Made in Colorado 2017: Food and beverage brand of the year

Delicious, sometimes nutritious and redefining our experiences as consumers, the three food and beverage companies recognized in 2017 take new and different approaches to production, while bearing in mind taste, too.

MM LOCAL FOODS

With the contention that the food system is detached from consumer values, MM Local’s business is based on relationships. Setting the bar high for transparency and highlighting fruits and veggies at their peak flavor and ripeness, a traceability sticker can be found atop each jar, alerting purchasers to the precise farm where their produce was grown and ensuring that their money redirects into the local economy. MM Local's line has grown to include live fermented products and special seasonal releases as well as more than 25 SKUs of pickled, fermented and preserved food.

FINALISTS

BHAKTI CHAI

The Bhakti brand emerged following the eventual founder’s trip in 2002 to India, and was born with the vision of fusing sustainably sourced ingredients with craft-brewed products and triple bottom-line values. Bhakti Chai concentrates have expanded to nationwide distribution and broke into the ready-to-drink iced beverage category in 2011. Since, the brand has grown close to 30 percent year-over-year. Last year, the certified B-Corp entered new territory with the launch of sparkling teas and new partnerships.

JJ’s SWEETS

At a crossroads in his career, JJ Rademaekers had a dream one night in which he encountered a Willy Wonka-like character who took him into a laboratory and introduced him to whimsical and delicious candies. As a result, he started a sweet treat company, striving to be innovative and health-conscious with his chewy caramel candy, made with coconut milk – Cocomels. Today, the confection has neared national distribution and is free of artificial coloring, flavor, preservatives, genetically modified ingredients and high-fructose corn syrup.