The Colorado Department of Agriculture is sponsoring six local food and beverage companies and one regional buyer-grower coalition to exhibit at Newtopia Now, a major natural products trade show taking place August 20-22, 2025, in Denver. Selected through a competitive application process, these businesses source—and help promote the unique benefits associated with—high-quality agricultural products raised using climate smart practices.
The Colorado Climate Smart Showcase at Newtopia Now is made up of award-winning food and drink makers – Roaring Fork Mill, Dry Storage Mill, Dry Land Distillers, Pastificio Boulder, Haxtun Heritage Mills, and Spark + Honey – and the Rye Resurgence Project, a grassroots coalition working to save water and build sustainable markets for San Luis Valley growers.
“By exhibiting at this international trade event, this cohort of climate smart producers will connect with retail buyers, industry leaders, investors, the media, and consumers,” said Susan Enfield, manager of the Climate Smart Markets program. “This opportunity will not only position mission-driven Colorado businesses for growth, it will also support market development and increased sales for agricultural products grown and raised by innovative local farmers and ranchers.”
At Newtopia Now, these Colorado companies will showcase samples of their delicious products: heirloom wheat pasta, single-grain artisan wheat whiskeys, local honey-sweetened granola, and baked goods made with stone-ground flours from regenerative organic-certified rye to millet and White Sonora wheat.
The featured companies share a dedication to creating products that showcase fresh, flavorful, and nutritious ingredients raised in the state using practices that increase soil health, optimize water usage, enhance diverse and beneficial ecosystems, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These companies support local farmers, ranchers, and agricultural economies by contracting directly with Colorado producers whose stewardship and production practices exemplify the goals of the Climate Smart program.
“By focusing on climate-resilient grains, we’re redefining what it means to support our farmers and the land we all rely on. Through regenerative organic agriculture, we can rehabilitate soil, sequester carbon, build healthier communities, and reap more nutritious food for humans and the planet. In a state like Colorado, it’s vitally important to grow crops that use less water,” said Jacob Trumbull, founder of Roaring Fork Mill. “By driving consumer demand for products that are Regenerative Organic Certified, we are supporting more farmers to grow food profitably while also harvesting environmental and social value. Most importantly, it creates healthy food, soil and communities.”
CDA’s Colorado Climate Smart Showcase debuted at the inaugural Newtopia Now show in 2024, with exhibitors winning new retailer contracts as a result. For example, one climate smart brand was picked up in 31 Pavilion stores in Southern California. Another brand’s products rolled out in Natural Grocers’ Colorado locations, boosting 2025 gross sales by 20%, setting up the company for distribution to other retailers and broader expansion outside Colorado.
Expanding market access for ag businesses is one of CDA’s Wildly Important Goals, a set of priorities that goes above and beyond the agency's daily work. The Climate Smart Markets program, along with Colorado Proud and CDA’s international marketing programs, is part of CDA’s efforts to help Colorado producers reach new national or international markets.
If you’re a climate smart farmer, rancher, supply chain company, or manufacturer interested in learning about market opportunities, please contact Susan Enfield or sign up for program updates.