolls for Initiative

Mythical Meats appeared in tabletop gaming stores, convention halls, Renaissance fairs, Viking festivals, and every corner of nerd culture where ordinary simply doesn't cut it. Hasbro approached them about creating an officially licensed Dungeons & Dragons product line for D&D's 50th anniversary.

Their snack sticks are carried in hundreds of independent game stores across the country, alongside Amazon, specialty retailers, and their own shop. Whether you're fueling a five-hour campaign, hunting for a gift that surprises a D&D lover, or just tired of reaching for the same boring snack, you've found your people.

Happy Accidents Make the Best Products

Not everything they've built was planned. In the early days, the team ran into the same inventory headaches every growing brand faces, with certain flavors selling out and specific meats becoming tough to source.

The solution was to grab ten of whatever was on hand, pack them together, and send them out as a surprise assortment. Customers loved not knowing what they were going to get. The Mystery Meat Pack sampler was born out of necessity and became one of their most beloved products, because it turns out that a little mystery is exactly on brand for Mythical Meats.

The Legend Keeps Growing

What started with ten flavors and a name a nine-year-old came up with on a couch has grown into something nobody could have predicted.

Today, the Mythical Meats lineup includes an officially licensed D&D product line, a collection of creature-themed hot sauces, exotic jerkies and beef sticks, featuring proteins like shark, swordfish, and wild boar, and limited-edition seasonal packs that their most loyal adventurers look forward to every year.

While mermaid jerky may have been the joke that started it all, the mission today is very real: create extraordinary exotic meat sticks for people who refuse to settle for ordinary.

Welcome to Mythical Meats. Taste the Legend.