Community Highlights: Meet Veronica Belmonte of Belmonte Homestead

Today we’d like to introduce you to Veronica Belmonte.

Hi Veronica, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I never set out to start a business. I was just a mama trying to heal her home. I had little boys in the house, and a growing awareness of what was hiding in so many modern products. As a former chef, I naturally turned to my kitchen and the old, slower ways and started experimenting. Whipped Tallow was the first thing I made that felt like truth. It soothed our skin and something deeper, too.

At first, I was just making extra jars for friends. Then friends of friends. Then people I didn’t know started asking. It became this quiet rhythm of late-night balm blending, prayerful stirring, and labeling jars with a toddler on my hip. Over time, I realized: this was more than skincare. It was sacred care.

Everything I make is born in a real kitchen, my kitchen, not a lab. It’s stirred by hand. I don’t follow trends…I follow tradition. Every balm, mist, and salve is made from ancestral ingredients our great-grandmothers would recognize, like grass-fed tallow, raw honey, and calendula oil. What makes Belmonte Homestead different and special is the energy in each jar…the slowness, the reverence, the realness. These aren’t just products; they’re an offering. A return to what once was, and what we still need.
Belmonte Homestead grew out of those small moments, and it’s still rooted right here at my kitchen table in Simi Valley, where I live with my firefighter husband and our four wild, beautiful boys.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not smooth, no, but deeply meaningful. Homesteading and a handmade business both require patience, and neither comes with a roadmap. I’ve had to figure things out late at night, between nursing babies, mending scraped knees, and feeding my animals. There’s messiness in it, the kind that comes from letting your life and your work exist side by side.

I’ve battled doubt, burnout, and the pressure to scale in ways that didn’t feel aligned. But every time I tried to rush or grow too fast, I was reminded why I started: to bring God’s goodness back into the home, one small batch at a time. Staying rooted in that truth has been my compass. It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
At Belmonte Homestead, we’re rooted in tradition, faith, and a whole lot of grit.
We’re a small, family-run business based in Simi Valley, California, where we craft tallow based skincare, homestead remedies, and farm-grown goods all made the old fashioned way: by hand, with intention, and without compromise.

Our specialty is skincare made from grass-fed beef tallow, which is incredibly nourishing for the skin and has been used for generations before commercial lotions came along. We infuse our tallow with herbs, essential oils, and even real vanilla beans for days, no shortcuts. Whether it’s our magnesium infused sleep cream, baby safe diaper balm, pain relief salves, or deodorants that actually work, our products are known for being clean, effective, and family safe.

But Belmonte Homestead is more than skincare it’s a lifestyle. We raise poultry, preserve food, grow flowers, and live as self sufficiently as we can. We offer eggs, canned goods, and freeze dried homestead staples, and we’re constantly exploring ways to bring a piece of that grounded, wholesome lifestyle into the homes of our customers.

What sets us apart is our authenticity. There’s no outsourcing, no private labeling, no mass production, just a real mom with four little boys, running a farm and building a brand that reflects her values. I think people can feel the heart in what we do. From our farmhouse labels to our scripture-infused survival guides, everything we offer is deeply personal.

What I’m most proud of is that everything we make is something I trust on my own babies. That’s my standard. If it’s not safe for my family, it’s not leaving our homestead. I want people to know that Belmonte Homestead is about nourishing from the outside in and helping families return to a more natural, grounded way of living.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Honestly, I don’t want this business to outgrow my kitchen and I say that with full intention.
Being a wife and mother is my most important calling, and everything I build with Belmonte Homestead has to serve that role, not compete with it. I believe there’s a way to grow a meaningful business without sacrificing the heart of the home.

That said, I do see a big shift happening in the skincare and wellness industry more people are craving simplicity, transparency, and products made with purpose. They’re tired of mass-produced “natural” labels that don’t actually mean much. There’s a growing hunger for truly handcrafted, small-batch goods made by real people and that’s where I see Belmonte Homestead thriving.

Right now, my products are already in a few storefronts and salons, and we have plans in motion to expand into three more businesses in the next month. My goal isn’t to scale in a factory sense, but rather to grow deeper, not just wider with curated partnerships that align with my values and serve the kind of customers who truly care about what they’re using on their bodies and in their homes.

So while I don’t see myself turning this into a massive operation, I do see steady, meaningful growth the kind that allows me to stay home with my boys, stir the tallow on the stove, and still see my products on shelves where they belong.

Pricing:

• Whipped Tallow Face Cream $30
• Charcoal Deodorant $16
• Tallow Lip Balm $8
• Tansy Glow Night Oil $14
• Wild Yam Root Hormonal Cream $40

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.Belmontehomestead.store
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/belmontehomestead?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BelmonteHomestead?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@veronicarosebelmonte?_t=ZT-8y8T0mAI0xp&_r=1

Image Credits
Emily Storz