On the surface, it might seem intuitive: Two brothers who always wanted to start a business together team up after one gets an MBA.
But Davi and Josh Reznick's idea strayed a little farther afield.
The duo decided to launch a gourmet duck business a few years ago after Davi spent some time in Bordeaux, France, where he discovered Moulard duck. Unlike Pekin duck (the variety commonly available in the U.S.), it has a deep-red appearance that resembles steak and it's prepared in a similar way: cooked on high heat, seared, and served medium rare with salt and pepper.
“Whenever friends would come, I’d introduce it to them, and they’d love it," Davi recalls. "It was a cool food that was familiar to me."
When he returned to the U.S., he realized the duck that he frequently enjoyed in France wasn’t available here. So after the former TV producer finished business school at Wash. U., he began building a gourmet duck business with his brother.
They began, in 2016, by setting up a stand at the Kirkwood Farmers’ Market, where they showed pictures of Moulard duck and handed out a three-step recipe for cooking duck. They collected contact info and followed up to get feedback, which was “incredibly strong,” Josh says. “From that point on, we were like, 'We’ve done our research. This tastes awesome. We’re going to run with it.'"
Launching the company was a challenge, though. “Running a business is worrying on the fly, and you have to rely on each other," says Josh, who balances the venture with a full-time job as a lawyer. "Strong feedback from customers, especially repeat customers, makes you think it’s a good idea and helps you keep going."
For the next 10 months, the brothers went through regulatory and supply-chain hurdles. They created the packaging and branding, and they set up a website. Finally, last summer, they launched DUCKCHAR's online store and began filling orders for St. Louis grocers. They also teamed up with a local food truck to offer a charred duck slider at a Tower Grove Park event, where they sold out in an hour.
The Reznicks share recipes for easy and complicated duck dishes on the company's website. They also get cooking suggestions and recipes from customers, many of whom are passionate about barbecue. “Barbecue people enjoy the steak-like similarities and hearty meat,” says Josh. The brothers recently traveled to Florida to participate in an event hosted by Big Green Egg, where they hosted a cooking demo and showed festival-goers how to make duck pastrami.
Today, the Reznicks ship their product to every U.S. state except Alaska and Hawaii. They also sell product at specialty food stores, such as Baumann’s Fine Meats, United Provisions, and The Wine & Cheese Place. The brothers are also planning to add more products soon, including a spice rub made specifically for charred duck breast.
Through it all, the brothers support one another. “I’m in a totally new space, just like Josh," says Davi. "It’s been really exciting. We’ve always wanted to have a business together."
Update, March 1, 2019:
The DUCKCHAR company just introduced DUCKCHAR Duck Fat, an all-natural product that's currently being distributed and sold throughout the U.S. Devotees say that duck fat imparts more favor than conventional oils and enhances flavor profiles (the same reason that olive oil is preferred over vegetable oil). Duck fat can be used in lieu of olive oil, with the added benefit that foods can also be fried in it. The website claims that "foods lucky enough to be cooked with duck fat taste like a better version of themselves." The product comes in individual, 9-ounce glass jars and retails for $11.99.
