Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Annie. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Annie, appreciate you joining us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?
I absolutely love being a business owner! There have been times when I have thought about having a town/regular job before starting my business, but with our lifestyle it just really wouldn’t work for our family. My husband and I both come from multigenerational ranching families, and we are raising our boys the same way! Our boys are 9,7, and 3. They go with us on both of our family ranches in Arizona (where my husband grew up) and Wyoming (where I grew up) and help in all aspects of the job. We all love doing the work together and the family time it allows us to have. Checking waters isn’t always a favorite task for the boys but we try to make it fun! We are also a rodeo family and that keeps us busy at least 1-2 weekends a month all year round, not including all the practice time that goes along with it. We also homeschool our boys which has been an amazing choice, we couldn’t see it any other way! Being a business owner has been such a blessing for our family. I love the freedom I have with it to work when I can fit it in, even if it’s after our boys have gone to bed for the night. It has also been really cool to see my boys watch how I work and then they make up their own ‘tallow making’ games to play with each other. It makes me really proud that my husband and I can show our boys what hard work can do for you and it’s awesome to see them start to recognize it in their own ways.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I grew up in Wyoming as a fourth-generation rancher, we raise cattle and sheep and also produce hay. I met my husband in college who is also a fourth-generation rancher from Arizona. We have three boys, 9,7, and 3 that we are raising as the next generation of cattle ranchers in Aguila, AZ. When I first heard about beef tallow, it was from my friend who started using it on herself and her kids. We were talking about my son’s dry skin and what could help it when she said to try this beef tallow she had. At first, I thought she was crazy because the thought of rubbing beef fat on my kids skin was weird to me, but it worked amazingly on my son’s dry skin! I started researching more when I saw how well it worked and decided to try my hand at making it myself. I have never considered myself a crunchy mom, but I liked the thought of knowing exactly what I was putting on my son’s skin. After a few batches of trial and error I got it figured out and found multiple recipes I loved for different uses and even made a few of my own. I started having my friends and family test it out for me and after all the great reviews I got from them, I decided to start selling it. I went to a few markets with my friend who also has her own business and got even more glowing reviews and earned some repeat customers! Now I offer four different products- lip balm, whipped tallow, sunsticks, and deodorant. I currently sell products through facebook and instagram, but I also have products in two stores in Wickenburg, AZ and two stores in Worland, Wy!
I think something that could set me apart from other tallow makers is that I just try to keep it simple and do the whole process hands on. I enjoy rendering my own tallow straight from the suet I get from the butcher rather than buying already rendered suet. I love that I know exactly how the suet was rendered to ensure that the tallow didn’t get overheated or have left over moisture in the finished product. Both of those issues could ruin the product and either make it not as beneficial or go rancid. I make everything in small batches so I have total control over the quality and am not afraid to throw out a batch if I feel it is not good enough to go on the shelves for my customers. I buy all of the suet from a local butcher in Salome, AZ who are also friends and they are always sure to let me know if the beef was grass or grain fed so that I can label it correctly for my customers. I also love that my whipped tallow has multiple uses and a lot of my customers are really good about letting me know how it’s working for them and if they have found a new way to use it! Some of the ways customers use my whipped tallow- under eye cream, face cream, whole body cream, leave in conditioner, diaper rash cream, cream for dry/cracked hands and feet, and on problem areas such as eczema and psoriasis. I use a variety of different infusions and essential oils to add benefits to the tallow. Probably my favorite product I make is lip balm because I started adding lanolin to it and it has helped my lips so much!
My brand- the name Triangle T Tallow actually came from our cattle brand which is a triangle and then a T on it’s side. I love this name because it sounds pretty nice I think, but also because it incorporates what our family is really about. Raising cattle is our whole life and although it can be hard, we love it and are so blessed to live this way of life. Seeing Triangle T on all of the jars and labels is a constant reminder how lucky I am to have this small business to not only share a product I love and truly believe in, but also because it allows me to contribute financially to my family while still being able to be home with my boys to homeschool, ranch, and rodeo with them.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
The best way I have found to get new clients is definitely by word of mouth. I have so many new customers that have been recommended to me by repeat customers and that is such a confidence boost for me! Second to that, going to local markets is always a great way to meet new people and share my products with others.
Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?
This is more of a funny story than a serious took a risk story. One of the markets I went to last fall my middle son who was 6 at the time went with me because he had been helping me render tallow and was excited to see the finished product make its way to customers. A gentleman came up to our booth and kind of made small talk with me and then turned to my son and said “Well, can you tell me about it? What is tallow?” and my son replied “It’s like a lotion but with beef tallow!” the gentleman was honestly asking what tallow was so he asked again what tallow was made out of and my 6 year old replied with “well its fat and it probably came from a steer!”. My middle son is very matter of fact and couldn’t understand why this guy did not know what beef fat was and gave the gentleman kind of a funny look with his last answer. The gentleman looked at me still a little confused so I explained more, then he ended up buying almost $60 worth of product from me!
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