When Ann Woods and Andrew Cornett moved to Durango last summer, they noticed the mountain town was missing a spice store.
“We saw there wasn’t a spice store downtown. Durango is a tourist town, and on other vacations we’ve been on, there are spice shops, like in Maui,” Cornett said. “People have a love for different spices and flavors.”
The couple, previously from Denver, decided to take it upon themselves to spice up Durangoans’ lives. They launched Durango Spice Co. in early August, offering an assortment of smoky and sweet flavored rubs.
“We decided to come up with our blends from what we use at home,” Cornett said. “We came up with names and a story for each spice, and started an online business. We started online to see if the demand is there, and if it picks up, we’d love to open a storefront.”
Durango Spice Co. sells a signature Southwest collection, with rubs such as Durango Diablo and Four Corners Fiesta Rub.
“We are going to go to local restaurants to see if they’d like to try them,” Cornett said. “Our Four Corners Fiesta Rub is outstanding on kettle chips.”
Cornett said the spices also go well on ribs, brisket, poultry and steak.
They additionally sell the Dungeonmaster’s Collection, inspired by their mutual love for fantasy games. The line of spices include names like Inquisition BBQ Rub, King’s Bounty and Spice of the Round Table.
“We are really into nerdy and sci-fi stuff. We ran with the whole medieval theme,” Woods said. “You get one name, and then the rest roll off the tongue.”
Mixing the spices is a learning experience, and Woods said it is all done by hand at their home.
“When you tweak recipes and mix a little batch, it is a half of a cup in total,” she said. “That amount of spice is very aromatic. You have to wear a face mask or you start sneezing.”
Woods said trial and error often leads to the discovery of new flavors.
“We try every one of the spices two or three times,” she said. “One night, I mixed up four different rubs and one became the Inquisition rub.”
Despite receiving several online orders, Cornett said they are waiting to gauge public reaction before buying spices in bulk.
Not every ingredient is locally-sourced because many spices come from the Middle East and Mediterranean. Still, the company stays in the Four Corners when possible.
The Four Corners Fiesta Rub contains Chimayo chile powder, derived from chiles native to New Mexico.
“Part of the fun and challenge is finding the ingredients and introducing people to new flavors,” Cornett said.
The company will be introducing new products throughout upcoming months, including a line of flavored salts.
“We are looking into adding new things. It is just a matter of getting established. It is a really fun little business,” Cornett said.
mrupani@durangoherald.com
