TAMPA, Fla. (BLOOM) — Beef tallow is having a moment. Once a staple in traditional kitchens and nearly forgotten during the fat-free craze of the late 20th century, the rendered fat is now trending across TikTok and stocked in beauty cabinets and kitchen pantries alike.
But while influencers praise tallow’s benefits and brands rush to cash in, ranchers like Kara Smith say the story goes much deeper than the social media buzz.
Smith is a fifth-generation rancher and co-founder of Colorado Craft Beef, a direct-to-consumer meat company based in Northeast Colorado. Her family has worked the same land for more than 100 years, and now, she’s helping lead a resurgence of what she calls “intentional eating.”
“There’s a bigger conversation happening,” Smith said in a recent interview. “People aren’t just asking how to use tallow — they want to know where it came from, who made it, and what kind of practices went into it.”…