Art Oberto and his daughter,
Laura, both made Oberto Sausage
Company a big part of their lives
while still in their teens.
A work
ofAr t
Meet Art Oberto, the man behind
Oberto Sausage Company
By Stephanie E. Ponder
Art Oberto stepped down as president
of Oberto Sausage Company more
than 20 years ago, yet he remains
the public face of the meat-snacks busi-
ness. He’s most comfortable in his red,
white and green suit with a tie proclaiming,
“I’m just wild about jerky.” And no
encounter is complete without receiving
one of his trademark four-color pens that
reads, “Stolen from Art ‘Oh Boy’ Oberto.”
At 77, the chairman of the board of
Oberto Sausage Company, maker of Oh
Boy! Oberto and Pacific Gold meat snacks
and jerky, enjoys talking about the privately
owned company—one of the largest meat-
snacks businesses in the United States.
Conversations with Art feel as though they
should come with a map as they crisscross
nearly 90 years, from the company’s hum-
ble beginnings to its current status. His sto-
ries cover tragedy, inspiration, challenges
and success—all imparted with morsels of
IRIDIO PHOTOGRAPHY
