About Us

From Our Kitchen to Your Plate

ONN Specialties® is the culmination of hard work, passion, perseverance, and a little bit of luck, the perfect ingredients for achieving the American Dream.

On August 29, 2018, Sam Neak and Chuck Schue attended a Red Sox game together at Fenway Park with colleagues from UrsaNav, the company Chuck founded in 2004. Between innings, Sam shared his passion for making beef jerky and his dream of one day owning and operating his own specialty food business.

What Chuck did not realize at the time was that Sam’s jerky journey had already begun nearly ten years earlier. Sam had purchased his very first dehydrator from a local Walmart and started experimenting with homemade beef jerky for family and friends. While it took time to perfect the flavors, one thing immediately made his jerky different, it was not thick and chewy like traditional jerky. Sam sliced the beef paper-thin, creating a crispy texture unlike anything most people had tried before.

Sam and his wife, Nary, are second-generation Cambodian immigrants. Cooking for family and friends has always been a big part of their lives, and Sam developed a passion for constantly learning, experimenting, and creating new flavors. His recipes are inspired by a blend of Cambodian heritage and American influences, combining bold spices and savory ingredients into something truly unique.

After Sam’s “Red Sox Pitch” in late 2018, Sam and Nary decided to go all in on turning the dream into a reality alongside investors Chuck Schue, JoAnne Bartlett, and Stephen Bartlett. The decision came naturally after they tasted the jerky themselves and saw how popular it had already become within the local community. Nary left her full-time job to help build the business, and together the team rebranded from Onn’s Beef Jerky to ONN Specialties®.

Building the company during a global pandemic was no easy task. Despite the challenges, the team pushed forward, building their first production facility and opening their first retail store. In February 2021, ONN Specialties® received its permit for a Retail Food Establishment in North Billerica, Massachusetts, followed shortly by the soft opening of its brick-and-mortar store on March 13, 2021.

Today, ONN Specialties® proudly crafts small batches of artisanal extra crispy beef jerky, delivering the satisfying taste of beef jerky with the crunch of a chip. We look forward to welcoming you to our store and sharing our passion with you.

OUR TEAM

Sam On Neak

Sam was born in the last years of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. His family fled the genocide there, living in a refugee camp in Thailand before immigrating to the United States. He grew up in Oakland, California but now resides in the Boston, Massachusetts area after a visit to the East Coast turned into a permanent move. He is devoted to his wife and their three children and is focused on ensuring they do not struggle the way he did growing up. Sam is the kitchen magician, dreaming up all manner of recipes for ONN Specialties. Although he is focused on beef jerky today, Sam has already started experimenting with recipes for other types of jerky, sausage, and soups. When he is not cooking, Sam enjoys building things from scratch, including poker tables.

Nary Neak

Nary’s background is like Sam’s, having escaped Cambodian genocide by way of a refugee camp in Thailand and immigration to the United States, landing in San Francisco, California. She is the proud mother of Asia, Alysia, and Aiden, whom she says are her greatest accomplishments in life. Growing up terrified of dogs, Nary now also has two “fur babies”, Maverick and Rocco, who she and Sam love to pamper. At ONN Specialties, Nary manages the day-to-day operations, sales, and production of our great products. She is the wizardess that oversees the making of our extra crispy jerky, as well as the director of our storefront sales.

JoAnne Bartlett

JoAnne is the force behind making the trains run on time at ONN Specialties. She does this for two other companies as well. She provides all the financial, accounting, and back-office administration upon which any successful company relies. She is an avid fitness enthusiast and spends most of her early mornings on her stationary bike or on Zoom fitness classes. JoAnne spends her “spare” time sledding, boating, and otherwise spoiling her grandkids, Carmen, and Tye.

Stephen Bartlett

Stephen acts as “Chief Operating Officer”, keeping an eye on all the moving parts necessary to ensure Sam and Nary can focus on new product development and delivery. Like his wife JoAnne, Stephen manages the operations of two other technology-related companies. His main goal is always happy and satisfied customers. While he could never keep up the pace of activity of his wife, JoAnne, he does enjoy golfing and boating with the grandkids and quizzing them on math problems.

Charles “Chuck” Schue

Chuck is a serial entrepreneur, always scanning for opportunities to work with passionate people on fun projects or products. He provides the leadership, mentoring, and financing that most startups need. This is the 12th company in which he has been a founder or co-founder, but his first foray into the specialty foods market. Chuck is tremendously satisfied to be part of a company where the products sell themselves. He is fortunate to have the full support of his loving wife, Lori, and their two adult children in all his pursuits.