A small artisan food manufacturer produces its own line of hot sauces, salsa, and spice mixes, but it also helps other food entrepreneurs develop their recipes to bring to market in their commercial kitchen.
100:00:00,500 --> 00:00:03,510- Sometimes it really doestake a rocket scientist200:00:03,510 --> 00:00:07,390to whip up a great salsaor a Habanero Hot Sauce300:00:07,390 --> 00:00:09,490or beer flavored mustard400:00:09,490 --> 00:00:11,990or any kind of condiment, spice mix,500:00:11,990 --> 00:00:14,580or marinade you can imagine.600:00:14,580 --> 00:00:16,340You're watching the local news network700:00:16,340 --> 00:00:18,570brought to you by Kroegers Ace Hardware,800:00:18,570 --> 00:00:19,983I'm Wendy Graham Settle.900:00:20,900 --> 00:00:23,240Durango residents, Mark and Kara Grubis1000:00:23,240 --> 00:00:26,870are engineers who moved toDurango about 10 years ago1100:00:26,870 --> 00:00:30,010to work for an aerospacecompany in Farmington.1200:00:30,010 --> 00:00:31,460When they weren't at the lab,1300:00:31,460 --> 00:00:34,210they were either travelingor cooking in the kitchen,1400:00:34,210 --> 00:00:35,870trying to recreate the foods1500:00:35,870 --> 00:00:38,520they'd tasted on their adventures.1600:00:38,520 --> 00:00:41,420In fact, their travels became the catalyst1700:00:41,420 --> 00:00:44,790to start Durango ArtisanFoods, a commercial kitchen,1800:00:44,790 --> 00:00:47,960and small batch foodmanufacturer that specializes1900:00:47,960 --> 00:00:50,983in making and marketinglocal food products.2000:00:52,260 --> 00:00:54,913- Always enjoyed cooking. And then we,2100:00:56,270 --> 00:00:59,930pre-COVID, we traveled a lot (laughing)2200:00:59,930 --> 00:01:02,763and just enjoying differentfoods from around the world.2300:01:05,400 --> 00:01:07,930Finding dishes that you really enjoyed2400:01:07,930 --> 00:01:10,260in different locationsand then coming back home2500:01:10,260 --> 00:01:11,760and try to replicate 'em.2600:01:11,760 --> 00:01:14,840So that's always a funthing that we've done.2700:01:14,840 --> 00:01:16,900And that's how we got intohot sauce in the first place2800:01:16,900 --> 00:01:19,080was traveling down to the Caribbean,2900:01:19,080 --> 00:01:20,900found a hot sauce we really liked,3000:01:20,900 --> 00:01:23,990and back then you couldn't get it here.3100:01:23,990 --> 00:01:27,290So we just kind of replicatedit the best we could,3200:01:27,290 --> 00:01:30,110and then sort of grew into a business.3300:01:30,110 --> 00:01:31,970- Yep, and now you'veput 'em side by side,3400:01:31,970 --> 00:01:34,973and I like ours better. (laughing)3500:01:35,860 --> 00:01:37,800- They started out mixing and bottling3600:01:37,800 --> 00:01:40,320their batches of Habanero Hot Sauce3700:01:40,320 --> 00:01:42,640in the La Plata CountyFairgrounds kitchen,3800:01:42,640 --> 00:01:47,180and released their firstcommercial batch in April, 2018.3900:01:47,180 --> 00:01:49,920They soon expanded theirartisanal food line4000:01:49,920 --> 00:01:53,780to include a series offlavored hot sauces, salsas,4100:01:53,780 --> 00:01:55,710a variety of spice mixes,4200:01:55,710 --> 00:01:58,810and a Ska True Blond Honey Mustard4300:01:58,810 --> 00:02:00,650in what would become the first4400:02:00,650 --> 00:02:03,760of many collaborations withthe local brewing company.4500:02:03,760 --> 00:02:07,040Then came a pivotal movein the company's growth.4600:02:07,040 --> 00:02:10,530They purchased the O'HaraJam and Jellies Company4700:02:10,530 --> 00:02:13,010and with a well-established customer base,4800:02:13,010 --> 00:02:15,160they were able to expand and purchase4900:02:15,160 --> 00:02:17,020their own commercial kitchen5000:02:17,020 --> 00:02:20,770along with the 81301Coffee Company next door5100:02:20,770 --> 00:02:23,610at 31st Street and Main Avenue.5200:02:23,610 --> 00:02:25,180All of its products are for sale5300:02:25,180 --> 00:02:28,640in the retail shop outfront, along with ready to go5400:02:28,640 --> 00:02:30,060heat and serve meals5500:02:30,060 --> 00:02:33,380that highlight theirspice mixes and marinades.5600:02:33,380 --> 00:02:34,570Durango Artisan Foods5700:02:34,570 --> 00:02:37,060also features other locally made foods,5800:02:37,060 --> 00:02:40,980teas, and consumables intheir shop, and online.5900:02:40,980 --> 00:02:44,173- It's all interwoven with the shop local,6000:02:45,200 --> 00:02:47,840supporting local jobs,supporting the local community.6100:02:47,840 --> 00:02:49,610We all support each other.6200:02:49,610 --> 00:02:53,500Like Kara mentioned,we support local foods.6300:02:53,500 --> 00:02:55,710So if someone comes up with a product6400:02:55,710 --> 00:02:57,760and they've got all their ducks in a row,6500:02:59,170 --> 00:03:00,790I don't think we'veever turned down anyone6600:03:00,790 --> 00:03:05,280to sell their product in thestore, if they're from here.6700:03:05,280 --> 00:03:09,120We're not looking to go carryproducts from New Hampshire.6800:03:09,120 --> 00:03:13,650If they're from Durango inparticular, even in the region,6900:03:13,650 --> 00:03:16,713that's what we want to do issupport that local economy.7000:03:18,400 --> 00:03:20,740- As the Grubises continued to experiment7100:03:20,740 --> 00:03:22,390and create new products,7200:03:22,390 --> 00:03:24,710they're helping otherstartup food producers7300:03:24,710 --> 00:03:27,300bring their favorite recipes to market.7400:03:27,300 --> 00:03:29,280They've collaborated with other businesses7500:03:29,280 --> 00:03:31,660to develop recipes for their brands7600:03:31,660 --> 00:03:34,360like Ska Brewing's Pinstripe Salsa,7700:03:34,360 --> 00:03:37,550or Mexican Logger, Jalapeno Hot Sauce,7800:03:37,550 --> 00:03:40,140or they'll mix and manufacture products7900:03:40,140 --> 00:03:43,760using recipes they're providedlike The Billy Goat Saloon's8000:03:43,760 --> 00:03:46,470Hair of the Goat, Bloody Mary Mix.8100:03:46,470 --> 00:03:48,980Want to manufacture your own products?8200:03:48,980 --> 00:03:51,523The commercial kitchenis available for rent.8300:03:53,340 --> 00:03:56,500- So for us, that was part of the mission8400:03:56,500 --> 00:03:59,820was to create the space forpeople like us when we started,8500:03:59,820 --> 00:04:01,660'cause we knew how hard it was.8600:04:01,660 --> 00:04:04,820And if this had existed,when we had started,8700:04:04,820 --> 00:04:07,703that would have made ourlives so much easier.8800:04:07,703 --> 00:04:10,620And having even just beingable to talk to someone8900:04:10,620 --> 00:04:14,040who's been through it alland what all those steps are,9000:04:14,040 --> 00:04:16,130what the pitfalls are, thethings to look out for,9100:04:16,130 --> 00:04:17,150even how to price a product.9200:04:17,150 --> 00:04:19,210How do you go sell it to the first store?9300:04:19,210 --> 00:04:20,993How do you go approach them?9400:04:22,500 --> 00:04:25,230- If you'd like to know moreabout Durango Artisan Foods9500:04:25,230 --> 00:04:27,520or purchase any of its products online,9600:04:27,520 --> 00:04:30,660visit Durangoartisanfoods.com9700:04:30,660 --> 00:04:33,400Thanks for watching this editionof the Local News Network.9800:04:33,400 --> 00:04:34,853I'm Wendy Graham Settle.
