The Plan

The Ute Mountain Ute community must establish a grocery store on Tribal lands.

Initial funds from Colorado Fresh Food Financing Fund and Region 9 Economic Development were secured in 2019 to conduct a comprehensive Feasibility Study to document the financial, social, and cultural implications of various food access solutions, informed by market data, ESRI Business Analyst data, community outreach, and best practice research.

As a community-led response to community-level needs, feedback from Tribal members and community partners was essential in the Feasibility Study process. Online surveys, paper surveys, and community focus group meetings gathered data and input from all relevant stakeholder groups.

Key Findings of the Feasibility Study

n Within a three-mile radius of Towaoc, there is a $2.6M retail gap for groceries, prepared food, and specialty food items.

n Within a ten-mile radius of Towaoc, there is a $6M retail gap.

n Most Tribal members (76%) travel outside the community between one and three times a week to buy food.

n Distance to the nearest grocery was the biggest barrier for 44% of Tribal members.

n Over 65% of responding households have $300 per month or less for groceries.

UMUT members living in Towaoc are spending over $2.6M on food annually, but without places to shop or eat on UMUT lands, they are leaving the reservation to spend their money in border towns. In addition to this documentation of residential need, nearly ¾ of a million tourists and visitors pass through the region annually, representing a significant market opportunity. With a full-service grocery store selling locally and regionally sourced foods, a community meeting room, a stand-alone coffee shop, a commercial kitchen supporting a food business incubator program, and a Native Food Hall showcasing local entrepreneurs selling prepared food items, UMUT will be positioned to capture a portion of this market. The UMUT Grocery Store will be advertised as a cultural experience, drawing tourists and creating a financial cushion for the UMUT food-based businesses to serve the Tribal members of Towaoc.

The economic impact of this initiative will be staggering.

Community Guidance

A Steering Committee of 20 youth, elders, and Tribal program leaders met monthly from 2019 through 2022 to refine the plans for the Grocery Store. In the end, the community’s vision to step toward greater health and economic equity includes a 30,000 SF fullservice grocery store selling locally and regionally sourced foods. The concept hosts 16,500 SF of retail, a community meeting room, a stand-alone coffee shop, a commercial kitchen supporting a food business incubator program, and a Native Food Hall showcasing local entrepreneurs selling prepared food items. This aligns with community priorities identified during Focus Group meetings.

HEALTH Access to fresh foods and ingredients with high nutritional density can improve health outcomes, supporting diabetes prevention and enabling WIC nutrition programs in the community.

CONVENIENCE

The Grocery Store will stock baby supplies, household goods, over-the-counter medications, and prepared meals in single servings for Elders living alone, that are not currently sold on Tribal lands. The Coffee Shop will offer Wi-Fi, which is not currently available on Tribal lands.

TRADITION

The Ute community lost gathering space with the closure of the Trading Post. While the Travel Center opened in 2000, it does not meet the food needs of Tribal members. The community meeting room will create space for communing around food, which is key to Ute survival. Classes about growing and cooking vegetables, traditional cooking, and knowledge of herbs for healing can be held in the space. Commercial kitchen space can support the re-introduction of preparing deer meat.

Workforce Development

The Grocery Store will create jobs for young people. It will also offer opportunities for artisans to sell beadwork and other crafts, and prepared food items. The workforce development accelerator program will serve as the anchor for additional small business growth in Towaoc. Once constructed, the multi-spaced facility will support small food start-up businesses by providing access to a produce market, deli, a butcher shop, a coffee shop, and a commercial kitchen, along with programming, mentoring and other wrap-around support services.

SYNERGY Increasing the livability of Towaoc will increase revenue for all UMUT businesses. Visitors at the RV Park will shop at the store and be able to extend their stay. The UMUT Casino could buy freshly baked bread and other supplies at the Grocery Store. Promotion efforts can take advantage of existing outreach and marketing for the Casino, RV Park, and Travel Center.

The project will address food insecurity, increasing access to fresh and healthy foods on the UMUT Reservation. Addressing food scarcity will improve community health. The project will create jobs, addressing workforce development and unemployment challenges. Importantly, the initiative will strengthen efforts to achieve food sovereignty, representing a comprehensive response to local food, farm, and nutrition issues.

Project Design

Phase I

To date, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe successfully secured over $4.9 million to quickly assemble a food access point and pilot aspects of the future full-service grocery store. With funding secured, UMUT finalized the construction design and hired a contractor. Ground-breaking is scheduled to begin next month. Phase I includes utilizing retrofitted and fabricated shipping containers, and initial services will begin by early summer 2024. Funding for Phase I was secured through: US Economic Development Agency, Colorado Health Foundation, US Department of Agriculture, the Reinvestment Fund, Gates Family Foundation, First Nation’s Development Institute, Harris Block Foundation, and Blueprint to End Hunger. An additional $1.5–2M will be needed to complete construction.

Phase Ii

The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is now seeking funds to support the $12M needed to complete the Grocery Store project. The Phase I facility will be re purposed into local food/craft vending stores to develop a small business incubator system. Phase II will incorporate the commercial kitchen facilities from Phase I into the 6,000SF design. The Phase II grocery store will sell locally and regionally sourced foods. The concept hosts 4,000SF of retail, a commercial kitchen supporting th Phase I food business incubator program, and will support the Ute Mountain Ute Outdoor Welcome Center that will be focused on the Tribe’s history and culture. Importantly, the project will bring new opportunities to Tribal members to achieve economic, educational, social, and health equity.

▶ Fresh healthy ingredients and local foods will be available for sale within the community.

▶ Tribal members will no longer have to travel over 20 miles to purchase food, cleaning supplies, over-the-counter medications, household goods, or baby supplies.

▶ Reclaimed community gathering space will strengthen social connections.

▶ Traditional food businesses will have a platform and support.

▶ UMUT will move towards achieving regional food sovereignty.

▶ Full-time, living wage jobs will be created.

▶ The Grocery Store will generate approximately $5M in annual revenue by Year Two, achieving full sustainability.

▶ Business incubation will establish a value-chain of regional and Native food businesses.

▶ Healthy Native-led businesses serving the needs of Tribal members will begin building personal and community wealth.