Boulder Local & Organic Directory

Looking for Local, Organic, Whole and Natural food companies in Boulder?

Drinks

Prepared

Meat & Dairy

Snacks

Sauces & Spreads

Restaurants

Please support them! This directory is updated continuously, so please let me know if there are any businesses I have missed by writing in the comments below or emailing ryan@thereluctanteater.com

Drinks

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Oogave - The first soda sweetened with 100% organic natural agave nectar. At dinner recently a friend of mine had an Oogave Root Beer. His take: “Good balance of sweetness and flavor. Agave sweetening is light and complementary to the flavors.”

Izze Beverage Company - A Boulder standout, their sparkling juices have a great reputation, excellent brand recognition, and nationwide distribution.

Vodka 14 - Certified organic Boulder vodka? After hearing some buzz from CU MBA students, my wife ran into one of the owners in the gym (not literally). It’s also happens to be served at The Leaf.

Celestial Seasonings - The Boulder food company with perhaps the most widespread distribution, Celestial Seasonings Tea can be found nationwide (not sure about their coffee and drink mixes). The company has had a strong focus on the environment and sustainability long before it became cool.

Infinitea Kombucha - Recently, after centuries of use overseas, Kombucha tea has started to catch on in the US. It’s a strange drink the first time you have it (like a cross between a vinegary apple cider and white wine?), but the health benefits are numerous.

Bhakti Chai

Prepared Foods

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Rush Naturally Enlightened - Fruit & Granola Bowls found at their two Boulder retail outlets and in Whole Foods. Anyone tried one of these?

The Organic Dish - Pre-prepared organic frozen (and fresh) meals. Just finish those last few cooking steps for an easy, tasty (I would know, I’ve eaten several!), and organic treat. Run by Beckie and Toby Hemmerling. My interview with Beckie. The Organic Dish Blog.

Boulder Soup Works - Fresh Soup is hard to find - Boulder Soupworks is expanding rapidly and clearly filling a void. I sat down with co-founder Kate recently - read their story.

Pasta Bozza - Tried some of their fresh frozen pasta recently: delicious! They’re also expanding into gluten free pasta. Check out their booth at the Boulder Farmers Market.

Meat & Dairy

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Colorado’s Best Beef - Another Boulder Farmers Market mainstay, Colorado’s Best Beef raises natural grass fed (and non-grass fed) beef. If you thought beef was just beef, then you have not eaten real, natural beef.

Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy

Snacks

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Two Mom’s in the Raw - A softer, chewier type of granola, it’s super fresh and expensive - but worth it! They are always giving away samples at the farmers market.

Fiona’s Granola - A fixture at the Boulder Farmer’s Market, Fiona’s Granola is absolutely divine. Although the Ginger Walnut is my favorite, she had me at “quinoa”.

Bobo’s Oat Bars - This dense oat bars are absolutely outstanding. After snagging a bunch of samples at Naturally Boulder Days, I can’t get enough. Recently voted “Best Breakfast Replacement” by Backpacker, I couldn’t agree more - often eating one myself on a early morning chairlift ride.

Seth Ellis Chocolatier - Another company brought to my attention during Naturally Boulder Days. These guys make fancy retail & white label organic chocolates and are absolutely nuts about using only the finest ingredients. Normally I don’t particularly like high-class chocolate, but some of the samples I’ve tried proved otherwise…

Chocolove - Haven’t tried these (thanks for the tip Toby), but I love the packaging. A few of their bars are organic.

Sauces & Spreads

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Simply Boulder Culinary Sauces - A fixture at the Boulder Farmers Market, these fantastic cooking sauces (sweetened with Agave) are great for just about anything (gluten free too!). I’ve used them on stir-frys, pasta, chicken, and as a dipping sauce. Proprietor Seth Mendelsohn works hard at getting the word out - I recently saw him at a Farmers Market in Fort Collins…in February!

Justin’s Nut Butter - A dryer peanut butter than most, the locals love it, and Justin has become somewhat of a local food icon. Word is that sales have skyrocketed during the recent peanut recall (which did not affect Justin’s Nut Butter).

Restaurants

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The Kitchen - I love The Kitchen. Great atmosphere, great food (including a chalk board indicating where it all came from), and creative dining options (including: community night, and the seasonal 100 mile meals). Highly recommended.

The Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant - Kudos to The Leaf for providing great vegetarian food at excellent prices ($15 entrees). Read my review of The Leaf.

Sunflower Organic Dining - One of the premier organic restaurants in town. Although it isn’t my favorite local restaurant, if organic food is your priority, you should definitely give Sunflower a try. Read my review of Sunflower.