Durango Artisan Foods has moved into a new facility where it produces more than 100 of its own products, along with dozens more for local entrepreneurs.

The food manufacturing company makes mustards, sauces, salsa, coffees and teas among other products. Durango Artisan Foods provides a space for local residents to see their favorite home mixes go from their kitchens onto store shelves.

“Any number of local products you see around town, if it’s in a jar, we probably make it,” said Durango Artisan Foods co-owner Mark Grubis.

So many local restaurants and hobbyists have reached out to Durango Artisan Foods to produce various condiments that the business had already outgrown its new facility in Bodo Park before it finished unpacking.

“We outgrew our facility on north Main Avenue, and got this new place, but we’re already trying to plan for our next step,” Grubis said. “Once we get everything organized here at the new facility, it’s already going to be too small.”

Grubis said Durango Artisan Foods began with him trying to re-create the flavor of hot sauces he really enjoyed while traveling through Central America.

“After a while we thought maybe we should try selling the sauces,” he said.

The business was formed in 2018, and Grubis quickly took on Ska Brewing Co. as a client after suggesting the brewery use its True Blonde Ale for a mustard, while working with Ska Fabricating.

Grubis left a career in aerospace engineering to start up Durango Artisan Foods.

After years of making missile defense systems for Raytheon Technologies, Grubis said he wanted a change.

“I decided I wanted to do something else, and did some contracting, and that’s when I started doing some contract work with Ska Fabricating,” he said, adding that running Durango Artisan Foods is more difficult than being an engineer.

“It’s harder, and more work. It’s less financially rewarding right now. At the same time, the personal reward is much greater,” he said.

As Grubis’ hot sauces and Ska’s new mustard grew in popularity, Durango Artisan Foods needed more space. To accommodate its space needs, the business bought O'Hara’s Jams and Jellies and San Juan Mountain Mustard along with the facility where those products were being manufactured.

“We picked up all their equipment, their facility and all of their customers,” Grubis said.

The business continued to grow, working with Ska on other sauces and salsas and producing its own products.

“We started getting people coming up wanting more products made for them,” he said. “So in addition to expanding our product lines, other people were coming to us asking to make their products as well.”

Grubis said the two-person operation Durango Artisan Foods started is now a 16-person company.

Durango Artisan Foods has people and restaurants approach it about manufacturing a new product seemingly every month, Grubis said.

“We haven’t had to turn anyone away yet. I don’t want to reach that point, and the goal is not to reach that point,” he said.

Grubis said Durango Artisan Foods is growing at a rate of about 100% year over year when it comes to manufacturing products for other people.

Grubis said that one of the things he enjoys most about Durango Artisan Foods is helping people bring products they make and are passionate about to market.

“It’s fun to watch people learn,” Grubis said. “Usually, when people come to us, they have an idea, but they have no idea where to start, and it's fun to see them go from having the idea to getting it on the shelf.”

Sign up for our daily email newsletter or to receive breaking news delivered to your inbox:

Choose from several print and digital subscription packages

© 2022 Durango Herald | Ballantine Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy