- Star Yak Ranch, owned by Jeffree Star, will begin selling yak meat through its online store.
- Star trademarked the Star Yak Ranch in categories including butchering services in September 2021.
- Star confirmed the new venture to Insider and addressed criticism from fans.
Jeffree Star will begin selling yak meat through his Wyoming-based enterprise, Star Yak Ranch, located in Casper.
Star Yak Ranch announced in an Instagram post on Friday that it will begin selling packaged yak meat through its online store as early as June. He also advertised the products on Star Yak Ranch’s Facebook page.
“Our delicious grass fed #Yak meat will be available on our online store soon, hoping for next month,” Star Yak Ranch wrote in the post’s caption, adding that Star Yak Ranch would sell its yak meat to local Casper and Wyoming residents on Saturday during a pop-up event. Star Yak Ranch shared a photo of Star posing with local patrons in a Facebook post.
It comes eight months after Insider previously reported that Jeffree Star LLC filed to trademark Star Yak Ranch in categories including butchering services, clothing, and edible pet treats last September. Insider reported that Tibetan yaks originate from the Himalayas and are ox-like animals that can be farmed for various reasons, like yarn made with yak fur and yak meat.
According to Insider’s report, Star responded to complaints about potentially selling yak meat on Snapchat after speculation sparked online.
“So let’s say I trademark it for yarn, cheese, breeding, butchering, et cetera, it doesn’t mean I’m doing any of those things,” Star said in the Snapchat video. “When I’m laying on a yak and I’m naming them, nothing is happening except brushing them, loving them, and feeding them.”
On Saturday, Star responded to the criticism during a conversation with Insider.
“People keep referencing, for the last 24 hours, ‘Well, Jeffrey, a year ago, you said you were only going to use your pets for X, Y, and Z.’ But I think people forget that you can also change your mind,” Star said, adding that his business plan has “evolved” within the last year.
“People keep making jokes like, ‘Are you butchering Swiss Chocolate and Buster?'” Star told Insider, referring to two of his yaks. “Any yak with a name tag is our pet, and we do have a pasture in the back of my land where we’re just making food.”
Star, who said most of his yaks are for breeding and pets, also acknowledged fans who questioned the business venture since his makeup and cosmetics line was vegan and cruelty-free. While he considered testing cosmetics on animals “disgusting,” he’s intrigued by the “pasture to plate” lifestyle.
“The thought of raising an animal in peace and happiness, from pasture to plate, is something you don’t learn living in a big city like LA,” Star told Insider.
Star’s longtime fans likely remember the prominent role fast food played in Star’s content
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images
Star gained millions of views for mukbang content and similar videos.
“I was very pro-fast food on my social media. It was very much my shtick to wear Louis Vuitton and go to McDonald’s,” Star told Insider. “After years of that, it made me feel tired. My skin wasn’t as great as it used to be.”
Star also said he became seriously interested in yaks after moving to Wyoming.
“When I moved to Casper, I Googled ‘Wyoming yaks,’ and I met a yak ranch 30 miles away,” Star continued. “After becoming friends with them, I kind of interned at their ranch.”
Star began documenting his move from Los Angeles to Casper, Wyoming, in August 2020. He bought a $1.1 million ranch and said he owned more than 500 acres of property. Star previously lived in his infamous $14.6 million Hidden Hills mansion that he frequently featured in his online content.
“The makeup mogul turned meat mogul,” Star told Insider. “It may be a little shocking to people, but it feels natural to me.”
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