quality, sustainability, and decades of experience.

TIME TESTED SINCE 1971

Big Chief Meat Snacks Old Photo in Our original delicatessens

Our roots run deep. For three generations our family has been creating tender cuts of mouth-watering beef snacks you can sink your teeth into. What’s our secret? Dedication, time-tested recipes and 100% Canadian beef.

WHO IS THE BIG CHIEF?

William-Klein

When I was seven years old my family immigrated to Canada from Germany.  We moved to Toronto and then worked our way West until we found our home in Calgary.  We were a family of five until my little sister was born in the mid-60’s.  We had a few delicatessens before we started making beef jerky in 1971.  We sold the deli’s in the early 80’s due to the success we had selling our beef jerky.  When people used to come by our facility they always referred to my Dad, Wilhelm Klein as the “Big Chief” hence we named our product line after him.  My Dad passed away in 1977 leaving the company to my Mother, my three sisters and me to run.

Bert the Bull and Bert from Big Chief Meat Snacks

Bert the Owner (right) with Bert the Bull (left)

I am a shy, quiet and humble man, passionate about jerky.  I am the creator behind the jerky that you have enjoyed all these years and prefer the back-end production process to the front end paperwork and sales side.  I have always left that role to the powerful women in my life.  As the sole owner of the company now, I have my three daughters helping me run the company.

We keep it simple…great tasting jerky…from our family to yours for 50 years and many more to come.  BIG TASTE is what you will find from our family recipes for all your BIG ADVENTURES.  And trust me with so many women in my life…it has been full of many good times and memories!

OUR JOURNEY

  • 1956

    The Beginnings

    The Klein family (our family) made the long journey to Canada from their home in Germany and settled in the city of Calgary, AB.

  • 1964

    Openings

    Eight years later we took the sausage-making skills honed in our homeland and opened two delicatessens under the name “Tip Top Sausage” at Brentwood Village Mall and Mcleod Mall.

    1964

  • 1971

    Taking it up a level

    Another seven years passed before we changed our name to “Alberta Fancy Sausage”.

    Purchased a small manufacturing facility located in the South East of Calgary. This is where our beef jerky journey began! We started researching and testing various recipes and cooking methods for beef jerky and through all this came our… Original flavoured jerky!

  • 1980’s

    Growth

    After the initial success of our Original Beef Jerky flavour we sold both delicatessens and dove into the jerky business head first! We launched new flavours including Hot Peppered Jerky, Beer Jerky, and Teriyaki Jerky. At the same time experimenting with kippered-style beef which was very popular at the time.

    1980’s

  • 1990’s

    New Recipes

    This decade saw the end of the Hot Peppered Jerky and Beer Jerky but a new flavour was born. We took out the pepper but kept the spice and launched our Hot Flavoured Jerky which is still around today!

  • 2004

    Big Chief Meat Snacks

    Up until this time we had still operated under the Alberta Fancy Sausage name with our beef jerky products being labeled as “Big Chief Beef Jerky”. The time had come to change our name to what so many people were referring to us by anyways… Big Chief.

    We changed our name to “Big Chief Meat Snacks” and purchased land in the North East of Calgary and began breaking ground to expand our operations which we would move into the next year, 2005.

    2004

  • 2008

    3 Generations!

    Third generation family members joined the company! With so many Kleins under one roof, you can imagine there were more than a few “family discussions”.

  • 2016

    Hot stuff

    We launched our popular Jalapeño flavour!

    2016

  • 2019

    A new era

    Complete redesign and overhaul of our logo and packaging. A new era of Big Chief is born!

  • 2019

    Bert the Bull Joins the Team

    Standing 6’10” Hoofs to Horns Bert the Bull joins the Big Chief Team!

    2019

  • 2021

    50 Years!

    Our biggest milestone yet! This year we celebrate 50 Years in Business!

  • 2021

    New Flavours

    Two new flavours are added to our line-up! Black Pepper and Sweet & Spicy!.

    2021

WHY BIG CHIEF?

The Big Chief difference is based on four decades of experience and dedication to quality. Our meat snacks are carefully tended during the curing process to ensure each portion maintains that tender bite and bold flavour that comes only from 100% Canadian beef!

Big Chief meat snacks make an ideal snack for your big adventures. Whether skiing, biking, hiking, fishing, camping, or just kickin’ back, Big Chief offers exceptional tastes in flavours Canadians love. When a great tasting, high protein snack is needed to curb a ravenous appetite, Big Chief answers the call!

QUALITY

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Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP)

Big Chief Meat Snacks Inc. was the first meat processing company in Alberta to receive HACCP designation. HACCP is a management system that addresses food safety through the analysis and control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards associated with raw material procurement and production. It includes all handling, manufacturing, and distribution of the finished product. Adhering to these strict guidelines ensures that our products are safe and helps us to maintain superior product quality and safety while increasing productivity.

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Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

Big Chief Meat Snacks Inc. is a Canadian federally inspected establishment that adheres to the highest standards of quality control. We recognize and meet all CFIA rules and regulations designed to protect Canadians from preventable food safety hazards. At Big Chief it is our policy to exceed these standards and go above and beyond. This is demonstrated by having an on-site CFIA inspector to verify that all guidelines, including HACCP are followed, and are up-to-date. CFIA also monitors for labeling compliance and audits the delivery of a grading program based on objective standards of meat quality and retail.

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Safe Quality Food (SQF)

SQF certification goes one step further regarding excellence in quality assurance. SQF certification assures buyers and customers that food has been produced, processed and handled according to the highest standards. SQF certification is your assurance that the products you are buying have passed rigorous international standards for food safety and quality, including HACCP. With SQF, it is even easier to find suppliers with a strong commitment to food safety, ensuring that they meet your high standards. Big Chief is proud to be SQF Certified, receiving 100% on our July 2017 audit.