From Conventional to Regenerative: Raising the Bar

At Tallow & Fries, we started with a simple idea. We wanted fries made the way we would make them at home for our own families – with simple ingredients you knew. That meant using real potatoes, 100% beef tallow, and just a touch of seasoning. No seed oils. No unnecessary additives. That decision came from a personal place: the food we eat is what nourishes us, day in and day out. The categories we choose matter, of course, but the quality of the ingredients inside those categories matters just as much. 

That conviction is why we have moved our straight-cut and thin-cut russet fries fully onto regenerative russet potatoes, in partnership with The Honest Potato. Over the past year we blended regenerative potatoes into our supply, reaching the point where over two thirds of our potato purchases came from regenerative farms. We did this deliberately so we could improve ingredient quality while managing costs carefully. We’ve scaled, and the improved productivity and increased volumes that come with it has allowed us to make this a permanent feature. The result is that every russet fry we produce now uses regenerative potatoes—without asking customers to absorb a price increase.

Why We Focused on the Potato Itself

We believe better-grown ingredients produce better food. Potatoes are the foundation of our product. When the soil they grow in is managed with greater care for biological activity and reduced reliance on synthetic chemicals, the crop itself can carry meaningful differences in quality.

A preliminary study published in PeerJ compared crops from regenerative and conventional farms across the United States. Regenerative systems that used practices such as cover crops, diverse rotations, and reduced tillage produced crops with higher average levels of certain vitamins (including vitamin K, vitamin E, and some B vitamins), minerals (such as calcium, phosphorus, and copper), and beneficial phytochemicals. Source: David R. Montgomery et al, Soil health and nutrient density: preliminary comparison of regenerative and conventional farming, PeerJ, January 27, 2022 https://peerj.com/articles/12848/

While results vary by crop and location, and more potato-specific data would be welcome, the pattern is consistent with the idea that healthier soils support better nutrient profiles in the plants grown in them. For us, that points toward a higher-quality starting material for the fries we make.

Lower chemical inputs form another important part of the picture. Research and on-farm work show that regenerative approaches can reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers and other chemical tools. In one documented case with Idaho potato grower Ladd Wahlen, working alongside The Nature Conservancy, integrated methods including reduced tillage, diverse cover crops, and pollinator strips were projected to cut synthetic fertilizer use by 30 to 50 percent while also lowering fungicide and insecticide needs. Source: Matthew L. Miller, Can regenerative agriculture benefit potato farming?, Cool Green Science, October 23, 2023, https://blog.nature.org/2023/10/23/can-regenerative-agriculture-benefit-potato-farming/

Fewer synthetic inputs do not automatically equal a perfect potato, but they do support a cleaner production system and align with our preference for ingredients grown with greater restraint around chemicals.

Working with The Honest Potato

The Honest Potato operates as a closed-loop Canadian network that integrates seed production, regenerative growing, careful storage and packing, and processing that finds uses for potatoes that do not meet fresh-market standards. Their regenerative practices include multi-year crop rotation, integration of livestock so manure returns nutrients to the soil, minimizing unnecessary soil disruption, protecting the ground with living cover, and reducing chemical reliance through healthier soils and thoughtful farm placement. Source: The Honest Potato, https://thehonestpotato.com/

           “8 Pillars of the Honest Potato’s Regenerative Agriculture

·        Promote biodiversity – by incorporating a healthy mix of microorganisms, insects, birds, and other farm animals – resilient, natural systems – for a healthier ecosystem.

·        Keep the land fertile and healthy – by protecting the soil with green ground cover.

·        Minimize soil “disruption” – by cutting back on tilling. “We have good, heavy loam soil, a natural soil that has great drainage,” Downey says. “It’s very fertile, classified as an A soil type – that’s a high soil-type reading.

·        Integrate livestock – by combining animals and plants in circular ecosystem with the spreading of manure. “Livestock allows us to have more natural fertilizer to apply to the ground.

·        Rotate crops – by planting a different crop every year in the soil – in Downey’s case, over four years. Crop rotation helps with a variety of things, including reducing soil depletion and erosion, enhancing biodiversity, improving soil fertility, and controlling disease, pests, and weeds.

·        Use less chemicals – “Another factor is where the potato farms are located,” Downey explains. “The farther away you are from other potato crops, the more of a controlled environment you have, where there’s going to be less disease pressure – no pests are coming in from a neighbouring crop. Less disease and healthy soils mean less reliance on chemicals.

·        Decrease water usage – by managing it better. More organic matter in the soil helps it retain water better. “We build up a very good organic matter,” Downey says. “And when we do that, it holds moisture in the ground, so we’re less dependent on water. After a four-year crop rotation, when you grow that crop of potatoes, the soil is like a sponge.”

·        Cultivate hay – to help remove carbon from the air, the tall grass acting like a filter, like all green plants and trees.”

·        Source: https://www.ourpart.ca/articles/honest-potato-leads-in-environmental-potato-farming/

These approaches match the principles that research identifies as useful for potato systems: keeping living roots in the ground where possible, diversifying rotations to manage pests and disease pressure, and building soil organic matter that supports nutrient cycling. A review of North American research on regenerative potato production highlights how minimizing soil disturbance where feasible, maintaining living roots, promoting diversity, and integrating organic amendments can improve soil function even in a crop that requires some tillage at harvest. Source: Cameron M. Ogilvie et al, Regenerative potato production: Fry in the sky or grounded in reality?, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, January 22, 2026, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00224561.2025.2583904

Partnering with a group already operating at commercial scale gave us a practical path to source consistent regenerative russets. We could test frying performance, flavor, and texture while gradually increasing volume.

Managing the Transition Thoughtfully

Switching a core ingredient completely overnight would have risked quality consistency and cost control. Blending over the course of a year let us confirm that regenerative russets performed well in our process—delivering the crisp exterior and fluffy interior our customers expect when cooked in beef tallow—while we scaled supply. The gradual approach also protected pricing. Improving ingredient quality is important to us; keeping the product accessible is equally important.

We see this as part of the same philosophy that led us to reject seed oils in the first place. The food we eat shapes how we feel. Paying attention to how that food is grown, and choosing sources that reduce chemical intensity while supporting better nutritional potential, is a natural extension of that care. We’ll always be working towards improving that balance.

What This Means for the Fries You Buy

Our straight-cut and thin-cut russet fries are now made exclusively with regenerative potatoes from this partnership. The ingredient list remains short and familiar. The eating experience stays focused on flavor and texture. What has changed is the farming system behind the potato itself—one oriented toward greater soil health, lower synthetic inputs, and the potential for improved nutrient density.

We will keep watching quality closely and continue working with growers who share this direction. The goal is straightforward: a high-quality product made from better-grown ingredients, delivered at a price that lets families enjoy it regularly.

Food nourishes us. The quality of what goes into that food matters. This transition is one more step in making sure the fries we offer reflect that belief.

 

Additional readings of interest:

·        Canadian research shows regenerative practices improve potato yields and farm resilience, PotatoPro, 2025, https://www.potatopro.com/news/2025/canadian-research-shows-regenerative-practices-improve-potato-yields-and-farm-resilience

·        Danielle Berman et al, Regenerative Agriculture and Population Health, ASPE, June 25, 2026, https://aspe.hhs.gov/reports/regenerative-agriculture

·        Chantal M. J. Hendriks et al, Replacing mineral fertilisers for bio-based fertilisers in potato growing on sandy soil: A case study, MDPI Applied Sciences, December 29, 2021, https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/1/341