Mark Grubis, who owns Durango Artisan Foods<\/a> with his wife, Kara, said the purchase of O\u2019Hara\u2019s Jams and Jellies, in December 2018, put the business on an accelerated growth path.<\/p>\n Added space for Durango Artisan Foods, which makes small-batch products such as salsas, hot sauces, barbecue sauces, mustards, jams, jellies and spice blends, will also allow it to rent its kitchen, refrigeration space and freezer space to other small craft-food producers.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of demand for commercial kitchen space in Durango, especially with refrigeration and freezer space,\u201d Grubis said. \u201cWe started out cooking at the fairgrounds, and we know how hard it is. You have to work around their schedule and you have to plan out everything perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n Rental of the kitchen will be $18 an hour, with additional charges for use of other equipment and refrigeration and freezer space.<\/p>\n Durango Artisan Foods\u2019 first product, Habanero Hot Sauce, was based on a recipe the couple had tweaked for years trying to capture the flavors of the Caribbean, where they were married.<\/p>\n They mulled going into business for years before going forward and opening DAF about a year ago.<\/p>\n \u201cTypically, our dinners are experiments,\u201d Grubis said. \u201cLast week, we were sampling salsas. Our friends enjoy being guinea pigs.\u201d<\/p>\n