Chicken jerky treats a winner

Mallory’s Tocino began as a way to treat friends and family, but it’s grown into a vibrant family business.

Founded by Narangba mum Lory Sandilands and her husband, Malcolm, Mallory’s Tocino produces jerky-style products using Australian beef, pork, chicken and kangaroo.

Lory’s foray into chicken jerky has earnt her a place as a finalist in the Food & Beverage and Product Innovation categories of the AusMumpreneur Awards.

Presented by The Women’s Business School, the awards celebrate Australian mums in business achieving outstanding success in areas such as business excellence, product development, customer service and digital innovation.

Family tradition continues

Mallory’s Tocino launched six years ago, with Lory adapting her Filipino family’s traditional tocino recipe to suit the Australian palate. Tocino, a sweet cured meat, is usually served as a Filipino breakfast.

“I started the business six years ago because I grew up making jerky,” Lory explains.

“My family made traditional pork, and that’s how I started – making for friends and family when they had gatherings.”

Market sales soar

Word spread about Lory’s delicious treats and she and Malcolm started selling at markets, festivals and online and then supplying retail outlets such as bottle shops, pubs and independent supermarkets.

While consumers are familiar with beef jerky, Lory says people were initially sceptical about pork and chicken, as it must be prepared differently to eliminate the risk of salmonella.

Challenging process

“It’s not safe to just dry pork or chicken – it also has to be grilled, which is a much more challenging process,” Lory says.

The business was hit hard by COVID-19, with many of the outlets Lory used forced to shut.

“There were no markets or festivals and the pubs were shut … but it’s slowly getting better,” Lory says.

The lull gave Lory the opportunity to create kangaroo jerky, which she says has been a hit with customers.

Mallory’s also enlists the help of Lory’s daughter, 16, and son, 14, who help with packaging and finalising products.

“By working with us they learn something about workmanship and quality,” she says.

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