Our Process

Everything we do is tied to our three pillars: Sustenance. Regeneration. Legacy. 

In 1887, when our great-great-great grandfather Thomas Jefferson Chapman purchased Elm Grove Farm, he cut cords of wood tirelessly and took them by horse down to our local ferry 'Ware Neck Landing' in order to afford it. That sentiment and utter-drive is still alive today, as our family has relished this property for almost a century and a half. We pride ourselves in attention to detail and verticalization, owning as many facets of 'production' as possible. With foundations in food science and start-ups we understand the importance of having an impeccable product, listening to our customers and continuous improvement. We pledge to always work our fingers to the bone for you and yours. 

In 2020 prior to purchasing our first tractor we designed and built our hop trellis to start the arduous process of establishing our hop plants, which take ~5 years to reach maturity. Initially our Founder, Blake, wanted to sell these hops to local breweries and had aspirations to have a micro-brewery one day, and while we still sell to one local brewery, in the R&D phase of this product Blake was wracking his brain for local ingredients to add to our tallow skincare products - he had an ah-ha moment while staring at the hop yard. 

Hops emerge annually, and as the vines emerge we use coconut coir, tied to our hop trellis and anchored into the soil, we train them to those bine lines (ropes), and they then spend the next 1.5-2 months climbing up to 18+ feet. Over the next couple months they flower and mature until mid-August where we cut them down and harvest them by hand. From there, we've built a kiln that dries them, and then they are properly stored until it's time to use them. 

Our grass fed cows graze throughout the year and then eat hay silage or 'wet hay' through the winter, this ensures that even through the cold season our cattle are getting the most natural nutrients as possible. This means that their beef and their tallow provide the sustenance that grass-fed animals are known for. 

Everything is done by hand and in a controlled environment.

• In our commercial kitchen we take our raw grass-fed tallow and render it down its beautiful liquid form. (insert picture of it in clear golden form)
• From there we had our natural beeswax pastilles, and gently let them melt into the liquid gold. 
• Once the beeswax has completely melted and it has cooled to a point that won't hurt the hop extract or cause off-scents, we use a sachet full of whole cone hops and let them steep in order to extract the natural lupulin oils that contribute many beneficial compounds. 
• We then lightly scent our products with steam derived essential oils, just enough to have a desirable scent, but not enough to bother sensitive skin. 
• Et viola - we have an amazing product that is affordable and full of value that can replace often multiple products as an all-in-one natural moisturizer.