Bison Star Naturals is owned and operated by Angelo and Jacquelene McHorse, a husband-and-wife duo who met as freshmen at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo. in 2007.
Bison Star began as what Angelo refers to as a “business in a booth” when, as a hobby, Jacquelene started experimenting with “soaps, balms, salts and other products” that they then sold at a stand at the Taos Farmers Market starting in 2012. For the next six years, they continued their bootstrapped efforts, sharing their wares at small markets, community centers and other local venues in and around Taos.
It was the arrival of their first child, Judith, that truly motivated the couple to commit to creating a full-fledged and scalable brand. Jaque says, “I felt a strong desire to use products in our home that were both clean and luxurious, and we realized that there were many other people who also wanted the same.”
Now, Bison Star has grown into a full suite of products including lotion, liquid soap, shampoo, conditioner, lip balm, bar soap and bath salt. All products are available in the Sage Pine scent — an aroma that the couple believes captures the true spirit of Taos.
Additionally, the entire line is vegan, cruelty-free and created with premium natural ingredients such as coconut oil, jojoba oil, yucca root extract and some locally harvested plant materials. The local plant materials are sourced from their small farm named the #BisonStarBuild — a 1,300-square-foot workshop that Angelo built from the ground up — as well as from other local farmers.
The workshop doubled as the brand’s first storefront. Then, a year ago, Bison Star moved into their current location, a fresh and inviting brick-and-mortar conveniently located in El Prado on Paseo del Pueblo Norte.
The brand launched a haircare line in May of 2023. Not only did it “quickly take off … it has also allowed us to explore and strengthen new wholesale partnerships with airports, cultural centers, spas and resorts and gift fulfillment services” due to the larger range of products on offer.
The couple recently kicked off an expansion of their partnership with Taos Ski Valley for the 2023-2024 season. In addition to having their products available for purchase in The Blake gift shop, the full line will now be provided to guests as in-room amenities.
“We are very excited about the expansion with Taos Ski Valley. Not only did we both learn to ski at TSV, but we also were married there and worked there for many seasons.”
Additionally, they have an exciting development on the homefront. “We just welcomed twin boys in November — Mace and Wesley!”
The couple have a shared enthusiasm for their place in the market, this town and its rich and important cultural heritage. Angelo, a Taos Pueblo tribal member, states, “we believe in offering something for everyone, we believe in bolstering the ecosystem, and we choose to leave the ladder down so that other people can climb up.”
Jacque echoes this sentiment: “We are a homegrown, hometown small business from Taos. The company values our local economy — we continuously look for ways to contribute through work and volunteer positions. As we grow, we want to continue to represent our home in a way to make our community proud.
Bison Star has a true “act local, think global” approach. “We like to be personal and ourselves with our client base because we are just regular people following our dreams and we hope to inspire others to do the same,” shares Jacque. “We manage our own social media, we work our own booth at special events, it’s us packing and shipping orders and you’ll find us behind the checkout desk in our store. The connection this creates with our customers and community is invaluable to us, and many of which feel more like friends than customers.”
In addition to the local shop, Bison Star Naturals products are available locally at Cid’s, the Millicent Rogers Museum and Hail Creek Travel Center. Retail locations beyond Taos include the Albuquerque Sunport and Phoenix Sky Harbor, Yellowstone National Park, Mount Rainier National Park, and dozens of other locations that Jacque says are “often relative to travel, learning, the outdoors, cultural centers and other locations.”
Their vision: “We love to stock places that we’d like to visit with our family, should we be in the area some day!”
Bison Star Naturals
1029 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, El Prado
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