Our Story

Dam Spice Co. was built from generations of passion for great food, handcrafted seasonings, and the art of smoking meats. The journey began in the mid-1980s when the Orlowski family started creating homemade spice blends, BBQ rubs, and brines inspired by countless hours around the smoker.

At the heart of it all was Leo Orlowski, who was always experimenting with new ways to prepare brisket, turkey, ham, bacon, fish, and more. Every smoke session led to another recipe — a new seasoning blend, brine, or rub that family and friends couldn’t get enough of.

In the early 1990s, Leo, along with Jackie, Patricia, and Chris Orlowski, opened family-owned meat markets in Parker and Castle Rock, Colorado. Their handcrafted seasonings quickly became customer favorites, often selling out as fast as they could make them. The meat markets became the perfect place to refine recipes and build a loyal following around their unique flavors.

As the years went on, Patricia and Chris continued expanding their knowledge and experience throughout the food industry. In 2006, they opened a restaurant in Calhan, Colorado, where their custom spice blends and smoked meats once again became a huge success with customers. After selling the restaurant several years later, they moved into restaurant consulting and mechanical services, working with more than 200 restaurants across Colorado. Many of those businesses still use the original seasoning recipes today.

Chris’s background as a butcher, pitmaster, and sausage maker — including 15 years training under a European Master Sausage Maker — helped shape the quality and authenticity behind every blend they create. Together, Patricia and Chris now bring more than 40 years of experience in restaurants, meat processing, BBQ, smoking, and seasoning development.

In 2021, they brought their passion to New Mexico, purchasing an RV park and opening the Dam Diner and meat shop near the historic El Vado Dam. Surrounded by the flavors and culture of the Southwest, they expanded their collection of seasonings using both Leo’s original recipes and new creations inspired by New Mexico cuisine.

Today, Dam Spice Co. proudly offers a growing collection of handcrafted spice blends, BBQ rubs, sausage seasonings, brines, soup mixes, dips, and more — all made with all-natural ingredients and absolutely no fillers or additives.

The name “Dam Spice Co.” comes from the company’s location just one mile from El Vado Dam. What started with the Dam Diner evolved into Dam Meat Co. and eventually Dam Spice Co. — a name as memorable as the flavors themselves.

Just DAM Spices.