2016 steve's paleogoods catalog

STEVE’S PALEOGOODSR E A L F O O D . R E A L P E O P L E .

MY DREAM IS SMALLa message from Steve

IN AMERICA, WE DREAM BIG.

Over the past few years, I’ve resized the big dream for a smaller one…. Even though I know that small seems un-American. Nobody wants to go small or have tiny, little dreams.

My dream started in a Camden apartment complex. There was me, my thoughts on fitness and nutrition, a few bumpers and barbells, and a handful of kids who hadn’t done much physical activity before they met me.

It wasn’t even a small business, because I wasn’t making any money. I had another job and was volunteering my time because something about the situation touched my heart and still does.

Fast forward to today and, well, we’re much bigger. Steve’s Club is nationwide, and the PaleoKit I developed to feed my young athletes has grown into an online food company with over 50 products. Steve’s PaleoGoods is so much bigger than I ever imagined.

I’ve gone from making jerky in my oven to making it in a smokehouse. Thanks to the loyalty of my customers, the quality of our food and the popularity of CrossFit, you can find Steve’s PaleoGoods in health-conscious supermarkets across the country and can order from our website 24 hours a day.

Most of this happened by word-of-mouth and raving fans sharing their PaleoLove on social media. Our success has enabled me to introduce at-risk youth to CrossFit at Steve’s Clubs across the country, which remains my passion. Helping one kid at a time is the small dream I’ve held on to for almost a decade.

But today, I find my company at the proverbial fork in the road.

The road that leads to “really big” is not one I’m willing to take if it means trading hand-batched recipes for automated production. Machines replace people, process replaces quality and ultimately taste and experience change dramatically. Not for the better.

STEVE’S PALEOGOODS IS A SMALL BUSINESS DEDICATED TO HELPING AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE EAT BETTER AND LIVE A HEALTHIER LIFE.

(con’t on next page)

The road I choose to stay on is the smaller one. Though being “small” seems simple, it’s also a difficult path. It means weighing quality against quantity. It’s the difference between being in major retail chains or select specialty stores. Small is being selective and careful.

I’ve never thought of Steve’s PaleoGoods and the work I do with the kids from Steve’s Club as playing the lottery. That dream I had in Camden with a few kids who could barely do a jumping jack let alone a pull up was not about owning a huge company that would mass produce products and send truck loads to distributors with the help of extruders, conveyor belts and chemical preservatives.

I REALIZE MY CUSTOMERS MIGHT JUST WANT SOME DELICIOUS PALEO PRODUCTS, BUT I REALLY WANT THEM TO KNOW EVERY PURCHASE MAKES THAT 4 P.M. CLASS POSSIBLE HERE AND AT LOCAL CLUBS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.

HERE’S WHAT BEING “SMALL” MEANS TO ME.

It means knowing the names of all my employees. I can leave my office, walk about 50 feet and taste every product being made. I check on big orders personally, and sometimes I treat the crew to lunch. My employees see my face every day, maybe too much if you asked them.

Small means when 4 p.m. rolls around and the Steve’s Club kids arrive, I’m free to teach their class just like I did at the beginning. The success of Steve’s PaleoGoods enables me to do that. I realize my customers might just want some delicious paleo products, but I really want them to know every purchase makes that 4 p.m. class possible here and at Local Clubs all over the country.

That’s the truth and I thank you all for that.

Many companies pretend to be small. The millennial generation is conscientious about its purchases and the marketing departments of every company in the world have caught on.

That’s why you’ve seen the word “sustainable” and “responsible” thrown around loose and fast and the word “artisanal” on fast food billboards. It’s why there’s a Main Street U.S.A, in Disney World, a façade of the mom-and-pop feel we love, erected by one of the world’s largest corporations.

There’s been a backlash against it when customers feel duped, when they spot a phony. They know when “craft beer” is made by one of the world’s largest brewers. There’s a guy in California who filed a lawsuit over a beer claiming to be craft-brewed, and I applaud him for that.

This guy isn’t suing because the beer tasted bad or made him slip and fall. He’s suing because they claim to be small and they’re not. That strengthens my belief that there is a market out there that legitimately cares where their product comes from and on what scale, without deception.

THERE ARE 30 LOCAL CLUBS ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT MAKE UP THE STEVE’S CLUB NATIONAL PROGRAM

SOME OF THE STEVE’S CLUB CAMDEN ATHLETES WORK MAKING, PACKING AND SHIPPING STEVE’S PALEOGOODS.

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT STEVE’S CLUB NATIONAL PROGRAM AT STEVESCLUB.ORG

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Even thought we’re truly small, I’m not out in a field, personally hand-raising the beef or picking the berries that will someday become my paleo products. I haven’t named the chickens that become our buffalo chicken jerky, and I don’t play them Mozart. Everything’s made in commercial kitchen, and not in some barn with wooden tools. We have invested in our quality and in our people.

It’s a happy kitchen though, a small one, a place where all my workers know my kids and play with them when I make the Friday coffee run. It feels good to be at this crossroads, for sure, and it feels better to know there’s no shame in staying small.

I love spending long weekends in the summer in Ocean City, NJ, less than an hour from where we make our PaleoGoods. I never stay away for more than 3-4 days at a time. It feels good telling my kids we have to go back home Sunday night, so Daddy can go back to work, to the business that helped my small American dream get just a little bigger.

STEVE LIBERATIFounder

MEET OUR HEAD JERKYGUY

LUCAS LUCASHeadJerky Guy

MEET OUR HEAD JERKYGUY

LUCAS

MEET OUR HEAD JERKY GUY, LUCAS. HE RUNS THE STEVE’S PALEOGOODS SMOKEHOUSE LIKE A TRUE ARTISAN. HANDCRAFTING JERKY TAKES THREE DAYS FROM START TO FINISH, AND LUCAS OVERSEES EVERY STEP OF THE PROCESS.

“I make every batch of jerky like I’m going to eat it myself,”

said Lucas. “I try to think like our customers and deliver

them the excellence they deserve.”

Lucas leads a team of four people who trim, slice, season,

cure and smoke our dozen varieties of jerky, all handcrafted

in-house. Fresh from the oven, he samples every batch,

looking for succulent jerky that’s spiced just right. Lucas is

obsessive about quality and taste.

“Making jerky is an art, and we do it beautifully,” said Lucas.

“We use high quality meat, free of preservatives and slow

roast for the perfect result. That’s what sets our jerky apart

from the rest.”

SOME OF THE OLDER STEVE’S CLUB TEEN ATHLETES WORK NEXT DOOR IN THE WAREHOUSE WHERE PALEOGOODS ARE MADE, PACKED AND SHIPPED EVERYDAY.

THERE ARE 8 DIFFERENT FLAVORS OF ARTISANAL PALEOJERKY, AND WE ARE DEVELOPING MORE EVERY MONTH.

WE DO THIS RIGHT, AND THAT’S WHAT I LOVE ABOUT MY JOB.

The process starts with grass-fed Black Angus Beef

sustainably sourced from New Zealand. We only use

whole muscle cuts of sirloin that we slice, mix and turn

by hand, eliminating the need for chemicals and auto-

mated tumbling.

“Other companies tumble meat to

tenderize it, or worse yet, they grind

it into paste and form jerky pieces,”

said Lucas. “We would never ever

process our meat. Time is our secret

ingredient. Our sea salt spice

blends into the meat and carry the

marinade with it.”

After the curing process, Lucas begins the roast slow

and low. The temperature gradually increases for hours.

Roasting jerky at high heat cuts costly time from the

process, but that’s not an option at Steve’s PaleoGoods.

“We do this right,” said Lucas. “And that’s what I love

about my job. I get to make delicious products that help

people live a healthier life. It doesn’t get much better

than that.”

Lucas’ favorite jerky is the Sweet Southern BBQ, which

is a close second to Vermont Honey Maple. Check out

these varieties to see which one is your favorite. Trust

that you are getting the cleanest most delicious jerky on

the planet. Lucas would have it no other way!

ORDER SOME ARTISANAL JERKY TODAY AT STEVESPALEOGOODS.COM

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It’s a fitting name for an inspirational girl.

“Genesis” means a new beginning, and

that’s exactly what she received when

she walked into Steve’s Club 4 years ago.

GENESIS A NEW BEGINNING

15% OF PROCEEDS FROM STEVE’S PALEOGOODS GO TO STEVE’S CLUB

NATIONAL PROGRAM – OUR 501(C)3 NON-PROFIT THAT BRINGS FITNESS,

NUTRITION, AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT TO AT-RISK YOUTH.

“I used to be a hard-core anorexic,” said Genesis. “Steve’s Club helped me see I was better than that. CrossFit became my escape and gave me an amazing view of my future. I refuse to be a statistic.”

Every day after school, about 40 young athletes from the hard streets of Camden City, NJ pour into the original “Steve’s Club,” the gym at Steve’s PaleoGoods. They lift weights, jump on boxes, climb ropes and do pull ups–as a way to pull out of the perils of street life. Some of the older teens even work next door in the warehouse where PaleoGoods are made, packed and shipped.

A positive force within the group, Genesis is an excellent role model for the female athletes. Always the first one to arrive and the last one to leave, Genesis

loves warming up the group, helping new kids acclimate to the program and putting in extra work on her Oly lifts and higher-skill gymnastic movements. She is 19 years old.

“I’ve come so far, and I am responsible for my own success,” said Genesis, who studies  Physical and Health Science at Camden County College. “It’s my goal to get my Masters in Physical Therapy and get certified to coach CrossFit.”

Genesis was born and raised in Camden, often touted as one of the most dangerous cities in the country. The harsh reality of her everyday life is something most only see on television. But thanks to the strength she gave herself within the walls of Steve’s Club, she wants to help others find a better way.

“I want to give back to my city,” said Genesis. “I’ve always loved Camden, even though I’ve grown up seeing things I shouldn’t have seen so young. After seeing everything good and bad, it’s molded me into the person I am today.”

“I USED TO BE A HARD CORE ANOREXIC. STEVE’S CLUB HELPED ME SEE I WAS BETTER THAN THAT.”

Steve’s PaleoGoods was born in Camden in 2007.  Steve was working for his father’s exterminating business, but his real passion was nutrition and fitness. After getting to know some young teens on his route, he was moved to invite them to workout with him in a local park. From the conditions they were living in, Steve knew their recreational options were limited and potentially dangerous.  

Before long, Steve had a dedicated group of kids he trained with whatever equipment he could fit in the trunk of his car. A firm believer in paleo, Steve wanted to provide a nutritious lunch for his young athletes that they could eat at school. So he packaged beef jerky, nuts and berries in a vacuum-sealed bag to stay fresh in their backpack. And our  flagship product the  PaleoKit was born.

Knowing he had stumbled upon a solution for paleo followers looking for hard-to-find portable lunch and snack options, Steve started selling his PaleoKits online. Seven years and 50 products later, athletes, outdoor enthusiasts and paleo people around the globe have made Steve’s PaleoGoods their favorite on-the-go clean eating options.

Although the company has grown, one thing will never change. Helping at-risk youth like Genesis realize their potential through fitness, nutrition and leadership skills is the driving force behind Steve’s PaleoGoods. Each purchase changes lives–15% of the proceeds go directly to Steve’s Club National Program with 30 Local Clubs around the country.

“People think Camden is so bad, yet there are still people like Steve who see the good in us,” said Genesis. “I wanna let more people see the good and see there’s more to Camden then just drugs and violence. We are so much more.”

UPDATE ON GENESIS : THANKS TO A GENEROUS DONATION, GENESIS WILL SOON BE TAKING THE LEVEL 1 TRAINER CERTIFICATE COURSE FOR CROSSFIT.

The Steve’s Club National Program is a nationwide non-profit organization that brings fitness, nutrition and mentorship to at-risk youth. 

There are 26 Local Clubs in 15 states across the country helping kids “beat the streets” by giving them a safe place to grow, learn and come together. 

SCNP began in 2010, but the first Local Club was actually founded in 2007 in Camden, NJ, at the headquarters of Steve’s PaleoGoods.

Most Local Clubs are associated with CrossFit affiliates, but there’s a few in schools. There’s even two all-female clubs!

Growth is good--7 new Local Clubs opened in 2014. 

All SCNP athletes work to uphold the nine values of the program: integrity, teamwork, discipline, respect, support, character, improvement, positivity and community.

SNCP hosts a Summer Leadership Camp each year, a one-week discovery of fitness, team building and enrichment activities in Fort Indiantown Gap, PA. Twenty-five athletes are selected from the Local Club network to participate in this awesome event. 

For more information, check out: STEVESCLUB.ORG

FITNESS FOR AT-RISK YOUTH

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH NEW PRODUCTS AND EVENTS

To purchase Steve’s PaleoGoods, visit www.stevespaleogoods.com for our full list of products.

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A CHANCE TO GIVE BACKNutrition and fitness are critical parts of a healthy lifestyle, but to truly live well means creating a life that you enjoy - one filled with passion, meaning, and love.

We are passionate about creating great products, serving our community, and giving back to Steve’s Club. Our shared purpose is the heart of our company, and it brings a sense of fulfillment to every individual on our team.

We thank you for your support, for powering our mission, and for making Steve’s PaleoGoods and Steve’s Club part of your journey.

STEVESPALEOGOODS.COM

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