Durango startup Farm to Summit lands 90-day deal with national grocery retailer (2024)

Owner says trial run could lead to more manufacturing jobs

Farm to Summit products are now being sold in Sprouts Farmers Market stores across the nation.

The dehydrated meal company located on north Main Avenue in Durango announced Monday that its products had been picked up by the grocery retailer.

Sprouts is a supermarket chain based in Phoenix, with 410 stores across the United States. Since the creation of Farm to Summit in 2020, the company has been gaining momentum, wholesaling its products to 80 independent retailers nationwide.

But now, owners Louise Barton and Jane Barden are testing the national grocery market.

“We’re kind of putting Durango on the map in another way,” Barden said.

The opportunity isn’t without trials and tribulations. The agreement came by way of Sprouts’ New For You program, which allows new manufacturers 90 days to sell its product on the retailer’s shelves. Depending on how the product sells, the grocery store decides whether it will sell the product permanently.

Sprouts media relations department did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Sprouts will sell Farm to Summit’s garden mac and cheese and green chili grits dehydrated meals. It will also sell Farm to Summit’s double shot and chili mocha instant lattes.

Barden said Sprouts has the perfect clientele for Farm to Summit’s products. Typically, its dehydrated meals are sold in outdoor and sporting goods stores.

“They’re eco-conscious and usually they’re outdoorsy people and stewards of the planet. So it kind of just made sense,” Barden said.

Farm to Summit is known for its eco-conscious practices using methods like creating dehydrated meals from local farms consisting of unused, imperfect produce.

Imperfect produce includes fruits and vegetables that are safe to eat but have been rejected by the markets or grocery stores because of physical imperfections such as bruises and scars.

The company also uses Omni degradable bags as opposed to Tetra Pak bags because they are easier to recycle.

To quickly fill Sprouts’ demand, Barden and her team had to ramp up production over the course of a month, producing about 12,000 units. If the trial period with Sprouts is successful, it could significantly impact the growth of Farm to Summit’s business.

“With more demand and more production needs, we’ll need more help,” Barden said. “We’re really hoping that we can hire a few more folks to come join our team.”

The business is going from servicing 80 retail locations to nearly 500.

Revenue has been skyrocketing for the company. Last year, the business netted a total of $300,000 in revenue. In 2024, Barden projects it will be between $750,000 and $800,000.

Farm to Summit gives 2% of every sale to community nonprofit organizations.

“We’re getting traction with a lot of the gear stores around town,” Barden said. “There’s other aspects that play into that. But the Sprouts deal is definitely the big one.”

The company also has its sights on REI. The outdoor retailer announced last year that a Durango store would be built by 2025, and it has 179 stores across the country.

Barden said she has not yet heard back from REI but remains hopeful.

“We couldn’t have gotten here without the help of the community,” she said. “We can’t stress that enough.”

tbrown@durangoherald.com