Product Update

Is Original Jerky Still in Business? (2026 Update)

Is Original Jerky from Dragons’ Den still around in 2026? The deal it made, the dragons who invested, and where to buy Original Jerky today.

Dragons' Den IndexUpdated 28 April 20266 min read

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Original Jerky pitched its flavoured beef jerky in series 11 of Dragons' Den, and the honest answer to whether it is still trading is not a straightforward yes. Company records show a different story from the one you might expect if you only watched the episode.

The Short Answer

No, not under its original name and structure. Companies House records show Original Jerky Company Limited, incorporated in January 2013, was later renamed and was dissolved by 2019. That does not necessarily mean every trace of the product vanished, but the company that pitched on the show is no longer active as a going concern.

The Pitch

Original Jerky appeared in series 11, episode 2, pitching flavoured beef jerky in the Food & Drink category, a crowded corner of the Den where snack brands regularly compete for a Dragon's attention. The founders asked for £38,000 in exchange for 24 percent of the business.

That valued the company at roughly £158,000 on the day, a reasonable number for an early-stage snack brand still building out retail distribution.

The Deal

The pitch resulted in a deal being struck on air. What matters more here is what happened once the cameras stopped rolling and the company had to survive on the ground in a genuinely difficult category. Jerky and dried meat snacks compete on shelf space with dozens of established brands, and building a repeatable supply chain for flavoured meat products is not cheap.

What the Company Records Show

Public filings tell a clearer story than marketing copy does. Original Jerky Company Limited was later renamed, trading for a period as Texas Joe's, before the company was formally dissolved. That renaming and dissolution pattern is a common one for small food brands that pivot hard, get acquired for their recipes or branding, or simply run out of runway.

There is some evidence that a jerky product carrying the Texas Joe's name continued to be stocked in certain venues after the original entity changed hands, which suggests the recipe or brand assets found a second life in some form. That is different from the original pitching company still operating as an independent business, and worth being precise about.

Where Things Stand Now

To be clear about what we can and cannot verify: Original Jerky asked for £38,000 for 24 percent in series 11, episode 2, and secured a deal on the show. The company was later renamed and, according to Companies House, dissolved by 2019.

So if you are hoping to buy Original Jerky today under the name it pitched with, that specific company is not active. Whatever became of the underlying product line after the rename is harder to pin down with confidence, and we would rather say that plainly than guess.

Why Jerky Brands Struggle to Last

It is worth putting this in context rather than treating it as a one-off failure. Dried meat snacks are a genuinely tough category for small UK brands. Margins are thin once you account for the cost of meat, drying and packaging, shelf space in supermarkets is dominated by a handful of established names, and building a listing with a major retailer takes far longer than most early-stage food businesses can afford to wait for.

A rename, in particular, is often a sign of a business trying to reposition after an initial launch did not land the way it hoped, rather than a sign of outright failure at that point. Original Jerky's path, a rename to Texas Joe's followed by dissolution a few years later, fits a pattern seen across the food and drink pitches on the show more broadly, where the product idea is sound but the retail economics prove harder to crack than the pitch made it look.

Common Questions

Did Original Jerky get a deal on Dragons' Den? Yes, the pitch secured investment on air for the £38,000 ask at 24 percent equity, in series 11, episode 2.

Is Original Jerky still trading today? No. Companies House records show the company was renamed and later dissolved by 2019.

Can you still buy Original Jerky? Not under its original name. There is some evidence a related product continued for a time under the Texas Joe's name, but no confirmed current retail presence.

What happened to the company after its rename? It traded for a period as Texas Joe's before being formally dissolved, according to Companies House records, by 2019.

Where to buy Original Jerky

Still selling as of 28 April 2026. Check today's price and availability.

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See the full Original Jerky deal breakdown and term sheet →