She Delivered Small-Town Wyoming to the World, One Sample at a Time

by Rylie Wyane 

October 16th, 2026

Meet Lisa, the owner of Wyoming Buffalo Company, “The Sample Store.”

Before you even reach the register at Wyoming Buffalo Company, someone in a cowboy hat greets you from a jail cell.

That’s not a joke. It’s the front of the store in downtown Cody, and it’s the first sign that this isn’t your typical tourist stop. Walk a little farther and you hit the “chuck wagon,” a sample station loaded with huckleberry licorice, local ranch beef jerky, elk and buffalo recipes the store makes itself, berry jams, barbecue sauces, mustards, and desserts. You’re expected to taste everything. That’s the whole idea.

Behind all of it is Lisa, a woman who never imagined she’d be here.

From Homeschool Mom to Business Owner

Lisa graduated as a class of one from a tiny Christian school. She got married, had three girls, homeschooled them, and stayed home to raise them. Public speaking? Running a business? Leading a community? None of it was on her radar.

Then, once her girls had graduated high school, she spent a couple of years waitressing and saving her tips. In 2014 she used that tip money as the down payment to buy Wyoming Buffalo Company, which opened in 1995 and has had three owners. She is the third.

“I was terrified,” Lisa admits. She cried to her mom more than once, convinced she couldn’t do it. Her mom’s answer was simple: keep going, put your head down, you’ve done hard things before.

So she did. She forced herself to get involved in the chamber and the community. People started asking her questions, and she realized she was good at a few things. She leaned into those strengths, and today she holds conferences and runs rooms of 300 people.

Her message is plain: “Anyone can do what I’ve done if you just put your mind to it and are willing to put yourself out there.”

Three Generations of Women Behind the Counter

When a key manager and close friend of Lisa’s passed away, her daughter Cassandra moved up from San Diego to help. Cassandra took over the back of the house, getting the books and operations running spot on. She now works full time.

Lisa’s mom followed from San Diego too. At 77, she works at least 40 hours a week. Lisa’s granddaughter and grandson drop in now and then to help sell, mostly because they’re so cute.

That’s three generations of women serving the community, and you can feel it when you walk in.

Local First, Shipped Everywhere

The store’s philosophy is simple. Wyoming-made products come first, then Montana and Colorado, then the rest of the country. Wyoming won’t manufacture everything, but Lisa keeps the focus as local as she can.

And “local” doesn’t mean small. The entire basement is a shipping operation, sending products to Mexico, Australia, Finland, New Zealand, and beyond. The store also builds corporate gift baskets. A company sends a PDF of addresses and gift notes, and Lisa’s team handles the rest.

Every customer gets a business card with a code on the back, good through a specific holiday like Christmas. It’s a quick reminder to ship early, and it lets her track which advertising is working. Nothing goes in the bag without a conversation.

Almost everything in the store can be shipped. The one exception is the huckleberry ice cream sandwiches. Lisa says if you really want them, she’ll try to make it work, though she’s never done it before.

Stop By or Shop Online

If you’re headed through the Yellowstone area, put Wyoming Buffalo Company on your list. Come hungry, try everything, and say hello to Lisa. If Cody isn’t in your travel plans, you can shop online at wyobuffalo.com.Get 15%OFF your order through December 31st, 2026 when you use code: LIVNOW2026

Authentically Wyoming, and a reminder that you’re probably more capable than you think.