LAFAYETTE - For those who want to send a slice of Colorado to a friend, new gift-box company Regional Makers Market LLC can help.

The Lafayette-based company sells specialty food boxes that include items such as organic dried apples and peaches from Colorado's Western Slope and gourmet chocolate bars made in Breckenridge and dipped in wax so they don't melt. Other boxes include Colorado postcards and hand-carved wooden tiles from beetle-killed pine trees.

Founders Peter and Anna Fargo decided to start the company to "give the gift of place," according to their website: regionalmakers.com. Box prices start at $25. Every gift box is recyclable and biodegradable, according to a company press statement.

The company also plans to give 10 percent of its profits to Colorado conservation initiatives, Anna Fargo said in the press statement.

Best Organics Inc. in Boulder is a similar specialty gift-box company that focuses exclusively on organic products. Prices start at $28. Best Organics products are available online at americasbestorganics.com.

Both Peter Fargo and DeYarus emphasized each company's different niches: "Colorado" for Regional Makers, and "organic products" for Best Organics. Both companies sell their products online.

"Competition is good," DeYarus said.