Ute Mountain Ute Tribe opens its first grocery store
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TOWAOC, Colo. — The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe opened its first grocery store, Nuchu Market, earlier this month. The long-anticipated project sits along U.S. Highway 160 near Towaoc, on the border of tribal land and Montezuma County.
Before Nuchu Market, residents often made 45-minute to hourlong trips to Cortez for basic groceries. The new store brings food access closer to home.
Marilynn House, secretary for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Council, said she recently stopped by Nuchu Market to buy tomato sauce and soup, items she would normally purchase in Cortez.
“I went there, and I found my product,” she said. “It was just right there. Five-minute drive from home.”
A large tribal logo faces the entrance of the 1,300-square-foot market. Arrows and feathers hang on the walls alongside archival photos of tribal members. Shelves are stocked with canned goods, frozen foods, meat and fresh produce. Blue and yellow cornmeal grown on the tribe’s Bow & Arrow Ranch border the aisles.
Fresh items sell fast, and staff restock milk, fruit and vegetables every other day based on demand.
A customer stopped in looking for a blue Frazil drink after he couldn’t find it at a nearby gas station. He found it at Nuchu Market.
The name “Nuchu” means “the people.” “It’s for them and their needs,” House said. “This market is for our people.”
The tribal leaders have discussed the idea of a grocery store in Towaoc for more than a decade. Early plans envisioned a large supermarket near the casino, but unstable soil, costly foundation requirements and failed feasibility studies stalled progress. In early 2025, the tribe also lost a federal construction grant amid funding cuts.
Instead of abandoning the project, tribal leaders pivoted to renovate an existing building the tribe already owned. With grants from the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority and the Colorado Trust, the market opened on a smaller scale.
“It took a lot of elbow grease,” said Beth Cascaddan, the tribe’s director of economic development. “And lots of prayers. It all fell together.”
Before the store opened, tribal members relied on trips to Cortez for groceries, a challenge for elders and residents without reliable transportation. The market also accepts SNAP and EBT, which many families depend on.
Prices at Nuchu Market are intentionally low. A carton of eggs costs $2.99, and overall markups are lower than those at convenience stores.
“This is not going to be a profit-driven business,” Cascaddan said. “As long as we break even and it’s providing the services is how we set the price right now.”
Shannon Whiteman, market security and community member, said the store sees about 50 customers a day, roughly half community members and half travelers passing through.
“People usually buy eggs, meat, milk, frozen pizza, energy drinks, chips,” he said.
If customers want something the store does not have, they can write it down for staff to review.
“They like the pictures,” Whiteman said, referring to the photos hanging on the walls.
Although the store sits on land outside the reservation, the tribe owns about 15 acres adjacent to the market and is exploring placing the land into trust. Doing so would eliminate taxes paid to Montezuma County and allow the tribe to collect its own retail sales tax.
Tribal leaders also plan to expand the market’s role in food sovereignty. Future plans include selling tribally raised beef and additional farm products through the store, as well as supporting small vendors nearby.
“At the end of the day,” House said, “we just want our members to be healthy, to live a long good life.”
Type of story: News
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Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. To read more about why you can trust the journalism of Rocky Mountain PBS, please visit our editorial standards and practices page.