Alpen Fuel

In the summer of 2018 Alpen Fuel Founder Shaun Durkee was preparing for a weeklong backpacking trip in the Beartooth Mountains of Montana. He wanted to try some healthy new backcountry food options from new brands. But since there wasn't an online resource where he could efficiently get everything at once, Shaun once again settled for whatever the local stores had on hand. Does this sound familiar? They figured there had to be a better way to quickly and economically purchase all of the backcountry food products needed for a backpacking trip.

Shaun and his wife Emily started Alpen Fuel in the fall of 2018, and began stocking their online store with many different quality food products from smaller brands. Alpen Fuel began as a small side business while Shaun pursued his engineering career with a laser optics manufacturing company. All Alpen Fuel profits were put towards growing the business. In June of 2020, Shaun was laid off from his job as a result of the economic downturn surrounding COVID-19. After being laid off, Shaun and his wife Emily decided to pursue their passion - grow Alpen Fuel into a full time business. They started by launching four flavors of high octane breakfast granola in the fall of 2020.