Tip your hat to state artisanal food producers

   You've got your General Mills and Kraft and Nestle - conglomerates that own hundreds of mass-produced food brands.

   On the flip side are artisanal food producers, smallscale operators who craft their foods as carefully and lovingly as a mother tending her baby.

   Last month, 23 artisanal food producers in Colorado joined a roster of 274 finalists in the Gallo Family Vineyards Gold Medal Awards. Among them was Black Forest Bison Co. of Colorado Springs, the only local producer to make the cut.

   The Gallo competition also awarded chef instructor Mark DeNittis, of Johnson & Wales University in Denver, its top prize in the Outstanding Meat and Charcuterie category for his Pacific Rim Sea Salt and Citrus Duck Breast Prosciuttini.

   Among his prizes is a $5,000 business-development grant from the Gallo Family Vineyards. Along with six other category winners, he won a trip to New York City to attend a celebratory luncheon in the winners' honor.

   Here's the list of the other Colorado artisan finalists, along with their products and contact information. The list could come in handy when you're looking for something to give out-of-state friends. 

   - Mountain Valley Canning, Wheat Ridge: an assortment of canned Colorado products; www.mountainvalleycanning.com. 

   - MarXana Brand Foods, Denver: a collection of attractively bottled pomegranate condiments; www.marxanabrandfoods.com. 

   - Hartman Gardens of Colorado, Montrose: preserves; www.hartmangardens.com. 

   - Grassroots Meats, Pagosa Springs: grass-fed cattle and lamb; http://grassrootsmeats.com. 

   - Fox Fire Farms, Ignacio: grass-fed cattle, lamb and goat; www.foxfirefarms.com. 

   - CrazyQFarm Bakery, Parker: gluten-free and wheat-free baking kits; www.crazyqfarm.com. 

   - Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy, Longmont: goat cheese; www.haystackgoatcheese.com. 

   - Azari Fruit Products, Fort Collins: dried fruit; www.froodles.com. 

   - Quality Confectionary & Food Products, Castle Rock: Belgian-style chocolates and truffles; www.belvederechocolates.com. 

   - A Fare to Remember, Grand Junction: a line of spicy condiments; www.afare2remember.com. 

   - Perri's Gourmet Foods, Arvada: jerky, www.yummyfoods.biz 

   - Enstrom Candies, Grand Junction: candy; www.enstrom.com. 

   - Captain Spongefood Trading Co., Granby: awardwinning hot sauces; www.captainspongefoot.com. 

   - Black Forest Bison Co., Colorado Springs: bison products; www.blackforestbison.com. 

   - Epicurean Butter, Denver: flavored butters; www.epicureanbutter.com. 

   - Two Girls & a Spatula (doing business as Rustica Baking), Lafayette: handcrafted rustic baked goods; www.rusticabaking.com. 

   - Anija's, Fort Collins: spicy mustard; www.anijas.com. 

   - Boulder Homemade, Boulder: homemade ice cream; www.bouldericecream.com. 

   - 2 Moms in the Raw, Lafayette: dairy- and wheatfree crackers and granola; www.2momsintheraw.com.

- MouCo Cheese Co., Fort Collins: cheese; www.mouco.com.

- Rockin J Cattle, Craig: grass fed meats; www.rockinjcattle.com.

- Continental Sausage, Denver: assortment of sausages and deli meats; www.continentalsausage.com.

Reach Farney at 636-0271 or teresa.farney@gazette.com. She appears Tuesdays on KOAA's Comcast Channel 9 at 4 p.m.