Colorado Proud Launches Choose Colorado Pop-Up Picnics

DENVER, May 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Choose Colorado Pop-up Picnics – a summer-long series of farm-fresh, modern picnics celebrating locally-grown produce – will pop up on the lawns of Front Range and Western Slope festivals, concerts and farmers' markets, as Colorado Proud refreshes the six-century-old, historical picnic with a new, "local" approach. To join one of the many pop-up picnics happening this summer, click here.

The Choose Colorado Pop-Up Picnics kick off May 16 and run through September 5. Grown out of the Choose Colorado tour, the community-to-community road trip across the state, the picnics refresh the buy and eat local concept, swapping out ready-made meals for fresh produce and exchanging woven baskets for reusable tote bags. The Pop-Up Picnics celebrate the farmers who help our state thrive and educate consumers about the benefits of buying and eating local produce. In addition, the picnics recognize consumers on-the-go summer lifestyles, offering a new way to experience the picnic utilizing local produce.

Colorado Proud will distribute classic picnic fare made with fresh produce from Colorado farmers, including potatoes, peaches, cantaloupe, corn, lettuce and more. Colorado Proud representatives will also offer informational handouts on the benefits of buying local produce and invite event attendees to have their own Choose Colorado picnic.

"We are seeing a shift in consumers who are busier than ever and on-the-go—but who still want to take healthy, locally-grown products with them, especially during summer activities," said Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture Don Brown, a third-generation Colorado farmer. "This year's Choose Colorado Pop-up Picnics celebrate the buy local spirit, showing consumers that they can be busy and still pack a healthy picnic with local produce perfect for any Colorado outdoor event."

While picnics originated during the Middle Ages as elegant outdoor meals for the wealthy, the Choose Colorado Pop-Up Picnic focuses on the accessibility, affordability and healthy benefits of eating local produce – a modern twist on this cultural tradition. The Pop-Up Picnic events are a delicious way to "taste" the positive impact of buying local and support Colorado's agricultural business, which consistently earns its ranking as one of the state's top industries.  

With more than 36,000 farms encompassing 32 million acres, agriculture is a vital part of Colorado – providing more than 172,000 jobs; contributing more than $40 billion to the state's economy annually; and feeding the world with more than $2 billion in exported products. Buying local also supports Colorado's western heritage, preserving the farms, ranches and land that define the state.

The Choose Colorado Pop-Up Picnics

The Choose Colorado Pop-Up Picnics will take place on the lawns of 18 festivals, farmers' markets and concerts in Front Range communities and on the Western Slope. The Pop-Up Picnics will include samples of local fruits and vegetables; guest farmers, chefs and agricultural experts; giveaways; and recipes and tips for local on-the-go meals and picnics.

Choose Colorado Pop-Up Picnic supporters include the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, Colorado Department of Agriculture, Colorado Proud, Safeway and the History Colorado Center. For more information and a complete schedule, visit www.ColoradoProud.org, or follow the Pop-Up Picnics on the Colorado Proud Facebook page.

About Colorado Proud

The Colorado Proud program was created by the Colorado Department of Agriculture in 1999 to promote Colorado food and agricultural products that are grown, raised or processed in the state. The goal of Colorado Proud is to make it easier for consumers to identify and purchase Colorado products by labeling them with the Colorado Proud logo. In 1999, the program started with 65 companies; and now, the Colorado Proud program has more than 2,200 members that include farmers, ranchers, processors, restaurants, retailers and associations statewide. Colorado Proud Pop-Up Picnic events are funded by a grant from the Colorado Department of Agriculture through the USDA's Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.

SOURCE Colorado Proud

Related Links

http://www.ColoradoProud.org