The Local newsletter is your free, daily guide to life in Colorado. For locals, by locals. Sign up today!
When you walk into Source of Nature’s 5,600-square-foot warehouse in the small town of Wellington, just north of Fort Collins, you’ll spot ropes of dried hops, a mountain of wine barrels, pallets of beer cans, bags of ground vanilla beans, and a freezer crammed with orange zest. And while clients—craft brewers, distillers, even kombucha makers—patronize Alex Leedy and Lavelle McGovney’s four-year-old sourcing clearinghouse for the flavorful, sometimes rare ingredients the duo procures, it’s what you can’t see that makes the company a novel resource for about 250 U.S. beverage brands, including Denver’s Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project and Longmont’s Left Hand Brewing Company. McGovney has a background in international business operations, and Leedy worked for years at New Belgium Brewing, collaborating with craft beer masters across the country. Together, they help producers bring a world of flavors, colors, and aromas to their beverages (in addition to offering dry, cold, and frozen storage, wine-barrel aging, and consulting services). “I love helping people find what they need and get it into their beers the right way,” Leedy says. “And I love getting to drink the end result.”