Everything old is new again—though, if we’re being honest, some things never stopped working in the first place. Tallow is one of them.
At Circle 6 Farm and Ranch in Fort Lonesome, Florida, that realization feels less like discovery and more like remembering. A fifth-generation cattle ranch built on steady hands and family values, Circle 6 carries the kind of legacy that doesn’t rush itself. As James Horak—known to most as “Jay”—puts it, echoing his grandfather Arlin Taylor: “Get both your feet on each rung of the ladder before you move to the next one.” It’s not just advice. It’s a blueprint.
Jay’s path here hasn’t been exactly linear. Before tallow, before balms and formulations, he spent years in Nashville as a country music singer, even appearing on “The Voice.” But like most good stories, this one circles back, toward home.
His introduction to tallow as skin care—not just cooking fat—came through family. When his niece began struggling with eczema, his sister asked if he could develop something that might help. What followed was less a quick fix and more a deep dive: research into the composition of tallow, its compatibility with human skin, and its long history as a natural moisturizer.
Rendered from beef suet fat, tallow is remarkably similar to our skin’s own oils—absorbing easily, nourishing deeply, and, importantly, doing its job without irritation. For Jay and his wife, who helps test every formulation (and whose opinion he trusts more than his own), the results spoke for themselves. Skin felt better. Calmer. Restored, without the usual side effects of more synthetic alternatives.
That was the turning point.
Each product is handmade in small batches using tallow rendered from their own cattle, blended with ingredients chosen for function as much as feel—wild honey, beeswax, jojoba oil, pomegranate oil. Blue tansy appears in formulations designed for eczema-prone skin; bakuchiol offers a plant-based alternative to retinol; emu oil adds an extra layer of protection. There’s even a Wagyu-based tallow reserved for facial products—because of course there is.
The texture is notable: whipped until light, smooth, and undeniably satisfying. And the line continues to evolve. Their newest product, Bright Eyes, is an eye balm infused with sea buckthorn and vitamin E, designed to nourish without overwhelming.
I’m not just spouting the company line; I’ve been using the products for a month and I’m a convert.
Behind the scenes and (notably) in front of them, Jay is joined by his right-hand man, Brandon Drumm—an enthusiastic, high-energy salesman who matches Jay’s passion for tallow stride for stride. Together, they’ve built something that feels both grounded and ambitious.
Because this isn’t about hopping on whatever’s having a moment. It’s about taking something that’s already proven itself, refining it, and giving it the kind of care it deserves.
From the ranch to your hands, it’s a straight line—handled thoughtfully, just as intended.
No shortcuts. No skipping rungs.
Just the next step, taken properly.
