Story by Erin Bender
Photos by Tuesday Photography
Since we first opened our doors in 2000, Breadroot Co-op has been all about connecting our community through natural and organic foods. As we’ve grown, so has our amazing network of local producers. In 2026, we’re proud to carry products from over 40 local vendors, stretching from the Black Hills to the Eastern Plains of South Dakota.
We think it’s just as important to spotlight these vendors as it is to stock their products. So much of what we do is rooted in cultivating community, and this blog series is one more way to grow that connection. Take a moment to read about the people behind your favorite products — and get familiar with the faces and stories that make our Co-op what it is.
When we first connected with Hope regarding being a part of this series, she was in the middle of a big transition. Hope & Health Tallow Skincare had been operating out of Hope Weber’s 1,200-square-foot home, where every product was carefully made by hand in her kitchen—then labeled, packaged, and boxed up right there. At the time we reached out about featuring her, she was working to take a major next step: securing a dedicated distribution space to reclaim her living space and support the growth of her budding business. The space you see here is the result of that shift. Located less than a mile from the Co-op, this new office marks an important milestone for Hope & Health.
While each tallow-based skincare product is still thoughtfully produced with love in her home kitchen, this separate distribution space has created room—both physically and mentally—for what comes next for the Webers.
This moment may look quieter than our usual behind-the-scenes glimpses, but it represents something big: the in-between stage where a small business begins to stretch into something bigger.
Hope is a full-time stay-at-home mom to her one-and-a-half-year-old, fitting batches, labeling, and order packing into nap times and quiet pockets of the day. It’s less a traditional production schedule and more like a constant balancing act—one that keeps her closely connected to every step.
Hope & Health started out of necessity. When skin issues began popping up, Hope grew frustrated with solutions that only treated symptoms, never the root cause. In search of something better, she turned to whole foods. Natural skincare became a natural extension of that journey.
By then, she and her husband had already embraced more “old-fashioned” ways of living—making food from scratch, sourcing as local as possible, and being intentional about what they consumed. That mindset eventually led to something new: making lotion with beef tallow.
At the heart of every Hope & Health product is that same ingredient. What began as utilizing a byproduct from the half cows she was buying for her family has now grown into a relationship with Red Water Meats, when her half-cow could no longer cover her skincare orders. From raw ingredient to finished jar, every step still passes through Hope’s hands.
Tallow’s appeal is simple: it works with the body, not against it. Because it closely mirrors our skin’s natural oils, it absorbs easily and feels deeply nourishing.
What started as a few extra batches for friends and family quickly spread by word of mouth. Before long, Hope was sharing her products at local markets—and eventually here at the Co-op. As interest in tallow-based skincare has grown across the Black Hills, Hope & Health has grown right alongside it.
Even now, the most rewarding part hasn’t changed. For Hope, it’s seeing the process through from start to finish—creating something intentional, by hand, from ingredients she knows and trusts. Find Hope & Health on our shelves, and support a story that’s still unfolding just down the road.
