Community Spotlight: Finding Your Spark at the Butcher Block with Anica

There is a beautiful, quiet irony in how the most important work on a landscape or in a craft almost always happens entirely behind the scenes. For whole-animal butcher and entrepreneur Anica, that work goes way beyond the butcher table.

As the founder of Bonjerk, an Asian-inspired pork jerky company, she originally started making jerky simply because she missed the nostalgic flavors she grew up with. But along the way, curiosity took hold. She became driven to know exactly where our meat was coming from, a pursuit that led her straight down the rabbit hole of learning to butcher it herself. Today, making the jerky is just one piece of the puzzle; the real work is in how she sources her ingredients, builds solid relationships with her partners, and makes everyday choices that respect the land and the people working it.

That deep commitment to intentional stewardship is exactly what she brings to the ranch when she teaches.

Butchery can feel incredibly intimidating at first glance, but Anica's favorite part of sharing the craft with our women's+ community is watching that barrier break down. "There’s always a moment where something clicks," she says, "and you can see people start to feel more confident in their own hands. Being part of that shift is incredibly meaningful to me because I know exactly what that feels like."

For Anica, this story is deeply personal. She constantly thinks back to her very first experience at an all-women hog butchery workshop back in 2018. At the time, she only had a slight inkling that she wanted to dive into the jerky industry. But standing next to women who were there just to learn, have fun, and empower themselves completely changed her trajectory. She walked out of that workshop determined to become a butcher herself and go after her dream of starting her own meat company.

Now, getting to help other women find that exact same spark and confidence is easily the best part of her work as an instructor.

When women gather on the land to learn skills like whole-animal butchery, the entire atmosphere changes. In Anica's eyes, the most valuable part of connecting through these workshops is the freedom from outside expectations, and not feeling the pressure to perform or act like we know things we don't.

Instead, everyone just shows up entirely open, willing to learn, and ready to ask questions. That kind of supportive environment takes the weight off completely, making it so much easier to grow and reminding us all that we’re figuring this out together.

When asked what the presence and importance of women in these trade and agricultural spaces means to her personally, Anica's stance is unshakeable: "I want every woman who steps up to the butcher block to know that she already belongs there. That's why we have to keep showing up."

Follow Anica's journey and grab a bag of jerky at @bonjerk on Instagram. To step up to the block yourself and build practical, land-based skills in a supportive community, check out our upcoming ranch workshop schedule.

Photos by: Sagebrush Souls Photography