Find Colorado food entrepreneurs (and try free samples!) this 2nd Saturday at CSU Spur

Contact for reporters:
Allison Sylte 
720-849-1907 
[email protected] 

From vegan ice cream to ayurvedic chai, there’s always something new and unique cooking at the Food Innovation Center at Colorado State University Spur. These delights will be on full display during a special farmer’s market-style event during the September edition of 2nd Saturday. 

The Colorado Food Innovation Showcase, set Sept. 13., will feature more than two dozen up-and-coming local businesses. Grocery store buyers, distributors and investors can build connections and learn more about the products during the first part of the event; then, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., anyone can stop by to meet the entrepreneurs and enjoy plenty of free samples. 

“It’s really like a farmer’s market in that there’s no shortage of sampling or buying, but another great aspect is the fact that the Colorado Food Innovation Showcase provides lots of exposure to new food companies that are kind of niche, but also in many ways more fun than the mainstream products you typically see,” said Mike Gabel, the director of Spur’s Food Innovation Center. 

Farnosh Family owns one such business. She is the owner and founder of Sun Ghee, a company that makes clarified butter with unique flavors, such as sage and cardamom. Family has used the commercial kitchen in CSU Spur’s Terra building since 2022 and said the Food Innovation Center has been instrumental in growing her business from a tiny wholesale operation to one that distributes to more than 40 stores in six states. 

“I went from working out of my own kitchen to having the commercial space at Spur, and CSU has also helped me tremendously through their research and development work, educational resources, and those connections I’ve built at events like the Colorado Food Innovation Showcase,” Family said. 

She’ll be back at the showcase this year and said she’s excited to bolster her industry connections and to receive public feedback about her products. 

These connections are ultimately what the Food Innovation Center is all about, Gabel said. 

“If you’re a family and just want to enjoy 2nd Saturday and try some new food, then this is the event for you,” Gabel said. “And if you’re a business and you want to explore some pathways to growing and expanding your product, this is also a very exciting day to be at CSU Spur.” 

Visit 2nd Saturday at CSU Spur!

What: The Colorado State University Spur campus comes alive every 2nd Saturday of the month for a day full of free, interactive, hands-on activities for the whole family to enjoy. The September theme is Colorado Food Innovation Showcase. In addition to the farmer’s market event, visitors can do everything from trying virtual reality demonstrations in the Vida building to playing all sorts of instruments in the Hydro building’s Music Lab. 

When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13 

Where: The CSU Spur campus, 4777 National Western Drive in Denver’s National Western Center. Parking is available in the lot north of the Vida building. 

About the CSU Food Innovation Center 

The CSU Food Innovation Center supports food entrepreneurs of all sizes. This includes startups getting their first product to market all the way to large multinational food companies. The team of skilled food scientists can help with technical needs including product development, sensory and consumer testing, shelf-life studies, nutrition facts panels and more. The Food Innovation Center has a state-of-the-art facility in the Terra building at CSU Spur which houses a large commercial kitchen, dairy and produce labs, and taste-testing facilities. More information is available here.