> Punch Buggy, 'Colorado's only all-natural authentic Hawaiian-style shave ice shop and truck,' brings island flavors to Lafayette through owner Neige LaRue, who was raised in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. Operating from a shiny silver Airstream at The Yard in Old Town Lafayette (105 S Public Rd), Punch Buggy distinguishes itself by making syrups in-house using 100% pure cane sugar with no artificial colors or flavors, staying true to authentic Hawaiian traditions. The menu offers unique tropical flavors including POG (passion orange guava), lychee, guava, and red bean, complemented by island-inspired toppings like mochi balls and ube whipped cream that transport customers straight to the Hawaiian islands. Beyond the Lafayette location, Punch Buggy operates a food truck that travels to various Boulder County events, spreading aloha throughout the community. LaRue's commitment to authenticity—from the all-natural ingredients to the traditional Hawaiian preparation methods—has made Punch Buggy a beloved destination for those seeking genuine island-style shave ice, bringing a taste of Hawaii's beaches and warm hospitality to Colorado's Front Range.

> Co-owners Genae Lako and Doug Wargo opened Public Wine at 100 S Public Road to offer Lafayette a curated selection of boutique wines, beer, and spirits with a focus on natural wine, organic wine, European selections, and unique offerings from the West Coast and beyond. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Sunday from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM, the shop specializes in Old World selections with more than 50 wine labels under $20 and the majority of wines under $80, making quality wines accessible to all enthusiasts. What sets Public Wine apart is their commitment to community education and connection: they host FREE in-store wine tastings every Thursday from 4-6 PM, allowing customers to discover new favorites, and offer a quarterly wine club where members receive six bottles every quarter for $150, complete with detailed information about each wine and food pairing suggestions. This boutique bottle shop has become a Lafayette destination for wine lovers seeking natural, organic, and carefully selected wines from around the world, with owners dedicated to sharing their passion for wine through tastings, education, and personalized service.

> Susan Loriho, a South Sudanese refugee who spent 12 years in a Kenyan orphanage before being sponsored by a Boulder family at age 18, transformed pandemic job loss into a thriving samosa business. 'For me, the most important thing is that I put myself first. If you want your business to grow you have to take care of yourself first, your mind,' Susan explains. After losing her teaching job to COVID, a friend's Facebook post showcasing her samosas generated $2,000 in first-week sales. Her first year in business exceeded her previous employment income. The menu includes samosas filled with beef, chicken, mixed vegetables, mushroom-spinach, and even dessert samosas with fresh fruit and chocolate. English was her fifth language and the most challenging to master, requiring two years before she felt comfortable speaking it.

> Founded by L.R. (Louis Ralph) Laggy after a transformative road trip through the Midwest and South, Rang Tang Craft Barbecue established itself with a clear mission: to serve the most delicious brisket using only the highest-quality ingredients. Laggy's founding inspiration was simple: 'I want to feed people the most delicious brisket around.' The business operates at the Lafayette Farmers Market on Sundays from 9am to 1pm, May through October, located on Public Road in downtown Lafayette. Rang Tang sources exclusively from small, local farms where animals graze on pasture and vegetables grow free from chemical treatments, including Grama Grass & Livestock, Buckner Family Ranch, and Frank's All Natural Homestead Meats. They cook ethically-sourced meats for hours using local oak and fruitwoods in an offset smoker, adding little more than salt & pepper, and pledge to use no seed oils, ever. The company emphasizes regenerative agriculture practices that strengthen soil health, explaining their broader impact: 'When you eat a plate of food from Rang Tang Craft Barbecue... you are also directly contributing to a more robust food system and a healthier Earth.' Rang Tang joined the Boulder Farmers Market in 2023 and can also be found at The Rayback or available for private events. The name derives from a folk song by Mountain Man that celebrates food and gathering, reflecting the restaurant's community-focused ethos.

To those living on the periphery of the food and the farming world, winter’s toll on the land may seem like an opportunity for producers to take a long nap and rest before the ground thaws and it’s time to grow again. The truth? It’s anything but that.

Finding ancient, heritage, or landrace grains and flours is no easy task if you are trying to source them as locally as possible. The goal of this section of Daily Grains is to start sharing the grains we come across during our Grain Chain research. We recognize this is ambitious and the data will sometimes be outdated, but we're going to give it a shot. 

The University of Minnesota, in collaboration with a multi-state coalition of researchers, farmers, educators, industry leaders, policy experts, and climate scientists, was awarded a highly competitive 5 year, $10 million grant through USDA. This grant, called a Coordinated Agricultural Project - or CAP - aims to scale the research, production, awareness and commercialization of Kernza, the first perennial grain available for commercial production in the United States.

Supply chain disruptions steadily increased this year and with each new hiccup, a new sector of food production or distribution has been impacted. Though each of these supply issues happens on their own scale, it’s clear they’re connected. That cargo ship stuck off the coast of Los Angeles is part of the reason your peanut butter is more expensive. Pull on a single loose thread and you can unravel the whole supply system.

“To find a property like the one we’re sitting on right now is pretty challenging. Not just in Colorado, but all over the country,” Jurbala said. “The price of land is incredibly high for young people trying to get into farming.”

I started to research for web tools or apps already in the market with similar functionality. I wasted no time and started to talk to my grain community including students, researchers, farmers, millers, and bakers. After months of defining our goals, we moved ahead with a company that helped us to develop Golden State Grains.