Our Story

Hi, I’m James, founder of Pluck.

What if I told you the most nutrient-dense food on the planet is something most of us throw away? That’s the problem I set out to solve with Pluck.

At Pluck, we’re all about organ meats—but not just any organ meats. Quality is everything when eating any part of an animal. For us, quality means grass-fed, grass-finished, humanely treated, pasture-raised animals with no GMOs or hormones. “As close to nature as possible” is what I always say.

There’s a lot wrong with our current agricultural systems, but more and more farms are pivoting to what’s right: regenerative agriculture. By focusing on diverse crop coverage and no tilling, we can transform not just the food produced on these farms but our health as well. After all, we are what we eat and what we eat eats.

Pluck is rooted in ancestral principles like “like supports like” and nose-to-tail eating. When we only eat muscle meat, we miss out on the whole-animal benefits. Organ meats are nature’s multivitamin, packed with bioavailable nutrients your body can easily recognize and absorb. But here’s the thing—most people don’t want to eat liver or kidneys. That’s where Pluck comes in. It’s the perfect gateway to organ meats because it doesn’t taste like organ meat. What you taste is the savory deliciousness of umami, the fifth taste. Just sprinkle it on like salt and pepper, and you’ve turned any meal into a nutrient-rich superfood.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit—I didn’t grow up eating organ meats. I was the pickiest eater you can imagine. I didn’t eat my first taco until college. Between the ages of 5 and 15, I had a PB&J sandwich for lunch every single day. No joke. Growing up in the ’70s, my diet was full of fast food, frozen vegetables, and microwave meals. My dad owned a grocery store, so we had access to all the common foods and snacks—especially candy. I get it. I understand picky eating and, more importantly, the human need for comfort food.

That’s why I’ve spent the last 20+ years as a professional chef focused on making comfort foods healthy without sacrificing taste. I’ve cooked for celebrities like Tom Cruise, George Clooney, and Barbra Streisand, but it was becoming a father that really deepened my exploration of functional food.

When my youngest daughter was two, she was afflicted with a life-threatening Shiga toxin. I left town for work thinking she was on the mend, only to return to find her looking like skin and bones. It was terrifying. My wife and I struggled to get nutrients into her, and it was a real wake-up call. It got me thinking about how hard it is to get vital nutrition into the people we love, especially when they’re sick or picky eaters.

Thankfully, my daughter survived and is now a vibrant, healthy child. But that experience left me determined to create a functional food product that anyone could eat and benefit from—without requiring them to adopt new habits or step outside their comfort zone.

That’s what Pluck is all about. It’s nutrition in a pinch. No need to change your diet or learn new recipes—just use Pluck instead of salt and pepper, and you’ve instantly made your meal a nutrient powerhouse. It’s the easiest way to sneak essential vitamins and minerals into your diet and your family’s meals.

Pluck isn’t just a seasoning—it’s a movement to bring ancestral wisdom back to our plates. Join us in making health easy, delicious, and sustainable. Try Pluck today and taste the difference.