In 2024 Sara Martinez discovered the skin benefits of tallow and began handcrafting it for her personal use. She had spent years battling severe cystic acne. “I tried everything, and it would never go away,” she recalled. “I kept hearing about tallow, [and] it changed my skin.”
After marveling at the relief tallow brought her, Martinez’s husband, José, encouraged her to start a business centered around the handcrafted balm. Martinez secured a spot at the Southside Farmers’ Market almost immediately, and her tallow products began satisfying a growing demand for ancestral skincare.
With its motto, “When cow fat becomes skincare,” Countryside Naturals launched in November of 2024 and has since scaled from four markets a month to as many as 19, travelling to Georgetown and San Antonio, while maintaining local presence.
Grass-fed and finished beef tallow is a foundational ingredient in ancestral skincare due to its fatty composition, which is almost identical to our skin’s natural oils (sebum), enabling superior absorption. Martinez’s commitment to high quality is unwavering. While many brands use fat from the entire cow, Countryside Naturals uses only suet—fat around the kidneys, which is incredibly nutrient-dense—and sources it exclusively from a regenerative, strictly grass-finished farm.
“Cows aren’t meant to eat grain,” Martinez explained. “If it’s not grass-finished, they fatten them up with grain right before the end, which defeats the purpose. We ensure there are no hormones, no steroids and no antibiotics.”
The tallow is rendered by hand in small batches through a meticulous process the couple does together at their home in Flour Bluff. After grinding the tallow, José uses a large roaster to slowly melt it, and Sara clarifies it through filtering and straining. This dry rendering process is repeated four more times over 3-4 days and yields a stable, nutrient-dense fat with a longer shelf life.
Since moisture from water is avoided, the risk of bacteria or mold growth is eliminated, making it ideal for skincare. By avoiding chemical additives and focusing on traditional methods, the anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties essential for healing are preserved.
Countryside Naturals features products with all organic ingredients, including bestsellers that nourish rather than correct. Customer favorites include Baby Me, a natural remedy for things such as eczema, cradle cap and diaper rash, and Ranch Hand, including mango butter and beeswax from local beekeeper Hebert Honey. Along with a convenient tallow stick, lip balm, soap, hair care and other stellar items, cooking tallow will soon join the Countryside Tallow lineup.
Rich in vitamins A, D, E and K, tallow effectively supports collagen and reduces skin irritation. It is best suited for those with dry, sensitive or mature skin. Testimonies from loyal customers range from helping with psoriasis and surgical scars to providing relief for restless leg syndrome, arthritis and aches and pains.
Beyond the exceptional quality of the ingredients, the Martinez family’s passion and integrity stand out. In an industry often filled with synthetic chemicals, Countryside Naturals practices what they preach: nature often provides exactly what we need.
Contact: countrysidenaturals.com | @countryside_naturals
