Hero Snacks

During the 1960's, Roger Ball operated a small local meat processing plant on the banks of the Snake River in Idaho Falls called Taylor Meats. As the decade was coming to an end, so too was the life expectancy of the small-town meat packing plant. A plant fire in 1969 presented Roger with a question and an opportunity – rebuild the plant as a packing plant or retool and be reborn as a meat snack plant? The choice was obvious and King B Jerky emerged from the ashes of Taylor Meats. Initially, this required Roger's involvement in every aspect of the business whether it was procuring the best buy and cuts of raw meat, spicing and cooking the jerky, packaging and labeling the jerky or hitting the road to sell this new idea and concept to any bowling alley, bar or gas station that would listen. As King B's reputation grew along with annual sales, Roger applied himself to improving quality and new products. A total game changer for King B was Roger's ingenuity and creation of a shredded beef jerky that became known as "Jerky Stuff" and immediately thrust King B into the national spotlight. Orders poured in from every state in the country, many of which had never previously considered King B nor any of the product line. At the turn of the century, Roger began to sense the impending need in the U.S. for safer and more natural/organic products. After carefully considering various offers from competing brands to buy King B Inc., it was sold to Jack Links in 2003. This sale opened a door to turn over all Ball Family ranches and livestock to a more natural and organic style of operation and gave birth to Golden Valley Natural. With its popularity soaring and need for expansion, Golden Valley Natural broke ground and relocated to Shelley, ID in 2015. The modern 210,000 square foot facility features ultramodern equipment and has ample room for projected growth.