The Bootleg Mission

Adaptability and a strong work ethic are important for Maine living.  Bootleg Captain, Tammy Snider, has a bounty of both.  Raised in a rugged coastal Maine fishing and seasonal working community, she learned as a very small child to rake blueberries in the summer,  make Christmas wreaths in the winter and go worming, clamming and lobster fishing in the spring, summer and fall. 

“We grew our own food and preserved it for the winter months. I enjoyed learning to improve on the basics and add flavor to the food we grew. Then, as an adult, I discovered jerky making.” 

Using a small home-kitchen style dehydrator, she started out making homemade gifts for her nephews and other family members. Tammy soon discovered she had a knack for creating unique and flavorful beef jerky.  Watching her nephews tear into their Christmas packages seeking out the greatly anticipated treats each December, she realized she might be on to something. 

Soon family members and friends began asking, encouraging and sometimes downright begging her to make some of her amazing jerky which they would gladly pay her to make one Cabela’s dehydrator worth at a time.  And so, Bootleg Jerky was born. As friends, family and local fisherman gladly snatched up as much as she could make, Tammy knew there was a definite business opportunity here for her and her family.  An opportunity that would provide much needed stability in her seasonally working family and community.  Armed with a belief that every experience in life is a learning opportunity, she began taking the steps to transition from a local friends/family bootleg operation to a legal jerky vendor for everyone.

“It was a challenge I was ready to take on. It’s been a long, frustrating, and sometimes overwhelming journey but very rewarding at the same time. Progress meant both success and failure. The support and input of my family and close friends was instrumental in my pursuit to keep going. They have been my eager taste testers, supporters, task helpers, and driving force through it all.”

Several years, headaches, and miles of red tape later, Bootleg Jerky is a thriving business with plans for a small retail shop in the near future.  Featuring 13 delightful beef jerky recipes with truly unique flavor profiles, it is no surprise that there are talks of having to expand the crew in the near future.  Currently a one woman show, with occasional helping hands from her Mom when a big event is approaching, Tammy looks forward to the not so distant time when she will be able to offer stable income to hard working locals as her business expands.   Well on her way to making her own dreams a reality, Tammy offers these words of wisdom for others with a vision  

“Sometimes the best things in life are the hardest to obtain so reach for your dreams! ”