Colorado Made, Colorado Proud: What Our Arvada Roots Mean to Sēkwl

Every August 1, Colorado Day gives us a reason to celebrate the place we call home.

This year feels especially meaningful. In 2026, Colorado marks 150 years since becoming the 38th state. And for us at Sēkwl Beverage House, it is an opportunity to reflect on what it actually means to build a business here.

We are not based in Colorado because mountains look good in photos. Although, to be fair, they really do.

We started Sēkwl in Arvada because Colorado is a place where curiosity, craft, wellness, entrepreneurship, and respect for the outdoors naturally come together. Those values have influenced almost every part of our company, from the organic ingredients we select to how we manufacture, package, sell, sample, and share our beverages.

More Than a Location on the Can

“Colorado-based” can sometimes become a branding phrase. For us, it is something much more tangible.

It means our beverages are made in Arvada.

It means meeting customers face-to-face at Colorado farmers markets, festivals, retail demos, neighborhood gatherings, and community events.

It means partnering with independent retailers and working to earn a place on shelves throughout the state.

It means hearing directly from the people drinking our organic craft seltzers, and then taking that feedback back into our production space to make the experience better.

Colorado has given Sēkwl a place to experiment, build, learn, and grow. We take that seriously.

Colorado Proud From the Beginning

Sēkwl has been a member of Colorado Proud since the beginning of our company.

Developed by the Colorado Department of Agriculture, Colorado Proud helps consumers identify and support food and agricultural products grown, raised, or made in Colorado. For a small food and beverage business, that local connection matters.

When you support Colorado-made products, you are often supporting a much larger network than the logo on the package might suggest. You are helping sustain local producers, manufacturers, retailers, event organizers, designers, sales partners, and community organizations.

Being Colorado Proud is therefore not just a label for us. It is a reminder that every can of Sēkwl exists within a larger local ecosystem.

A New Sustainability Milestone for Sēkwl

This Colorado Day, we are also excited to share that Sēkwl has been certified as a Bronze Level Member of the Colorado Green Business Network through the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

The Colorado Green Business Network is a free, voluntary program that encourages, supports, and recognizes organizations working toward greater operational sustainability. Participating businesses look for ways to increase energy, water, and fuel efficiency, reduce waste, and introduce sustainability best practices into their daily operations.

Sēkwl received Bronze Level recognition for our work to reduce resource use and implement operational practices focused on sustainability and environmental management.

We are extremely proud of the recognition. And we also understand what it does, and does not, mean.

It does not mean our sustainability work is finished.

It means we have built a meaningful foundation, documented the progress we have made, and committed ourselves to continuing the work.

What Sustainability Looks Like at Sēkwl

For a growing beverage company, sustainability is not one enormous decision. It is hundreds of smaller decisions made across sourcing, production, packaging, fulfillment, events, and daily operations.

Some of the choices we have made include:

• Recyclable aluminum cans: We package Sēkwl in aluminum cans, which can be recycled and returned to the material stream when handled properly.
• No plastic shrink wrap for shipped cases: Our shipped products are not bundled in plastic shrink wrap. We intentionally look for packaging approaches that protect the product without adding unnecessary plastic.
• Thoughtful ingredient sourcing: Our beverages are certified USDA Organic and crafted without artificial flavors or artificial sweeteners. We work to make ingredient decisions that reflect the kind of product—and company—we want to build.
• Concentrated functional mushroom extracts: We use fruiting-body mushroom extracts created through a dual hot-water extraction process. Thoughtful formulation allows us to deliver meaningful functional mushroom ingredients in a ready-to-drink format without asking customers to maintain a cabinet full of powders, droppers, and supplements.
• Learning through every activation: Our event displays, sampling equipment, transportation systems, and operational tools are designed and improved in-house. Every event teaches us something about how to use less, transport smarter, reduce unnecessary materials, and create a cleaner experience.

Some improvements are immediately visible. Others happen behind the scenes. Both matter.

Sustainability Without the Perfection Act

Sustainability language can become lofty very quickly. Real operational change is usually less glamorous.

It is measuring. Reworking. Testing. Asking whether a material is necessary. Looking at how much waste an event produces. Finding a better shipping configuration. Repairing something rather than replacing it. Creating processes that still work when the business gets busier.

It also means being honest that growing a beverage company requires resources. We manufacture physical products. We ship cases. We travel to events. We use equipment.

Our responsibility is not to pretend those impacts do not exist. It is to understand them, reduce them where we can, and build better practices into the company before inefficient habits become permanent ones.

That is what makes recognition from the Colorado Green Business Network meaningful to us. It acknowledges progress while giving us a framework and a community that can help us keep improving.

Why Local Business Matters

Colorado Day is a celebration of a state, but states are ultimately built through communities.

They are built by people opening shops, making products, growing food, organizing events, taking risks, creating jobs, and deciding that something worth building can begin right where they are.

We are grateful that Sēkwl began in Arvada.

We are grateful to the Colorado customers who tried an unfamiliar beverage because someone at a farmers market said, “It has functional mushrooms, but just taste it.”

We are grateful to the retailers who made room for a young Colorado brand.

We are grateful to the partners, makers, creatives, and community members who continue to help us become better.

And we are proud that a product made here can introduce more people to organic craft seltzers and the wonderful world of functional mushrooms.

Here’s to the Next Chapter

Colorado has spent 150 years becoming the place it is today. Sēkwl is still very early in our own story.

We have more to learn, more improvements to make, more people to meet, and plenty of cans left to crack open.

But the direction is clear.

We want to build a Colorado company that makes excellent beverages, contributes to its community, operates responsibly, and grows without losing sight of why it started.

This Colorado Day, we are proud to celebrate our home, our Colorado Proud membership, and our new Bronze Level certification from the Colorado Green Business Network.

Here’s to Colorado and to building something here that is worth being proud of.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Sēkwl Beverage House based?

Sēkwl Beverage House is based in Arvada, Colorado. We produce organic non-alcoholic craft seltzers made with functional mushroom extracts.

Is Sēkwl a Colorado Proud business?

Yes. Sēkwl has been a Colorado Proud member since the company began. Colorado Proud is a Colorado Department of Agriculture program that helps consumers identify food and agricultural products grown, raised, or made in Colorado.

What is the Colorado Green Business Network?

The Colorado Green Business Network is a voluntary program within the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. It supports and recognizes organizations working to improve energy, water, and fuel efficiency, reduce waste, and implement sustainable operational practices.

What does Sēkwl’s Bronze Level certification mean?

Bronze Level certification recognizes the sustainability policies, operational improvements, and environmental practices Sēkwl has implemented. It represents meaningful progress and an ongoing commitment to improve—not the completion of our sustainability work.

How is Sēkwl working to operate more sustainably?

Sēkwl packages its beverages in recyclable aluminum cans, avoids plastic shrink wrap in shipped cases, uses certified organic ingredients, and continually evaluates its production, fulfillment, event, and operating practices for opportunities to reduce waste and use resources more efficiently.

Are Sēkwl beverages made in Colorado?

Yes. Sēkwl’s organic craft seltzers are made at our facility in Arvada, Colorado.

What makes Sēkwl different from other functional beverages?

Sēkwl combines organically crafted flavor with concentrated fruiting-body functional mushroom extracts. Each beverage is non-alcoholic, contains no artificial flavors or sweeteners, and is designed to taste like a genuinely enjoyable craft seltzer—not a supplement you have to force yourself to finish.