Chris Thompson

Pity the paper business card. Once the golden ticket granting access to meetings, networking events and the occasional exclusive party where nobody actually knows you, it’s fast on its way to becoming a quaint relic of the dead-tree era.

But if you really must foist your credentials on strangers in a tangible way, now you can do so with “cards” made out of beef jerky. Chris Thompson of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania makes his one-of-a-kind Meat Cards by laser etching your contact information on a 2-in. by 4-in. slab of all-American beef jerky made in Tillamook, Oregon.

Chris Thompson

If you think making a legible business card out of beef jerky is tough, you’d be correct. “It’s tricky because jerky is not the best medium,” says Thompson, who notes that the dried meat “is full of holes, and it falls apart.” Despite those technical challenges, he says he has sold the cards to bands, small businesses and someone who had a turkey joke printed on them for Thanksgiving. Prices start at $25 for a set of four cards.

While eating the card after someone hands it to you would be the obvious thing to do, Thompson is quick to note that he is not selling a food item. “The jerky is not intended to be eaten. It’s a novelty,” he says. “There’s no real use for it except for one upping someone who has a regular paper card.” Score one for the jerky card.