Punch Buggy Shave Ice, operating for the past five years in Louisville, is preparing to soon start offering its icy tastes of Hawaii in neighboring Lafayette.

Punch Buggy owner Neige LaRue grew up bouncing between Kailu-Kona, Hawaii and the mainland before she moved to Colorado almost 10 years ago. In that time travelling in the mainland, she realized she missed authentic Hawaiian shave ice, so she figured she would do it herself.

"A lot of our customers have been word of mouth. People give the gift of our bread, which is a cool thing I didn't know about," says Ashley Overstreet of Daily Grains Bakery in Lafayette.

"I think the way to transform the food system is to have high standards," says L.R. Laggy, founder of Rang Tang Craft Barbecue, on his commitment to using only local, organic ingredients and eliminating seed oils from his menu.

"This is not a faceless farmer," emphasizes Phil Cordelli of Common Name Farm, noting that local markets enable customers to purchase produce harvested recently from their neighborhood, contrasting this with the lengthy supply chain of big-box groceries.

Café Tres, a Cuban bakery specializing in pastelitos and Cuban coffee, is opening in Denver's Curtis Park neighborhood. Source: The Denver Post

Bonfire Burritos, which has operated in Golden since 2016, is expanding with locations in Arvada and Lafayette. Source: The Denver Post

Lafayette has entered into a $15,000 services agreement with the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Boulder County. The funds will support monthly office hours at the Sister Carmen Community Center, networking events, and additional business support services. Isabella Nunez, senior project manager for Lafayette, explained that the partnership aligns with the city's Economic Development and Housing Strategies Plan, which aims to help retain and promote local businesses, specifically businesses owned by historically marginalized communities. The Latino Chamber will offer Lafayette businesses records and data management, event coordination, workshops and consulting services, and assistance with business registration and loan applications.

Husband-and-wife team Cody Jurbala and Melissa Ogilvie are first-generation farmers with a passion for sustainable growing practices.

• Two blocks on Public Rd between Cleveland St and Geneseo St (downtown Lafayette, Colorado)
• Growers-only market focusing on farmers, ranchers, dairy, local food products, and local prepared foods
• Rain, snow, or shine

We don't have a physical location, so this is great for us to get seen. For us, a farmers' market is a great way to get ourselves out there.