Sourcing & Sustainability
At Urban Farmer, we believe in consciously sourced food that reaffirms the direct connection between land and plate. We build personal relationships with local farmers, ranchers, fisheries, and foragers, considering everything from the diets and treatment of animals to land use. As part of our zero-waste mission, we use the whole animal – from steak cuts and sausages to bone broth and stocks.
We believe that skill is only part of the equation – to master a craft, one must practice their skill with intention, reflection, the drive and passion to continuously improve and, ultimately, the desire to teach and share it with others. Our partners are true craftspeople that inspire us daily and the food you enjoy in our restaurants comes with a commitment from us and them to sustainability, thoughtfulness, transparency, and wholesomeness.
While we’re constantly meeting and forging new partnerships, here are some highlights of partners we work with:
Growers Organic
In operation since 2005. Prior to opening, the owners of this farm worked with local farmers for more than 20 years to provide more opportunities to small-plot farmers. They are passionate about bridging the gap in the food chain between who eats and who farms, which translates into high-quality organic products for consumers and fair trade for farmers. Products we source include Mortons Peaches, Petite Romaine Hearts, Infinite Harvest Micros, Sunflower Oil, Heirloom Carrots, Hazel Dell Mushrooms, and more.
Denver, CO
Rocky Mountain Fresh
Rocky Mountain Fresh is determined to build a farmer/consumer relationship that no other company can replicate. They are doing this by producing their own goods while working with other farmers to produce what they are unable to provide. They sell the majority of their produce directly to the end consumer and are working to create more of these direct sales channels. This enables them to pick their produce one day and have it on your plate the next. Products we source include Heirloom Tomatoes and Mixed Cherry Tomatoes.
Longmont, CO
www.tomarket.farm/colorado/rocky-mountain-fresh
Rebel Farms
Rebel Farm has one goal in mind and that is to provide customers with the freshest, GMO-free, local produce. They believe the future is now! Their production capability is based on a sustainable greenhouse farm concept utilizing hydroponic (NFT) technology, with over 38,000 plant sites in our 15,000 sq. foot greenhouse. They grow their premium leafy greens and herbs naturally; free of harmful pesticides and fertilizers and utilizing up to 90% less water than your typical dirt farm. They harvest just before delivery and distribute their produce live on the root, to ensure the freshest produce year-round, and the ultimate flavor experience for the consumer. Products we source include Bibb Lettuce, Watercress, and Purple Bok Choy.
Denver, CO
Field to Front Door
Field to Front Door is a humane farm. Their farm animals roam in open outdoor spaces with clean water, a lot of living space, and plenty of fresh Colorado air. The living conditions at Field to Front Door allows their animals to live and feed without aggression from other animals, including members of their species. They live outside where they soak up the sunshine and roam free every day. Because there is plenty of space for them to live, tails aren't docked, beaks aren't cut, and the animals aren't stressed or fighting. All animals are fed a natural diet free of animal by-products and have continuous access to clean and well-ventilated housing that protects them from weather extremes. They receive no hormones or antibiotics. We source Whole Pig from this ranch.
Longmont, CO
Bootheel 7 Ranch
Bootheel 7 Ranch is located in the high plains of Lusk, Wyoming, where their cattle graze on thousands of acres. With half of their family living on the ranch, and a half in Parker, CO, they personally manage every step of the process from birth to butcher. Established in 1916, the ranch recently celebrated its 100-year anniversary. Their herd genetics have been fine-tuned for just as long and are the reason they consistently provide the most tender and flavorful beef possible. The black angus cattle are born and pasture-raised on the ranch where they live happy lives grazing on the grass out in the open sunshine. Their beef is dry-aged for a minimum of 21 days to ensure the best possible flavor. Their ranching practices reflect the highest levels of respect for their animals and their land.
Lusk, WY and Parker, CO
Zenger Farm
The owners of this farm believe good food is a basic human right. As a non-profit farm and wetland in outer southeast Portland, they are dedicated to promoting sustainable food systems, environmental stewardship, community development, and access to good food for all. The working farm includes more than 120 varieties of vegetables, a 20-tree fruit orchard, a blueberry patch and small variety of mixed herbs.
Portland, OR
Kiowa Valley Organics
Kiowa Valley Organics is a small family-owned and operated farm consisting of approximately 160 acres on the Eastern Plains of Colorado, owned by Sara Bevan and David Rippe. Sara and David now have 70 acres of organic produce, 110 acres of organic hay and the balance are in pasture for the cattle and chickens. We purchase our asparagus from them at the weekly farmers market at Union Station in Denver.
Roggen, CO
Cure Organic Farm
Founded in 2005, Cure Organic Farm is a commercial family farm located six miles east of Boulder, Colorado. They grow over 100 different varieties of certified organic vegetables, herbs, and flowers on 15 acres. All of the crops they grow are distributed within 50 miles of the farm through a CSA program, to local restaurants, farmers markets, and their farm store on site. Products we source include Curly Kale, Lacinato Kale, and Spinach.
Boulder, CO
Picaflor
Picaflor Live-Culture is bringing life back to food through natural fermentation. Grown on Certified Organic farms in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, their pepper sauces are made with pure, whole-food ingredients. Nestled in the foothills of Boulder County and irrigated by Rocky Mountain snowmelt, Picaflor Live-Culture is proudly produced by McCauley Family Farm, a whole-farm system that nourishes people and the planet. Products we source include Picaflor Sriracha and Boulder Sol Hot Sauce.
Boulder, CO
Merfs Hot Sauce
Merfs Condiments is a Denver condiment company that creates high quality, tasteful products using local and all-natural ingredients without any preservatives or extra junk. They offer six hot sauces: condiments that are sure to light your taste buds on fire and drastically improve your eating experience. We source their Electric Lime Hot Sauce.
Denver, CO
Bee Local/Jacobsen Co. Honey
With a mission to practice sustainable beekeeping focused on specific terroirs throughout the Pacific Northwest, they are committed to producing exceptional honey that is sustainably harvested, never heated, treated, blended, or ultra-filtered. Each honey variety offers a distinct and complex flavor profile that reflects the flora, fauna, and forage of its region and is traceable from hive to jar.
Portland, OR
Mikuni Wild Harvest
The fusion of two Japanese words meaning “beautiful forest,” Mikuni has a symbiotic relationship with nature and the variety of edible foods that are found within it. The name was chosen to honor the environment in which most of their products grow. Founded by mushroom foragers, the company is focused on providing the highest quality of unique and sustainable wild foods. Their products include everything from fresh wild mushrooms and truffles to wild caviar and roes.
Seattle, WA
Cascade Farms/SP Provisions
SP Provisions has been supplying the Pacific Northwest with locally sourced, sustainable meat products, spices, oils, and frozen food for over four generations. They are committed to the ethical and humane treatment of animals. They conduct their business with a thoughtful, minimally processed approach that supports a regional, renewable resource in a respectful manner. They design their delivery routes to use the least amount of fuel possible and use packaging materials from proactive, environmentally conscious sources that they recycle and reuse in order to sustain the supply chain for future generations. Their Cascade Farms label features their finest handcrafted, natural meats from a select team of local growers.
Portland, OR
Lake Erie Creamery
In 2006, Lake Erie Creamery became the first licensed artisan cheesemaker in the state of Ohio. The creamery produces an assortment of goat milk and cow milk cheese. While perhaps most well-known for its chevre, LEC has introduced a number of new cheeses over the last few years, including Black Pepper Feta and Lake Erie Pearls.
Cleveland, OH
7X Ranch
At 7X, the team is driven by a passion to create an exceptional culinary treasure. They sought out the finest purebred cattle herd and found the ideal high mountain meadows for their grazing pleasure. They’re proud of the delicious result but also proud of how they achieve it. We source 7x Flatiron steak from this ranch.
Hotchkiss, CO
www.7xbeef.com/the-story/standards
High Mountain Plains
Raised in the four corners of Cortez, Colorado, farmers Ron and Jerry Carhart take their cows on a journey to Burlington, CO to the finishing pastures to acquire the proper marbling and flavor profile. This is considered the boutique approach to wagyu farming, as less than 14 animals a month are harvested for consumption. Cow Bloodline starts with a 50% wagyu breed male and 50% Angus and wagyu female. The cultivation of this breed of cattle has taken HMP almost twenty years to achieve the result they are happiest with. We source Wagyu New York and Ribeye from this ranch.
Brush, Fort Morgan, CO
Rock River Ranch
Rock River Ranch is Colorado's Finest Local Bison producer. They own about 150 head of bison raised on the Colorado-Kansas border. With a partner bringing an additional 250 head of bison, soon they will be feeding over 500 bison per year near Burlington, CO. RRR supplies more than 50 local Front Range restaurants on a weekly basis. They harvest locally every 3 weeks and can supply fresh and frozen bison including various sausages, pastramis, and more. We source Bison Ribeyes and Grind from this ranch.
Denver, CO
Find on Facebook.com; Rock River Bison
www.linkedin.com/in/rex-moore-8b359319
Boulder Lamb
Columbia and Rambouillet ewes -- breeds renowned for a heartiness to match the western landscape -- are bred with either Hampshire or Dorset rams to produce lamb noted for its mild flavor and tenderness. Their lamb, a favorite in restaurants and markets throughout Colorado, is truly special. We source Lamb Sirloin from this ranch.
Longmont, CO
Joyce Farms
Joyce Farms is a family-run company out of North Carolina since 1962. They focus on beef, poultry, and game. All of their meat is free of pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, and animal by-products. Joyce Farms utilizes a regenerative agriculture method, which yields a perfect ecosystem for plants and animals to thrive in. We use their chicken and their grass-fed beef. Says our Executive Chef Sonny Ingui from Philadelphia, “the beef happens to be the best grass-fed beef I have ever tried in my life.”
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Ohio Wagyu
A small family farm, Ohio Wagyu specializes in producing very well-marbled beef from their herd of full blood Wagyu cattle imported from Japan.
Navarre, OH
Ohio City Farm
The Ohio City Farm is one of the largest contiguous urban farms in the United States, sitting on nearly six acres. They exist to provide fresh, local, and healthy food to Cleveland, boost the local food economy, and educate the community about the importance of a complete food system.
Cleveland, OH
Creekstone Farms
Creekstone Farms defines quality as excellence or superiority and strive for that level of quality in everything they do. Their cattle and hogs are closely monitored from birth to processing to ensure they are handled compassionately and humanely. In fact, their beef processing plant was designed with animal welfare in mind by Dr. Temple Grandin, a prominent proponent for the humane treatment of livestock.
Arkansas City, KS
Lost Creek Micro Farm
Lost Creek Micro Farm is a working urban farm providing seasonal, ultra-local food for all people. They’ve grown over the years, adding bees and chickens, taking lessons from the earth-stained hands and fertile minds of relatives, friends, and guides. Run by former Executive Chef of Urban Farmer Denver, Chris Starkus, and his wife Diana.
Lakewood, CO
Skuna Bay Salmon
Skuna Bay Salmon is a sustainable aquaculture farm out of Vancouver Canada. This company is a 4-star BAP (best aquaculture practices) farm and is certified sustainable by the Global Aquaculture Alliance. They have sectioned off parts of the glacier-fed waters of Vancouver Island’s Pacific Ocean, so their salmon are raised in the exact cold natural waters that salmon thrive in. These fish are never given antibiotics, food coloring or hormones. We actually prefer these fish to wild-caught. They are raised in the same environment, with plenty of room to swim and live life, but these fish are not exposed to the polluted waters and outside elements that you may find in the ocean.
Vancouver, B.C., Canada