Specialty food makers & markets
Books and taxes for jerky makers.
Beef and venison runs, dehydrator batches, gas station wholesale accounts, and online orders that ship nationwide. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
November came in at $6,200. Beef prices climbed again this month, so I kept your meat spend in its own line to show it, not your production, is what squeezed the margin.
- Convenience store distributor payoutWholesale orders
- Shopify ordersOnline sales
- Meat processor invoiceMeat cost
- Vacuum seal bags orderPackaging
- USDA facility inspection feeLicensing and inspection
Why your books are different
A jerky business's books go wrong around the meat and the license.
You are not selling a low-cost dry good. Meat is your biggest and most volatile cost, wholesale distribution needs an inspected facility, and shrinkage from dehydrating is real and expected. When the books do not track that, a normal beef price swing looks like a bad quarter.
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1
Meat price swings get absorbed instead of tracked
Beef and venison prices move with the cattle and hunting markets, sometimes sharply. A maker who keeps pricing product the same way watches margin disappear without ever seeing why.
What we doKeeps meat cost as its own line so a price jump shows up the month it happens, not three months later in a thin margin. -
2
Dehydration shrinkage is never accounted for
Ten pounds of raw meat might yield four pounds of finished jerky. Without tracking that yield, the real cost per finished pound is a guess, and pricing gets set on the wrong number.
What we doTracks raw meat cost against finished product sold, so the true cost per pound of jerky is visible, not estimated. -
3
Inspected facility costs get filed as generic rent
Wholesale jerky sales usually require production in a USDA or state-inspected facility, whether your own or a co-packer's. Filed as plain rent, that requirement's real cost disappears into a category that explains nothing.
What we doKeeps inspected facility rent or co-packer fees in their own category, separate from any home or storage costs. -
4
Wholesale distributor cuts hide inside the payout
A gas station or convenience store distributor pays out less than the invoice after taking its margin. Booked as the deposit, sales look smaller than they were and the distributor's cut never counts as a cost.
What we doBooks the full wholesale sale and the distributor's cut as separate lines, so gross sales and true distribution cost both show up.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a jerky business.
Set up once for how you sell and what you buy. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Wholesale ordersConvenience stores and gas stations, usually through a regional distributor.
- Online salesOrders through Shopify or Amazon, shipped direct to the customer.
- Farmers market and event salesCash and card sales from local markets and outdoor events.
- Custom processing feesFees for turning a customer's own hunted meat into jerky, where offered.
Money out
- Meat costBeef, venison, or other raw meat, your single biggest and most volatile cost.
- PackagingVacuum seal bags, printed pouches, and shipping boxes.
- Licensing and inspectionUSDA or state inspection fees for the production facility.
- Production facility rentAn inspected kitchen or co-packer's fee, kept apart from meat cost.
- Marketplace and card feesWhat Shopify, Amazon, or a distributor kept before you got paid.
- Shipping costsPostage and carrier fees for online orders.
- Booth and vendor feesFarmers market and event table costs.
What we watch for you
- Meat cost per pound
What raw meat costs against finished jerky sold. The clearest early warning of a price swing.
- Yield rate
Finished jerky against raw meat used. A drop can mean waste, not just normal shrinkage.
- Wholesale margin
What distributors keep against the invoice, worth knowing before adding new accounts.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax time is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things jerky makers ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Your margin dropped, but it tracks with the meat price, not your sales or production. I kept it in its own line so you can see that clearly.
Based on what you have logged, you are running close to your usual yield. If that number drops next month, it is worth a look at the batch itself.
Usually yes, for interstate wholesale sales, though the exact requirement depends on your state and where you sell. That call belongs to a food safety consultant, but I keep your facility and inspection costs tracked either way.
The tax side
The tax side of a jerky business.
Most of what matters here is the meat cost and the facility, since both drive real money and both need to be tracked cleanly for the return to come out right.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Inventory and cost of goods soldOnly the meat and packaging that went into what you sold this year count as cost of goods. Raw meat or finished jerky sitting unsold stays inventory until it moves.
- Equipment write-offsDehydrators, vacuum sealers, and slicing equipment can usually be written off in the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent, permanent, for property bought after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sA co-packer or market-day helper not on payroll who you pay $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- The pass-through deductionMost owners can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit before it is taxed. It comes out right only when meat cost, facility fees, and sales channels are tracked cleanly all year.
Deductions jerky makers miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Raw meat purchases
- Vacuum seal bags
- Dehydrator maintenance
- USDA or state inspection fees
- Co-packer or facility rent
- Shipping supplies
- Ingredient labels
- Distributor and marketplace fees
- Sample product for buyers
- Farmers market booth fees
- Delivery mileage
- Slicing equipment repair
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A jerky year, kept every month.
Hunting season, holiday gift orders, and meat price swings shape the year as much as any calendar does. Your team keeps you ahead of the deadlines through all of it. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for co-packers is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your business return is filed and signed, no surprise bill because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether meat prices have shifted your margin from what you planned for.
- October
Before hunting and gift season
Hunting season custom orders and holiday gift boxes pick up. Gus looks at meat and packaging supply needs before the year's busiest stretch.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for jerky makers. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions jerky makers ask first.
Can Gus track how meat prices affect my margin?
Yes. Meat cost is kept in its own category, so when beef or venison prices move, you can see exactly how much of a margin change is the meat and how much is something else.
I sell to gas stations through a distributor. Does Gus handle that?
Yes. Gus books the full wholesale sale and the distributor's cut as separate lines, so you can see what the account is really worth after their margin.
Do I need a USDA-inspected facility to sell my jerky wholesale?
Usually, for wholesale and interstate sales, though requirements vary by state and by whether you use your own kitchen or a co-packer. That decision is outside what Gus handles, but he keeps the related costs tracked.
My yield changes batch to batch. Does that matter for the books?
It affects your real cost per pound, which Gus tracks from what you report. A big swing is worth a look at the batch, since it usually points to something in the process, not the books.
My books are behind from a busy hunting season. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have and he sorts them by meat cost, channel, and fees. Most owners know where they stand within a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever