By now we’ve all figured out that if you want to go into certain industries, your search may be concentrated in a specific geographic area. If you’re going into tech, you’re looking to be in Silicon Valley. If Automotive is your thing, you’re already in the right place. Interested in politics? Washington DC is probably going to be your best bet. So it stands to reason that if you want to be involved in a food-based industry, there should be some culinary hotbed where a market truly supports entrepreneurial ventures and spurs a healthy amount of competition, and where small, local businesses can make it big. Is nothing coming to mind? I’m here to show why Colorado, in addition to being one of the coolest places on Earth (and not just because I’m from there), is THE place to be if you want to be in food.
I think the Colorado food revolution started in 1993, aka The Year The First Chipotle Opened just down the street from my house. That’s not to say that the “godfathers’ of Colorado food – Celestial Seasonings, Hot Pockets and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory – weren’t important, but Chipotle was a game-changer. The outdoorsy/healthy/casual lifestyle in Colorado influenced the evolution of the modern fast-casual restaurant because people go crazy for restaurants that can produce fresh food, fast, in an environment that’s more inviting than your average McDonald’s, but the experience requires less commitment than, say, sitting down at Chili’s. Within 2 years, a number of restaurants popped up to offer a new variation on the fast/fresh/casual theme: Qdoba, Noodles & Company (founded by Chipotle defectors), and Einstein Bros. Bagels opened up, and Quizno’s began expanding from its original location. These companies have all made it big and, in so doing, have made Denver an ideal testing ground for new ventures . To make it here, your company has to produce a highly differentiated, high quality product that succeeds in capturing market share in a potentially saturated market. Oh and if you can make things green, sustainable, or locally relevant, you have a much better chance of surviving. But if you can make it out of Colorado, you could make it big. Really big.
That’s why I think the Colorado food scene is so exciting right now – there are folks with business experience, an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for food ready and waiting for your great idea. And Coloradans love food and food people – our current governor, John Hickenlooper, is the former proprietor of some beloved Denver foodie institutions (my favorite being The Cherry Cricket). There are a lot of local companies whose recent expansion patterns suggest explosive growth, and it’d be a really exciting time to be working the business end: Illegal Pete’s Burritos, Kokoro, Good Times burgers, Tokyo Joe’s could all be the next big success stories out of Denver. One of the most exciting prospects, in my opinion, is the Sunflower Farmers Market chain founded by the former founder of Wild Oats, a one-time Whole Foods competitor, with an “organic at entry-level pricing” positioning and Trader Joe’s vibe. It could be a big problem for Whole Foods in a couple years.
If you’re not totally set on a city and you’re interested in helping to build a food company from the ground up (and don’t even get me started on the craft foods industry or micro-brewing opportunities), you should seriously consider spending some time in Colorado. Plus, mountains are pretty.
All this talk about Colorado food has made me hungry for a taste of home. Now do I want Noodles, Qdoba or a good, old dairy-lava filled Hot Pocket?
~Lindsay Kritzer, VP of Education