GULL LAKE, SASK. - A small-town Saskatchewan jerky company will help fuel astronauts in space. Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk chose to bring along cranberry bison jerky from Trails End Buffalo Stix for his six-month stay aboard the International Space Station. The jerky will travel to space in NASA’s upcoming SpaceX mission scheduled for takeoff on Oct. 1. “For him to choose us to be along for the ride and help fuel him is humbling,” said Trails End Buffalo Stix co-owner Twila Wedrick. The company went through rigorous testing with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to determine whether their product is suitable for space. The CSA first reached out to the Gull Lake business a year and a half ago to inquire about their smoked bison jerky. Shianna Smart, Wedrick’s daughter and company co-owner, initially thought the email was a scam. “I said, ‘no we cannot do that. It’s a lie,’” she told CTV News. “Now that it is actually happening, we’re super excited.” Food must meet a specific requirements before it is allowed in space, according to the CSA. It must be compact, lightweight, nutritious, shelf stable and leave minimal crumbs. It also should be tasty because an astronaut’s sense of taste is reduced in microgravity. Smart says the smoked bison jerky meets all the requirements. “It’s high in protein, easy to pack and it doesn’t have to be refrigerated,” she said, adding the jerky has a shelf life of two years. Canadian astronauts test certain foods several months prior to the launch of a space mission, according to the CSA website. They go through several tasting sessions before individual menus are finalized. The astronauts work with CSA nutrition experts to select Canadian-specific items to supplement their menus. A standard menu on the International Space Station allows each astronaut to have three meals and one snack per day. “Coming from a small town, we are proud of what we have and we are glad that someone is able to take it (to space),” Smart said. Out-of-this-world recipe This is not the first time the bison jerky has been enjoyed in microgravity. In 2013, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield selected the jerky as one of his snacks to take along into space. At that time, the company was under different ownership. Wedrick and Smart retained the recipe when they bought the business in 2024. “Why change a good thing?” Wedrick said. “It’s not spicy. You bite into it and you are kind of surprised at the end because of the cranberry.” Long before she owned the company, Wedrick fed the cranberry bison jerky to her kids. She would pack it in school lunches or sports bags as a nutritious source of protein, she said. She is grateful that Canadian astronauts see the value in her cherished snack. “It is pretty cool that we can share this with other people so they can enjoy what we enjoy,” she said. “It is not every day that somebody can say that their product is going to go to space.” The jerky ingredients are sourced from Saskatchewan and Alberta and are then processed and packaged at the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre in Saskatoon, according to Wedrick. Most of the product is sold at markets, but the company also ships orders across the country. Wedrick and Smart are hoping the astronaut’s seal of approval helps launch their product into a larger market. “We are grateful for the support and we are grateful for the opportunity,” Wedrick said. NASA invited the family to watch Thursday’s launch in person. They can’t make it due to prior commitments, but Wedrick says they will be paying close attention from Saskatchewan. Kutryk selected a wide range of Canadian snacks for his space travels including chocolate and salmon from B.C., quinoa salads from Alberta and a variety of Quebec products such as maple syrup, dried fruits and rehydratable meals.
