Michelle Timberlake is the owner of the first and only Black, woman-owned beef jerky brand, Marjorie’s Beef Jerky, Black Enterprise reports.

“I raised my own money so that I am not controlled using someone else’s money.”-Timberlake

Michelle began in 1991 after a bad truck accident that was a threat to her job. She been very concerned about her welfare took it up in prayer. She states, “I didn’t know what to do. I had a 5-year old boy to feed, and I really could not see a way out so I prayed about it.”

Three days later, Michelle says she got enlightened with a vision to start beef jerky company. Immediately, she began her journey into making “the best tasting beef jerky on this planet!” She named the business after her late mother Marjorie Leona Dawson. Michelle comments, “My mother was my number one beef jerky fan. In 2010, she told me, ‘Michelle it’s time for you to put your beef jerky through. It is going to make you.”

She continues, “I said to my mom, ‘really?’ and she replied, ‘Yes, this beef jerky is going to make you! Only I won’t live to see it.’ I said, ‘Sure you will!’ but my mother replied, ‘No Michelle I will not!’ She then gave me this really serious look, and I told her that I am thankful that she gave me life and allowed me to be my own person. I told her that her picture will be on every bag of beef jerky that I sell in honor to the woman who gave up her life just to raise me and 10 other children as she put her own life on hold. My mother believed in me when no one else did. She died in 2010 shortly after telling me to put the beef jerky through. She knew that she was dying, and she died of stage 4 kidney failure and a heart attack. I was shattered! I feel her strength and her wisdom inside of me now.”

Michelle continues, “Often I have to deal with a people who say I should take the picture off the bag for fear of lessor sales because of my mother being a black woman. I say no way! I was even told that perhaps I should do an animated picture of my Mother just like they did for Aunt Jemima. Well let’s just say I no longer have that friend after 40 years of friendship. That’s why I worked hard and raised my own money and still trying to raise money by sales to build a warehouse and to provide jobs and offer dreams to the less fortunate so that they can feed their families. We want to also build a facility for child care for the single parents so that they can be close to their babies and take their breaks and check on them or eat lunch with them to keep the bond of closeness. I do all of this from the help of my friends from over 30 years who believe and invested in me. I raised my own money so that I am not controlled using someone else’s money. So the orders from our customers will someday allow me to give back to the community. We still have a long way to go for we are a work in progress being that we used our own resources. We welcome any donation but we would just prefer you to purchase at least one or two bags of beef Jerky per month. Where I live there is no minimum wage. The Employers can pay a person $5.00 per hour and some do. I don’t believe in sweat camps! How can a person pay their bills and feed their families being oppressed? Our ultimate goal is to someday own our own manufacturing plant without having to subcontract a manufacturer. This will allow me to keep the cost down having my own manufacturing plant. Without our own plant the cost will stay high for us.”

Timberlake often tells people to try her product even if they aren’t fans of beef jerky, because they often become new customers after tasting her version of dehydrated meat.

Congratulations to her!