Making an artistic and community-based statement of togetherness and health through food is at the center of why Brad and Sandra Akers decided to open a Graze Craze charcuterie franchise in Colorado Springs. Forged in their thoughts of family and detail, building beautiful boards from the freshest meats, cheese and vegetables have become a calling of sorts.
Brad has been active-duty military for a little bit over 19 years and retires in 2023. He is from Illinois and met Sandra when he was stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida about 15 years ago. He was at several bases before as well as since then. They arrived in Colorado on Jan. 1, 2016, for his first duty station day in the state.
“Since we’ve been here, we’ve loved the Colorado atmosphere, the view, the people … everything about this area is just absolutely fantastic,” explains Brad. The Akers decided that they wanted to raise a family here. “We ended up adopting two older boys,” he continues. “They’re now 15 and 19. And then, by some awesome miracle, we had a little boy. He’s now 3. And we just had a newborn. She was born a few months ago. So, this is where we’re going to settle. This is where we love. This is home.”
Finding a New Business Calling with Graze Craze
Brad owns a nationwide phlebotomy business with his mother, which is successful. But when he got closer to retirement, he and Sandra sat down and talked. They really wanted to do something together and have something, just for themselves and their family. That’s when they started looking at franchises. “Because we didn’t want to have to reinvent the wheel like we did the phlebotomy company,” Brad says. “We wanted something that was already established, something that was a well-oiled machine, so we would just be able to run it and enjoy it.”
They found a franchise broker in Denver, who gave them a list of about 15 franchises that were close to their interests. Graze Craze was the very first one on the list. Brad explains, “As soon as she talked about Graze Craze, Sandra and I looked at each other, and we just knew that it was it. I mean, their motto fits our lifestyle. Everything that we heard just resonated with us in a really positive way.”
The franchise broker started to go into number two and number three picks. Brad and Sandra just stopped her and said, “Hey, Graze Craze it is. We don’t need to listen to it anymore because that sounds perfect.”
For the Akers, everything that the brand was about, bringing a healthy alternative to the Colorado Springs area, the freshest ingredients on the market, and artfully selected meats and cheeses on a platter. That resonated with them. “And that’s when we decided to go with Graze Craze, and we haven’t looked back since,” Brad explains.
Different Styles of Food Boards
Their standard menu is made up of four styles. The first one is called the Gone Grazey, which is a platter bursting with a variety of cured meats and cheeses along with a lot of colorful fruits and vegetables, plus a touch of something sweet. “We do put a few little pieces of chocolate and some sweet grapes on there,” Brad says that is really kind of the perfect board for any type of casual affair or small celebration.
They also have a Grazey for Keto board, which allows people to stay within their dietary needs yet gives the protein elements with fewer carbs and sugars than perhaps are found on other boards. The keto board also comes with a house-made cottage cheese dip for the vegetables.
Another board they create is the Vegegrazian, which is their vegetarian style board, which is for the “grazers” that are looking for a light and artful approach to dinner, a party, or a luncheon. “And it comes with, again, our house-made dips and jams,” Brad says. The Akers have a classic hummus, a roasted red pepper hummus, and a roasted beet hummus, all made in-house.
The final board on the standard menu is the Sweet & Grazey, which is the signature dessert platter that has gourmet chocolates, baked goods as well as traditional sweets. “Everything is handcrafted to really bring a sweetness to any occasion,” Brad explains. A board can be crafted to meet a customer’s specific needs, but the Akers’ expertise and pairing methods are key to bringing it together.
Brad gives an example of how everything can go well together. “If you get a Gone Grazey board, we have an amazing house-made lemon dill mayo, which we serve with some artisan bread, some baguette bread, and some multigrain bread. I mean, that housemade dip on some of that multi-grain bread with our fennel-spiced ham is absolutely phenomenal. I would have never thought to have eaten it before I started this business. And now I have it just about every day for lunch.”
The Akers also make handmade jams, which include a cran-orange jam as well as a raspberry jam. On just about every single board except for their keto board, they include cranberry walnut bread. Brad says those dips and jams are just phenomenal on the breads. “It’s the tastiest thing I’ve ever had.”
Specific Gourmet Cheese and Meat Upgrades Available
Sandra adds that, on all their boards, a customer can upgrade or add more cheeses if they have that palate for the finer taste of cheeses or have a specific selection. “One of my favorite ones is our red wine merlot cheese, which is just absolutely delicious. It is for adults and people who like to dabble in the different types of cheeses out there.” She says they also have gouda, which is also nice and rich. “So, I think that helps add to the boards where you can have a simple board and have the simple cheeses, or you can upgrade it, and add on all those extra almost gourmet-type cheeses.”
Brad says that since they arrived in Colorado Springs, he’s noticed the food scene changing dramatically in a good way. “And the really neat thing about our boards is that there’s a little bit of something for everybody. I mean even with our classic board or our vegetarian board, you’re going to have some of those cheeses that are a little bit more upscale, just very premium upgrades that really appeal to any palate of any type. Whether you’re a young child or you’re a senior citizen looking to just kind of lounge and eat in your living room, there’s a little bit of everything for everyone.”
To check out and say hi to Brad and Sandra Akers at Graze Craze, North Colorado Springs, visit www.grazecraze.com/north-colorado-springs-co.
