Patagonia Provisions launched a partnership with Dan and Jill O’Brien of Wild Idea Buffalo to conserve and restore the grasslands of South Dakota, while at the same time producing a sustainably sourced Buffalo Jerky. This is the latest addition to the company’s food line designed to create positive change in the food industry.
Patagonia Provisions’ 100-percent grass-fed American bison (buffalo) meat is, according to the company, a by product of Wild Idea’s efforts to restore the rapidly vanishing Great Plains grasslands, where years of mismanaged land and overgrazing decimated a once thriving prairie that stretched from Mississippi to the Rockies.
“Patagonia got into the food business because it’s a direct and fundamental way to protect and restore the planet,” said Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario. “We want to support farming and ranching that puts food on the table without poisoning the earth. Wild Idea is part of a movement to regenerate grasslands and help sequester carbon. I believe that business can be an agent for change and deliver great food to our customers.”
Wild Idea’s humane ranching and harvesting practices result in “the highest quality meat that is tender, and is also considerably lower in fat, calories and cholesterol than beef, chicken, turkey and pork.” Bison meat has higher levels of beneficial nutrients such as protein, iron, Omega-3, vitamins B-12 and A, and because they are slaughtered in the prairie, Wild Idea’s buffalo are low in the stress hormone cortisol.
The free-range, antibiotic-, pesticide- and hormone-free buffalo is lightly seasoned and dried for a flavorful, hearty snack that’s both portable and nutritious, as backpackers and climbers have known for years. The convenient 2oz. package requires no refrigeration (when unopened), and is backpack, boat, van, bag and shelf stable for one year.
Dan O’Brien said, “We want to live up to the Patagonia creed that produces the finest product while causing no unnecessary harm. What we now know is that delicious, sustainable buffalo meat is the byproduct of our conservation of the prairie.”
Buffalo Jerky retails for $10 per package and can be purchased in all 30 Patagonia retail stores and online at patagoniaprovisions.com and at patagonia.com starting August 11.
