Our Story
“THE JERKY SHED”
The state of Texas does not allow meat products to be made from the home for public consumption, so acquiring a commercial kitchen in which to make the product was essential; however, we (the Dixons) were unable to find a place close to our home to rent that was in our price range. That’s when we did some research, contacted the city of Wichita Falls, and found we were able to build a commercial kitchen (what we like to call “the Jerky Shed”) on our property. Countless hours of more research, guided by the TFER (Texas Food Establishment Rules) and the city and state’s health department, assisted us in constructing this kitchen, which is complete with approved flooring, walls, and ceiling, a bathroom, a hand washing sink, a 3-compartment sink, 2 stainless steel tables, a commercial refrigerator, a commercial dishwasher, a commercial convection oven, & 3 commercial food dehydrators. All furnishings and items are NSF-rated, where appropriate. It took several weeks of round-the-clock work, but our little "Jerky Shed" had finally become a department of health approved facility. In fact, one of our inspectors told us he'd wished he'd brought a video camera with him to film the inside of our kitchen as an example to other food establishments of "the right way" to do it.
THE BEGINNING
It began in December 2009 when Tiffany bought Ed a “top-of-the-line” 9-tray Excalibur food dehydrator to make his own jerky. Ed was always buying jerky at convenience stores but wasn’t satisfied with the taste or quality. He figured he’d give it a go himself. He was working as a Master Electrician at Home Depot at the time, and he found every time he’d take his jerky creation to work to share, fellow co-workers would beg for more. After 2 years and much encouragement from those who had tried it, Ed decided to begin selling his jerky to the general public. But there are many rules in the food business, and Ed knew he couldn't just make the jerky out of his home kitchen and sell it door to door. He saw jerky making as more than a hobby – he saw it as a way of life - and so he wanted to do things "the right way."
LICENSURE
In March 2012, we were approved for our Food Manufacturing license from the state of Texas. Ed then took a course to become a Certified Food Manager, and Tiffany completed a Food Handler’s course. We also applied for our Texas sales tax permit. Ed also, along with a City of Wichita Falls Health Department employee, went to Dallas for training on HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points), a system put in place to ensure safe food production that every food establishment must have. More countless hours between the both of us produced our own HACCP Plan, as well as our SSOP (Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures). This further ensures the health and safety of our consumers.
Texas Dept of State Health license information can be found by following this link: https://vo.ras.dshs.state.tx.us/datamart/mainMenu.do, then clicking “License Search."
Our food manufacturing license # is 1008615.
Texas sales tax information can be found at https://mycpa.cpa.state.tx.us/staxpayersearch/SlsTxpyrSearch.jsp.
Our taxpayer # is 32046970813.
THE NAME
We really wish we could come up with something clever behind the name, but it's simple, really. It started with the slogan: "Our flavor is no accident," and then we had to decide what name resembled an accident. Car Wreck and Plane Wreck Jerky just didn't sound very appealing, so Dixon's Train Wreck Jerky was born. After several months, we took the "Dixon's" off. After all, it's not all about us.
Our first dehydrator
CHRISTIAN COMPANY
Who it IS about is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (ever notice the little Christian fish symbol on the caboose of our logo?). We give all praise and glory to Him. We don’t boast being a Christian company because we live in the Bible Belt or in an effort to draw in more customers. We just truly believe we wouldn’t be where we are today without our Savior, and we're not ashamed to admit that.
IN THE MEDIA
Big Boy Toy Show 2013 - Courtesy of Newschannel 6
Deer Fest 2013 - Courtesy of Eat Local Texoma
THE SHORT END OF IT
We are Ed and Tiffany Dixon, a husband and wife team, We've been making beef jerky since 2009 and doing it as a business since January 2012. We have 18 different flavors and can guarantee it is a quality product because we are the only ones who produce it. We meticulously cut out every piece of fat, we hand marinade it, and we re-flavor it after it's been dried. People love ours because it is moist, easy to chew, flavorful, and not as expensive as other gourmet jerky competitors. Even with the rise of meat costs, we have done everything in our effort to keep the cost down for our customers. We also sell our Marinades, Chex Mix, and Dog Jerky Treats.
NOT JUST BEEF JERKY
With our food manufacturing license, we are also approved to sell our marinades (in 2 flavors) & homestyle Chex Mix (in 3 flavors). We also sell dog jerky treats, which are 100% beef with no additives or preservatives whatsoever. And it's not just for dogs! We've been told cats, ferrets, & even skunks love it, too!
TRADE SHOWS
This is how our business really took off. Big event going on in Wichita Falls? You could count on us being there. The MPEC had pretty much become our second home! Our very first trade show was at Turkey Fest in Henrietta, TX in April 2012. Our first Gun & Knife Show came a month later, in May 2012. We have participated in (almost) every Gun & Knife Show in Wichita Falls since then. Other areas of annual participation include Christmas Magic, Hangar Holiday, Falls Fest, Ranch Roundup, Texas Oklahoma Fair, & Deer Fest. We've also been to a few out of town events, such as Bowie Trade Days & the Larry Joe Taylor Texas Music Festival in Stephenville.
(For a full list of past and upcoming events, go here.)
Our first show - April 2012
Ed & Tiffany Dixon