Herd & Hive is a small, family run business based out of Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. We handcraft a variety of useful goods from locally sourced grass-fed beef fat (tallow) including candles, skin balm & soap, fire starters and more!

A few years ago, our family discovered the incredible health benefits of animal fat and the ancestral wisdom behind an animal based diet. When we began to change our diet, we learned about tallow – which is made by rendering suet – the fat found inside beef cattle around the kidneys and loins. Rendering is the process of purifying fat over low heat, removing any water and connective tissue – making it solid at room temperature and shelf stable. We began purchasing and rendering grass-fed beef suet from nearby local farms with the goal of simply cooking with it…

That’s when we realized that tallow had the potential to become an ingredient for more than just cooking! After a bit of research and a lot of experimentation, we launched Herd & Hive with our single flagship product – the tallow and beeswax pillar candle. We’ve continued to experiment and launch many tallow based products since, with our main focus always being on using local, natural, responsibly sourced ingredients, sustainable packaging, and helping to improve the lives of those around us

Our tallow based products are inspired by our ancestors and the pioneers of their time – for most of history, candles and apothecary items were made from (or in a base of) animal fat. We are excited to be able to bring you products a little closer to what they would have used!