MADE IN COLORADO.

• Author: Peterson, Eric

1

BAMBOOL THERMICS

Co-founders Craig and Jessica Woods loved their bamboo sheets and wanted base layers that matched their soft feel. But they found nothing on the market, so they developed their own bamboo-Merino wool fabric and started making base layers, neck gaiters and socks. "It's a really cool fabric," Marketing Director Tory Rebhun says. Not only does it have the softness of bamboo sheets, she explains, it also has the warmth of wool. The original Bambool line was made by the since-shuttered Whole Works in Rifle, and Bambool is currently looking to partner with another contract manufacturer for its next line. "Our goal is to stay in Colorado," Rebhun says

Most products $49 to $75 Made by Bambool Thermics

Vail

www.bamboolthermics.com

2

F&J BRAND SALSAS & SAUCES

Brothers Frank and George Scaff immigrated to the U.S. from their native Lebanon in the late 1800s and opened a grocery store in Swink. They launched their F&J brand from La Junta in the 1930s and saw the business grow to 125 products and 25 employees at its peak. Ron Davis and his wife, Maryann, bought Scaff Brothers in 2013 and run it from the same factory with the same recipes for steak sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salsas and other products. "The salsa recipes were written in the 1960s," Davis says. "They called them ranchera sauces." The brothers were ahead of their time, he adds, and not afraid to experiment: "They made some strange stuff like grape catsup." Davis doesn't make grape catsup, but he does make salsa with Carolina reapers (the world's hottest peppers) that he grows himself in La Junta. "The bottom line is, I'm a retired middle-school principal of 30 years," Davis says. "This is enjoyable. I love it."

$2.50 to $10 retail Made by Scaff Brothers

La Junta

www.scaffbros.com

3

LONEWOLF COLLECTIVE JEWELRY

After taking a metalsmithing class in St. Louis, Caitlin Ward moved to Crested Butte in 2012. "I came to visit for a month and couldn't leave," she says. While waiting tables, Ward started making rings, bracelets, necklaces and earrings as "a creative outlet," she says. Ward now crafts gold, silver and other...