A Name You Know Is Behind a Spicy-Sweet Jerky, and It’s Not Who You’d Expect in the Snack Aisle

Jack Link’s and PepsiCo are behind a jerky flavor that may catch shoppers off guard: Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili. The mash-up brings a chip brand better known for crunchy snacks into the meat case, and it has already earned attention beyond a standard product launch.

The brand behind the jerky surprise

The product is Jack Link’s Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili Flavored Beef Jerky, a collaboration between Link Snacks and PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay business. Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery reported that the companies introduced the flavor as part of a broader crossover that also included Flamin’ Hot beef jerky and meat sticks. That means the recognizable name behind the spicy-sweet jerky is Doritos, even though the product itself comes from Jack Link’s.

That pairing helps explain why the snack can feel unexpected on a store shelf. Doritos is one of the most familiar chip brands in the country, but in this case its flavor profile was licensed into a shelf-stable meat snack. Food Business News later described the partnership as one that continued to expand, adding flavors such as Doritos Sweet & Tangy BBQ and, in 2026, Doritos Nacho Cheese in both jerky and meat stick form.

The collaboration also came with some industry recognition early on. Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery’s coverage of the 2023 Most Innovative New Product Awards from the Sweets & Snacks Expo lists PepsiCo Foods’ Jack Link’s Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili Flavored Beef Jerky as the winner in the meat snacks category. That gave the product a trade-show credential, not just novelty value on the shelf.

What the sources say about availability and rollout

The most recent official company statement available in readable form comes from a February 24, 2026 PR Newswire release about Jack Link’s Doritos Nacho Cheese flavored beef jerky and meat sticks. In that announcement, Link Snacks said the products were available online and at retailers nationwide, and it identified Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili, Doritos Sweet & Tangy BBQ, and Flamin’ Hot as existing flavors already sold under the Jack Link’s and Frito-Lay partnership.

That 2026 announcement matters because it confirms the spicy-sweet flavor was not a one-off. By then, it was established enough to be referenced as part of an existing lineup, suggesting the crossover had staying power inside the brands’ broader snack strategy. The same release said the Jack Link’s and Frito-Lay partnership was forged in 2023, which lines up with trade coverage from that period.

For shoppers, the practical takeaway is simple. If a bag of jerky carries a Doritos flavor name, it is part of Jack Link’s meat-snack line made under partnership with PepsiCo, not a separate jerky company from the chip aisle. The surprise is real, but the branding trail is clear once you look at the companies involved.

Why this kind of crossover keeps showing up

Food companies have spent the past few years moving familiar flavors across categories, and jerky has become one of the more flexible formats for that strategy. The Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili jerky is a clear example: a flavor people already associate with a bold, sweet-heat chip gets translated into a high-protein snack with shelf presence in convenience and grocery stores.

Trade outlets have framed these launches as part of a larger push for convenience, flavor intensity, and novelty. In the 2026 PR Newswire release, Link Snacks executive Holly LaVallie said the collaboration was built around consumer demand for “more protein, more flavor, and more convenience.” PepsiCo Foods U.S. marketing executive Tina Mahal called the format a new way to deliver an iconic Doritos flavor.

That does not mean every crossover lasts, but this one has shown enough momentum to expand into multiple flavors and formats. For home cooks and snack shoppers, it is a reminder that the label on the bag may point to a brand from another aisle entirely, especially when major food companies see a chance to reuse a flavor people already know.