Made in Colorado: A 2020 Gift Guide

'Tis the season to support our Colorado community, so we're rounding up our favorite local gift ideas!

When it comes to gift-giving, we’re always on the lookout for unique ideas that delight our friends and support small businesses. Over the years, through both our creative and editorial work, we’ve had the pleasure of meeting and collaborating with movers and shakers across Colorado’s food, hospitality, wellness and lifestyle industries—and more often than not, we become customers of these incredible clients! What’s more, we can vouch that behind each and every one of these vetted gift ideas is a wonderful team of creative, innovative, lovely humans. And that’s something we can all get behind this holiday season.

01 A Gift Card from Outstanding Independent Bars + Restaurants

First up is a gift card to one of our favorite Denver restaurants or bars. We’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with each of these businesses on creative or editorial work—a backstage pass that has only made us appreciate their delicious, innovative and welcoming hospitality all the more. (Pictured from left to right): Safta, Williams & Graham, Q House, Restaurant Olivia, The L Cocktail Bar, Mercantile, The Wolf’s Tailor, Le French, Tocabe, and Noble Riot.

02 Bar-Setting Honey from Boulder County Bees

Here's what we learned from working with Highland Honey founder Tim Brod on editorial for Life & Thyme and Edible Denver. Not all honey is created equal—and most of it isn't real honey. His creamy, 100% raw + deeply flavorful honeys are truly unlike any we've sampled over the years. We also love his herbal honeys, which feature powerful healing ingredients like turmeric, ginger + ashwagandha (among others!).

03 Functional Stay-at-Home Fitness for a Stronger New Year

We're huge fans of the functional movement and strength training at Explore Fitness, which helps us play hard and avoid injury from ski season through hiking season. Through the end of the year, you can purchase customized remote training packages from Explore at a special new client rate ($189 for a 4-week program)—great for both CO locals and fitness lovers further afield!

04 Sustainable + Low ABV Sippers from Local Distillers

Most folks know Colorado as a beer state, but have you checked out our impressive local spirits? We had the pleasure of featuring Leopold Bros. in our work for Life & Thyme—tasting our way through their whiskeys and liqueurs (we *love* their Aperitivo!) + learning all about their uniquely sustainable production methods. More recently, we connected with the team at Atost in Golden, who are bridging the gap between fine wines and craft spirits with their original take on low ABV imbibing.

05 World-Class Coffee, Roasted in Colorado

Last year, we had the pleasure of collaborating with La Marzocco Home on a guide to Denver's impressive coffee scene. If you haven't dipped into the Mile High roasting pool, we have to insist that you're missing out. From Sweet Bloom to Huckleberry, Middle State, Little Owl and beyond, we're proud to say our city is a veritable powerhouse of world-class coffee.

06 Restaurant-Quality Spices, Shipped to Your Doorstep

When we moved from NYC to the Rocky Mountains, our friends assumed our home cooking (and dining options) would become less adventurous. Not only has that proved to be patently untrue, but we've found incredible local purveyors of restaurant-quality ingredients. Savory Spice Shop is our go-to for deeply flavorful spices and culinary inspiration, and the exceptional sourcing of their products continues to wow our tastebuds. If you don't live in Colorado, you can also shop online—we love both their custom blends and their top-notch single spices.

07 Flavorful, Sustainble, Heirloom Wheat Pastas

We met the team at Pastificio Boulder in the midst of COVID, and collaborating with their inspiring, mission-driven business has been one of the year's highlights. Their deeply flavorful and nutrient-dense dried pastas are superior to any similar products we've found in the States, and their uncompromising commitment to sustainability sets the bar for other entrepreneurs in the CPG category.

08 Two Colorado Staycations Worth The Splurge

The art of improvisational lodging is alive and well in Colorado—from yurts, to campsites, to Airbnb airstreams. But sometimes you just want to sleep in a cozy, perfectly curated room that lives up to the promise of a staycation splurge. For that, we can enthusiastically recommend two of our favorite clients: the Surf Hotel in Buena Vista + Juniper Mountain House in Evergreen. Their gift cards are perfect for any friend desperately craving a vacation (without actually getting on a plane).

09 A Wild, Guided Mushroom Foraging Adventure

This past summer, we traipsed over the river and through the (literal) woods with Enso Farm + Forage, a Boulder-based purveyor of both fine mushrooms and mycological education. The founder, Michael, won us over with his wealth of knowledge and infectious enthusiasm—as well as his ability to tie mushroom education into a larger appreciation of our local ecosystem. Tours are on hold until after the spring thaw, but you can purchase a future guided foraging session as a gift on his website.

10 Sun-Protective Hats for Your Mile High Lifestyle

Those of us who live one mile (or more!) closer to the sun know a little something about UPF. Sun protective clothing is an everyday part of our lifestyle, and Boulder-based Wallaroo Hat Company is an international leader in the field. We had the pleasure of collaborating on the launch of their new sister brand, Carkella, and have been fans of their stylish, sun-protective accessories ever since.

11 Heirloom Flours + Award Winning Loaves

We began our year with a deep dive into the heirloom grain movement, and our appreciation of the Colorado leaders spearheading the availability of those grains has only continued to grow. Moxie Bread Co. in Louisville and Dry Storage in Boulder are not only two of the country's finest bakeries, but they are excellent places to purchase freshly-milled flours for health- and flavor-conscious home bakers. We highly recommend a gift card to Moxie or winter bread share from Dry Storage for any and all of your Front Range food-loving friends!

12 A Subscription to Independent Culinary Journalism

For more than five years, we've had the pleasure of contributing to Life & Thyme, an independent publication in the food and hospitality industry. While their leadership team is admittedly based in LA—not Colorado—they have gamely partnered with us on countless articles celebrating culinary entrepreneurs in our Rocky Mountain communities. If you know a passionate home cook, diner or culinary professional, we're confident they would love an annual membership—which includes full access to online articles and a quarterly print newspaper mailed to their door.