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Local Ranch Finds Success Selling Yak Products
food, tibet, tibetian yak, yak,
It looks like the Dalai Lama and prayer flags are not Tibet’s only big exports. Thanks to a new Cheyenne business, Tibetan yaks may soon become a staple of the American ranch as well as the American diet.
When husband and wife ranchers Willis and Robbie Larson got the idea to raise yaks, known as “the bison of Tibet,” plenty of people didn’t even know what yaks were.
“Someone asked me how many eggs they laid,” Willis says with a laugh.
But as word gets out about the incredibly nutritious meat and milk that yaks produce, that’s bound to change.
Tibetan yaks were first brought to the U.S. in the 1920s, and Willis says there are only about 4,000 of them in the country today. He has 80 head in his herd, and he can’t say enough about the value of these animals.
“Yak is one of the healthiest meats there is in the world. It tastes close to elk meat but without the wild game taste,” Larson says. “Yak cheese tastes a lot like Parmesan cheese. They’re probably the most versatile animal there is. You can use their meat, their fiber, even their bones make beautiful jewelry.”
The Larsons’ operation is called High Plains World Market, and the couple sells their yak products to restaurants, shops and health-conscious individuals.
Story by Kimberly Daly
