This St. Louis Mail-Order Duck Company Brings Moulard to the Masses

by Lisa Elbert, Tastemaker in Residence - for Food & Wine

Davi Reznick

Buying nice meat online is the future—and so is duck, argue Josh and Davi Reznick.

Here is a list of things that are very good: high-quality meat, the Internet, and ordering high-quality meat from the Internet. Here is a list of two people who have capitalized on these things: Josh and Davi Reznick. The brothers, who are from St. Louis, Missouri, launched their mail-order Moulard duck company, DUCKCHAR, to fill a void in our country’s diets.

DUCKCHAR sells only Moulard duck—a highly prized hybrid (think wagyu beef of duck breast) of Muscovy and Pekin ducks, the latter being the most consumed species of duck in the U.S. In France, they only eat Moulard, because they’re French and they just know better. DUCKCHAR aims to teach consumers that duck breast is not reserved for stuffy, white-tableclothed French dining rooms or gourmet cooking, but that it’s an easily prepared, healthy, and delicious alternative to other oft-consumed meats like chicken or beef, and it can be incorporated into your home-cooking repertoire.

“There are a lot of misconceptions about duck here,” said Josh, “and our bottom line is to educate people about it, and how easy it is to cook with. People are used to Pekin duck, but the flavor profiles are so different. This breed is really familiar because of the way it looks, tastes, and how you prepare it.”

Davi Reznick

The idea was born in France. During his time living in Bordeaux, Davi consumed Moulard duck regularly, and soon fell in love. Upon his return to the U.S., he learned that not only was Moulard not widely available, but nobody really knew what it was.

“There’s this awesome product out there that a whole country is in love with, it’s a staple of their diet, and it has almost zero presence in the U.S.,” said Josh. “I wanted to share that part of French culture here, and in a way that was more ‘digestible’ for Americans,” added Davi. So, the brothers Reznick set out to bring us the gift of Moulard … to our doorsteps.

After spending time with a duck farmer in Bordeaux, the brothers took a chance selling duck at a farmers' market in St. Louis—the response was overwhelmingly positive. By the summer of 2017, with USDA-approved labels in place and a farm in French Canada supplying their inventory (because again, the French thing), DUCKCHAR was up, running, and making waves in the meat-loving community.

“We have two products,” said Davi. “We sell raw Moulard duck breast and a smoked and cured, ready-to-eat duck breast, which is more like charcuterie. Our next offering is going to be a barbecue dry rub for duck breast. In France, people really just sear the breast and season it with salt and pepper, which is the only way I had it. But people here want more direction on how to cook and season it, so we started developing recipes. And we’ve had a lot of luck connecting with the high-end barbecue community, like Traeger and Big Green Egg owners, and they get really innovative with it.”

Though available in select grocery stores in St. Louis, the majority of DUCKCHAR’s business is online. Which means that as long as you live in the lower 48, you can get duck to your doorstep. It’s sold in quantities of three, four, six, or nine breasts, and will arrive on dry ice in just a few days. And as for cooking it, they've got you covered: There's an expansive recipe database live on their website for various skill levels and taste preferences. Give duck the chance it deserves; you owe it to yourself.