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January 2013

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LoCo Food Distribution is a wholesale distributor of locally grown, processed, and

packaged foods to restaurants, institutions, and grocery stores along the Front

Range in Colorado. Their online ordering catalog allows customers to view cur-

rent availability and place orders for delivery. Their team works hard to make the

connections between producers and wholesale purchasers, so that producers

can do what they do best—produce exceptional food. And their customers can do

what they do best—make and sell amazing food.

LoCo Food Distribution registered on the Colo-

rado MarketMaker site a year ago, but recently updated their profile to include Busi-

ness Connections. They have enthusiastically embraced MarketMaker and have one

of the most complete profiles in the database. Says Elizabeth Mozer, Owner/Operator

of LoCo Food, “I use MarketMaker regularly as a resource for my business and

appreciate its presence very much.”

Mozer understands that local food is all about connections. In order to make it conven-

ient to buy local food, someone has to make the connections. This is where LoCo

Foods comes in. With over 150 brands and 2000 products in their online catalog, LoCo

Food Distribution understands the need to develop relationships with both vendors and customers. “By purchasing local

products, each dollar is spent an average of seven more times inside our local economy,” says Mozer, “MarketMaker

makes it much easier for us to source local products.”

When asked about their MarketMaker profile, Mozer comments, “We use the Buy & Sell Forum to help locate pro-

ducers with products our customers need. We also use the Business Connections area to connect with our pro-

ducers and vendors. It’s a quick, easy way to link to businesses we do business with!”

LoCo Food Distribution operates along Colorado’s Front Range. Check out LoCo Food Distribution on MarketMaker or

on their website: locofooddistribution.com.

Business in the Spotlight…

LoCo Food Distribution Fort Collins, Colorado

Autumn Berries—Become “Aware of the Rare” An Illinois man tackles an invasive species and finds it’s a super-food!

What are Autumn Berries? Most farmers consider them a nuisance. Dustin

Kelly of Autumn Berry Inspired agrees they should be controlled, but he also

believes they will be the hottest new, locally grown super-food commodity.

Native to Asia, Autumn Olive trees were introduced to North America to create

wildlife habitat and to control erosion. It’s a hardy tree that thrives in poor soil

and can survive a range of weather conditions. Birds easily spread the seed

which is how it made the invasive species list.

Kelly became acquainted with the trees when working at a nature preserve. Curious, Kelly researched the tree and its

fruit and discovered it was eaten in Asia and highly valued by foragers here in the United States.

“Autumn Berries have a pleasant, sweet and tart flavor, similar to a cranberry or pomegranate. The seeds have the taste

of an almond. They can be eaten fresh, frozen, dried, or made into jam.

Their puree can flavor ice cream, cider, or beer. The juice can be ferment-

ed into wine, and the seed’s oil can be used for salads, skin care, cooking,

or candles,” says Kelly.

This year he harvested over 2,000 pounds from 4-acres at the nature pre-

serve and produced jam that he sells at local farmers market and in local

stores. He sells frozen berries to local restaurants where they make Au-

tumn Berry sorbet, marmalade, and a flavorful sauce for fish and pork. A

local brewery used his berries to make a tank of Autumn Berry beer, and a

tequila bar features Autumn Berry margaritas on the menu.

These tasty attributes combine with the discovery that Autumn Berries are packed with vitamins and nutrients and are

exceptionally high in the antioxidant, lycopene—a carotene associated with the prevention of certain diseases including

breast, prostate, and skin cancers.

Kelly saw great potential and started Autumn Berry Inspired to produce high quality products and in doing so, help

control the spread of the tree. “We take the problems associated with the Autumn Olive and turn them into practical ben-

efits by developing highly productive, multifunctional orchards from existing groves. The trees are strong, healthy, and

plentiful and gives producers the opportunity to ‘cash in’ on their

very first year of production,” says Kelly.

Kelly invites growers across the country to join a farmer-owned

cooperative. He believes that multiple competing brands won’t

have a chance in the market, whereas skilled product research

and a focused marketing campaign will be much more successful.

Thanks to Kelly, Autumn Berries can now be found under “Fruit”

on the MarketMaker site. He registered on MarketMaker as a

Buyer and Processor to find customers for his products and land-

owners with at least two acres of Autumn Olive Trees who wish to

harvest their fruit to sell. Kelly is ready to help show landowners

how to renovate their weedy grove, prune their trees, harvest, and

process the fruit.

Contact Dustin through MarketMaker or by email at:

dustin@autumnberryinspired.com

January 2013 Page 2

Chenxi Yu and Dustin Kelly of Autumn Berries Inspired

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January 2013 Page 3

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