It started in Doug and Rachelle Cameron's kitchen at their Augathella property, Nive Downs, eight hours west of Brisbane.
Mr Cameron always loved making beef jerky, he had perfected his recipe and it was in demand.
"I've been making jerky just at home for the kids and for friends for a while," Mr Cameron said.
"They thought I should try and sell it."
Now more than six years later the jerky is sold in service stations and supermarkets across the country.
While the coronavirus has meant their circumstances have changed, Ms Cameron still finds her husband in the kitchen making home jerky from time to time.
"He's actually a really good cook," she said.
"He does still make it sometimes … the kids love it."
Lockdown losses
Like most businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic the Camerons have taken some big hits this year.
The retail side of their business became almost non-existent when pubs and clubs closed, along with food processing businesses, at the beginning of the pandemic.
The Endeavour Foundations Business Solutions food packing service in Toowoomba makes, packs and dispatches the Camerons' jerky.
Because of close working conditions, and the high risk of employees contracting the virus, the factory was shut down for three months.
"There was a lot of uncertainty," said Endeavour site manager Matt Fraser.
"No one really knew how long we would be shut for."
It was a difficult time for the Camerons as two key parts of their business stood essentially at a standstill.
"It ground to a halt," Mr Cameron said.
"Because we are highly geared towards retail, and when retail had to be shut down, that really impacted the business."
Making a comeback
Now the Camerons are looking to move into the online sales space while maintaining their retail focus.
"We realised we were highly geared to retail so we've decided to change track a bit and look at online as well as our retail," Mr Cameron said.
"They're still a very important cog in the business so I think we'll try and drive sales a little more that way."
While their food packaging service remains closed the couple are packing online orders from their home and are looking forward to it reopening to help streamline the process.
