Our Favorite Colorado Companies

The day I first stepped off the plane in Colorado in the summer of 1992, I felt something shift inside me. It wasn’t the decrease in oxygen at altitude, or the color of the bluest blue sky I’d ever seen. It was a cellular shift—an understanding that somehow, someday, I needed to move my life to these mountains.

At the time, I was in college at Georgetown University, studying psychology and French, with no real plan for the future other than graduating with a GPA that would make my parents proud. I had lived in Washington, DC my entire life, and until that fateful trip to visit my brother, had thought I would live there forever.

After college, I was busy untangling myself from a destructive relationship, falling in love with my eventual husband, and rethinking my plan to become a French-speaking psychologist. As I redirected my path toward a medical career—also at Georgetown—I pushed my dreams of Colorado aside for the sake of education.

When I first brought my husband to Colorado, I nervously wondered if a Bronx-born lawyer would notice the same magic I felt in this little mountain town. Not only did he feel its charm, he rode every inch of dirt here on his mountain bike and started imagining what a life here could mean.

MOVING TO COLORADO

In 2001, we bought a piece of land with every penny we had and many pennies we had yet to earn. We called it an “investment property” to make ourselves feel safe, but we both knew it was actually an investment in our dream life together. As I finished my training in DC, we saved money and slowly—over the course of four years—started building our home under the watchful eye of a 13,000 foot peak called Mount Sopris.

We’ve been living here 18 years now, and I fall more deeply in love with Colorado with every passing day. It reminds me to respect our planet with even my smallest decisions. It nudges me to take care of my body with the siren songs of its endless trails. It calls me to connect with my thoughts and my inner quiet when I hear the river’s gentle roar.

In our 12th year as a Colorado business, I can think of no better way to celebrate being in Colorado than to give some love to other Colorado companies. My team and I put together this list of local companies; some are big, some are tiny, some are in our backyard, others a few miles over the mountains. I hope you enjoy getting to know them whether you live in Colorado or not, and be sure to put this state on your bucket list if you’ve never visited!!

Colorado Clothing Companies

I think every Colorado resident owns at least one pair of SmartWool socks—some of mine are over ten years old! They’ve branched out from feet and make everything from base layers to sports bras with their ethically-sourced wool. I should know, since I’ve been lucky enough to model for them a few times!
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Makers of functional mountain clothing and top-of-the-line canvas bags and backpacks.
 
Simple, multifunctional clothing for modern mountain men.
 
Founded by a Colorado native with a passion for the outdoors, Shredly offers colorful apparel for women’s athletic endeavors, from hiking to running to shredding on a mountain bike. Their products are made in the US, and sizes range from straight to curvy to fit every shape out there. 
 
For the ultimate “in-person-only” shopping experience. Based in Leadville, this cult-fave company makes the world’s most durable and supremely cozy Polartec hoodies from US-made fabrics.
 
Organic cotton clothing for active days and lazy days out of Boulder, CO. Simple, sturdy designs made with fair-trade, organic cotton - what more could you want?
 
Owned by Aspen athletes, this high-end outerwear company is designed to support the alpine athlete who takes gear as seriously as the sport itself.
   

Colorado Bicycle Companies 

I splurged and bought a Moots road bike a couple years ago, and it’s one of the best splurges of my life. It's like riding a stick of butter. They are masters of the titanium ride, and make beautiful, timeless bikes.
 
These guys used to be our next-door-neighbors—we shared a wall. They call themselves “the bike nerds on the block” which is quite accurate. And bike nerds are exactly the people you want building your next gorgeous titanium road bike or dual-suspension carbon mountain bike, right?
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Colorado Home and Lifestyle Companies 

If you have an afternoon free in Denver and need a place to wander with no plan, stop by this design collective. You might leave with a rug, a vintage skirt, or a refilled bottle of laundry detergent!

Delta Brick & Climate Co.
Delta Brick & Climate Company's vision is to use methane from retired coal mines to fire the sediment, creating bricks, and tiles. In essence, they’re solving an environmental problem (methane), an agricultural problem (sediment), and making your kitchen or bathroom look amazing! 

Incredible floral and plant deliveries for something a bit more elegant than the standard botanical fare.
 
If you’re getting married on the western slope, these are your people! Gorgeous, sustainable flowers for your big day.
   
These guys are our next door neighbors, and make evocative, nature-inspired jewelry with a Bohemian twist. Layers and stacks prevail in this artisanal, hand-crafted line.
 

Colorado Health and Wellness Companies

If you need a quick, in-state getaway with yoga, meditation, sound baths, crystals, nourishing food, and a fantastic spa, this place is for you!
 
If you’re coming to the Aspen area, this place is a must. They have lectures, guided hikes, dinners, and kids’ programs—eco-fun for the whole family!
 
Need a little mountain getaway? Book a cabin just up the road from us, and enjoy mountain views that will make your neck hurt (in the very best way). Luckily, their beautiful, on-site hot springs will soothe your sore neck, and any aching muscles from the epic hike you did that day!
Started by a wicked smart mom at my daughter’s school, Authentic takes hemp to the highest level. Dawne took her extensive background in integrative nutrition and herbalism and applied it to growing organic, biodynamic hemp and harvesting its power in the form of salves, balms, and hemp oil compounds. I use their Juniper Joint Rub on my sore muscles and the Olive Hemp Oil compound to improve sleep. Dawne knows everything about every plant she grows, from seed to harvest. She just texted me this photo—the woman loves her hemp.

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Makers of bright, beautiful CBD products, from tinctures to sparkling water.
 
Basecoat Nail Salon

This is how all nail salons should feel—bright, clean, and healthy! They’ve expanded beyond Colorado now, and their website offers fabulous colors and a handful of their own skincare products as well.

Another brand partner in Denver and beyond, this high-end retailer carries the best in green beauty, curated carefully by a former beauty industry executive. They have locations in Denver, Charleston, Charlotte, and Raleigh.
 

Colorado Food & Drink Companies

Watch this video. Then drive to Fruita and eat their pizza. 
  
Stock up on amazing, organic, free-trade coffee and make your day a little more buzzworthy.  
  
For a fast, raw, healthy snack on the go, these bars pack a nutritional punch before your next great athletic endeavor! The Lemon flavor is YUMMY. 
  
Sustainably-sourced beans, roasted in Denver by coffee geeks, and in your hands within 48 hours of roasting. 
  
Fast food for athletes without all the junk. The gluten-free salted caramel waffle is my favorite snack for a long hike.
 
Ginger explosion in your mouth! This has been my favorite chai for years.
 

Two Leaves and a Bud
Our favorite local tea company, just up the road in Aspen. Their plant-based tea bags are commercially compostable, and they have a huge variety of mostly organic tea.
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Chocolove
Good chocolate is a nutritional supplement—almost. This Boulder-based company makes beautiful, socially and environmentally-responsible chocolate. 

Big B's
If you don’t have time to head to the orchard and pick your own apples, these guys will do it for you. That said, if you DO have time to drive over to Hotchkiss, they have a cafe, cider tastings, and live music in the harvest season. 

If you’re not making your own granola from the recipes on our blog, this crunchy Colorado brand is easy to grab and throw in your bag for your next road trip!
 
They have food. They have craft cocktails. They have divine chocolate.
That’s all I needed to know.
 
Speaking of chocolate labs, your pups need good food, too! These are Alice and Pixie’s favorite treats—they hear the bag and come running!
 
Colorado Breweries & Distilleries

Combine a craft distillery with a modern mountain inn, and you’ll find yourself at the Marble Distillery in our little town. They have five modern rooms above the tasting room, and quick access to all Carbondale has to offer. Plus, look at their still—it is the stuff of my wildest dreams.

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This employee-owned, sustainably-minded beer company is a certified B corporation that makes every kind of beer I can even imagine. Just reading the menu on their site made my mouth water, and I’m not even a beer girl. 
 

Whiskey, Colorado style. They have a great brand story that plays right into the cowboy that lives in all of us.

Outer Range Brewing

As a gluten-sensitive human, I don't drink much beer. But once in a great while, I crave one and now the only beer I drink is from Outer Range. One day, after a long, hard cross-country ski session, a friend handed me one of their Pastels hazy IPA beers, and it was one of the best things I've ever tasted. It's not always in stock, but I'm always on the lookout for it!  

 

With love and buckets of Colorado Pride from us to you,

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OUR WELLNESS + SKINCARE EXPERT

Sarah Villafranco, MD

Dr. Sarah Villafranco attended Georgetown University Medical School, and went on to complete her residency in emergency medicine at George Washington University. She moved to Colorado, where she practiced as a board-certified emergency medicine physician at Aspen Valley Hospital, Snowmass Clinic, and Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs, CO. After losing her mother to pancreatic cancer, she took a local soap making class, and fell in love with the chemistry and artistry of making soap. Sarah went into research mode and was alarmed to learn how many potentially harmful ingredients were in most skincare products on the market. She knew she could make better, safer products that were as effective (if not more so) than conventional products. After a few years of research and development, Sarah stepped away from the emergency room to launch Osmia Skincare in April of 2012. She remains a licensed physician in Colorado, and now helps people find healthier, happier skin as CEO of the brand.