Beef Tallow Has Been Big Business For This Bridgeport Company Since The '70s

South Chicago Packing has been producing high-end animal cooking fats and oils, including Wagyu beef tallow, for decades.

Published on Feb. 16, 2026

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South Chicago Packing, a fifth-generation, family-owned business located in Bridgeport, Chicago, has been manufacturing high-quality animal cooking fats and oils, including Wagyu beef tallow, since the 1970s. The company's roots trace back to the late 1800s when the Miniat family's great-great grandfather started delivering wholesale meat cuts from the city's packing houses. As the meatpacking industry shifted west, the Miniats acquired South Chicago Packing in 1972 and expanded into value-added meat products and rendering animal fats. The company's Wagyu beef tallow gained popularity during the pandemic, attracting both chefs and health-conscious consumers.

Why it matters

South Chicago Packing's story highlights the enduring importance of Chicago's meatpacking history and the resilience of family-owned businesses that have adapted to industry changes over generations. The company's success with Wagyu beef tallow also reflects a broader trend of consumers rediscovering the benefits of animal fats, which are now being touted in federal dietary guidelines.

The details

South Chicago Packing uses on-site rendering facilities to process fat trimmings from meat suppliers across the country, many of which have ties to the company's own meat processing history. In 2020, the company started producing Wagyu beef tallow, which quickly gained popularity online, attracting both barbecue enthusiasts and health-conscious consumers drawn to tallow's nutritional benefits. The company has since expanded its tallow product line, including the release of a Wagyu beef tallow cooking spray in 2023.

  • In the late 1800s, the Miniat family's great-great grandfather, Michael Miniat, emigrated to Chicago and started delivering wholesale meat cuts from the city's packing houses.
  • In the 1950s and 1960s, the Miniat family business moved up the supply chain into meat fabrication and marketing different cuts to restaurants and grocery stores.
  • The Miniat family acquired South Chicago Packing in 1972, mainly for the processing space and small animal fat rendering operation.
  • In the 1980s, the Miniat family began creating value-added meat products through sous vide cooking techniques and expanded into a plant in South Holland.
  • In February 2020, South Chicago Packing started producing Wagyu beef tallow, which quickly sold out on Amazon within about nine months.

The players

Matt Miniat

COO of fifth-generation, family-owned Miniat Holdings, the parent company of South Chicago Packing.

Michael Miniat

The Miniat family's great-great grandfather who emigrated to Chicago in the late 1800s and started delivering wholesale meat cuts from the city's packing houses.

Dave Miniat

Matt Miniat's father, who along with his uncle Mike, began creating value-added meats by cooking meat in stainless steel tanks under water in the 1980s.

Mike Miniat

Matt Miniat's uncle, who along with his father Dave, began creating value-added meats by cooking meat in stainless steel tanks under water in the 1980s.

Jeremy 'Mad Scientist BBQ' Yoder

A barbecue influencer who posted a video touting South Chicago Packing's Wagyu beef tallow, leading to a partnership with the company.

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What they’re saying

“I would almost argue our relationships with our suppliers in many cases are closer than those with our customers, because if you can't ensure great quality of the product, everything else goes out the window.”

— Matt Miniat, COO of Miniat Holdings (Block Club Chicago)

“One little bite of that brownie was like eating 10 brownies in terms of how rich it was. It's going to add complexity and depth to whatever you're making.”

— Matt Miniat, COO of Miniat Holdings (Block Club Chicago)

What’s next

The company has indicated it has some interesting new tallow-based products in the works for 2026, though details have not been disclosed.

The takeaway

South Chicago Packing's success with Wagyu beef tallow highlights how family-owned businesses with deep roots in Chicago's meatpacking history can adapt and thrive by embracing changing consumer trends, even as the industry landscape shifts over time. The company's story also reflects the broader resurgence of animal fats as a valued culinary and health-conscious ingredient.