Philip Anson is the founder of Phil’s Fresh Foods, a line of prepared foods that includes 8 organic varieties of Phil’s Fresh Burritos, Dionysus Heavenly Greek Food, sandwiches and salads, as well as spreads and pesto sauces. His products are available throughout Colorado as well as 36 other states.

How did Phil’s Fresh Foods come about?

We started five years ago. I was living in Eldorado Canyon and rock climbing during the days and working fine dining in Denver at night. I’d been working in fine dining for years and was burnt out and I had this plan to sell burritos to climbers going into the Canyon. I quit my job and started the project and didn’t sell a single burrito. So I asked Eldorado Market to start carrying them and sold 100 in the first week. Now I’m selling 10,000 to 15,000 a week throughout the country.

When did the organic piece come in?

We didn’t start out organic but soon realized that there was a great demand. The area seemed the right place to go organic. When we started it was pretty cost prohibitive but as we grew we developed the buying power to switch over.

Has Boulder been receptive to your business?

Boulder has been an incredible grassroots resource. Ninety percent of our business was in Boulder for the first two years. Retailers and local manufacturers really work together to launch our product and they do the same with other new products. The people here are really into trying new products.

What has helped you grow?

We’re very hungry for business. Our team is really passionate, we’re not afraid to stay up all night for a week to fill an order. People know we’re not afraid of anything. We’ve made people really happy and they come back for more.

What does the future look like for Phil’s Fresh Foods?

The future looks like more growth. We’re working with CU to launch a natural and organic restaurant on campus and we want to bring more natural products to local elementary and secondary schools. We want to focus on our own backyard and work sustainably and locally. Our goal is to become king of natural and organic foods on the Front Range, delivering fresh daily!

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