We recently connected with Niko Kritikos and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Niko thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

The biggest trends I’m seeing are high search volume for tallow from consumers, RFK jr. and others pushing the MAHA agenda that includes using tallow for cooking in place of seed oils, and restaurants switching from seed oils to tallow as well. We hope to see more people cooking with tallow to lower inflammation and to enjoy the taste beef tallow brings to food.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My friend Walter and I got into the tallow business after Walter bought some tallow from the store, thought it tasted great, but thought brands were lacking a message and had weak branding. We started American Tallow to bring back real, traditional cooking fat — just one ingredient, nothing added, made right here in Indiana.

Our main product is 100% natural beef tallow for cooking. It’s shelf-stable, high-heat safe, and packed with old-school flavor. We believe in bringing back the old-school cooking fat and revitalizing it with strong branding and a powerful message. This business was also inspired by people like RFK Jr and others pushing to Make America Healthy Again. We are here to see Americans lower inflammation and have restaurants like Steak and Shake go back to traditional healthy cooking fat.

We want to help farmers and see the agriculture industry thrive as well. Therefore we will be doing as much as we can to reinvest into local farms.

What sets us apart is that we’re not trying to be fancy. We’re for the people, farmers, families, cooks, and anyone who wants food that tastes like it used to. I think what I’m most proud of is that we actually got people to care. We’ve had folks message us saying they feel better, cook better, and even think differently since switching to tallow. That’s powerful. That means we’re doing more than just selling a product — we’re starting a conversation about health, tradition, and what it really means to take care of your body. I

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Walter and I met when we were in 1st grade in Northwest Indiana and we have been friends ever since. We have worked on lots of projects together including movies, books, music and more but this is the first time we worked together to start a business.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

For decades, the idea that fat is bad for you and seed oils are healthier has been a popular mainstream idea. However, over that period of time the health of Americans has only gotten worse. Thankfully, in recent years we have seen studies show the importance of eliminating inflammatory foods and how it can prevent countless diseases. Intermittent fasting, ketogenic diets, and the elimination of things like seed oils can all contribute to lowering inflammation. That was a big lesson that not only we had to learn but also millions and millions of Americans.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://americantallowstore.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/american_tallow/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574594222952
• Twitter: https://x.com/AMERICANTALLOW