DENVER – Denver customers panicked when Tocabe’s Greenwood Village location closed its doors earlier this summer but the Osage-owned restaurant soon revealed its next exciting venture. Osage Co-owner of Tocabe, Ben Jacobs, is excited to use the previous Greenwood Village location to help expand Tocabe’s services by utilizing the location as a production facility to help distribute traditional Native foods nationwide.
“We are working to build a Native specific supply chain that will support Native and Indigenous food production on a larger scale,” Jacobs said.
“The marketplace is not only a way to help support and expand the opportunity for Native food producer’s products, but it also has the ability to build a culturally specific cyclical economy.”
Jacob’s stated that Tocabe’s goal is to help create a sustainable resource to both support the Native food system by growing food and feeding Native people but also making sure each community is able to have further financial resources to prepare for growing seasons along with perpetuating their work.
By closing the restaurant services and modifying the Greenwood Village location at the end of May, Tocabe is now officially able to expand its resources to meet the need of shipping ingredients and meals nationwide.
The Marketplace is now open as an online resource designed to support Native farmers, ranchers, and food producers with ready-to-ship ingredients for Native cooking such as blue corn pancake mix, tepary beans, huckleberry barbeque sauce, elderberry balsamic vinegar, dry rubs, and more.
Customers also have the ability to order ready-to-eat prepared meals. These meals are microwave or oven-ready and prepared with items directly sourced from The Marketplace. The dishes fit many lifestyle needs for those who enjoy a plant-based diet or for those looking for Native-sourced, free-roam bison.
The meals start at $10.99 and shipping is always free.
Jacobs added that Tocabe also recently launched their non-profit, Seed to Soul, to help make Native foods even more accessible.
“The non-profit is designed to provide culturally relevant ingredients and meals to Native communities both rural and urban through direct partnerships,” he said.
For every two items purchased through Tocabe’s Marketplace, Tocabe will donate one item to Native community-based organizations. Additionally, when a customer purchases an assorted twelve-item box, Tocabe will donate an assorted six-item box to send to an individual or group of its choice and will also match bulk and wholesale purchases with a 50% donation. For example, for a 500-pound purchase, Tocabe will donate 250 pounds of food.
To enjoy Tocabe’s food in-person, the Denver Highlands location remains open at 3536 W. 44th Ave. in Denver.
