The caffeine craze has reached the snack-food industry, and Colorado is the seedbed.

Caffeinated SumSeed sunflower seeds are grown by Erker Grain Co., of Fort Morgan, and processed in Willow Lake, S.D. Nick Erker is setting up Colorado distribution and marketing for SumSeeds, which also are bolstered by energy-drink ingredients taurine, lysine and ginseng.

Erker has been involved almost since the start of the venture through an old friend, Doug Cossette, SumSeeds' roaster. "When they started up at the end of last year, they were looking for a couple of pallets of seeds to try out," Erker said. "Most growers won't ship less than a truckload, but since we're friends, I sent them."

Cossette sent samples as he tried various recipes and roasting methods. Erker says he wanted to get involved as soon as he tasted them. "They really are delicious. They keep your mouth busy, and they also give you a noticeable energy boost. I think they're going to be a big hit."

Distribution is limited to the upper Midwest, which provides sunflower seeds in addition to Colorado's. SumSeeds president Tim Walter says the original salted SumSeeds have been selling briskly there at $1.99 per 3.5-ounce bag, and he's about to introduce three new flavors: honey barbecue, dill pickle and salt-and-pepper, plus a 1.75-ounce bag for 99 cents.

If all goes well, Erker should return from South Dakota with his first truckload of SumSeeds any day. He hopes to have them on the shelves of metro-area convenience stores within a month.

Until then, if you're looking for that boost only pumped-up sunflower seeds can provide, order them at Sum Seeds.com.

• The Western Slope is known chiefly for its peach crop, but that might change if Chris Webster has his way.

Webster runs the Fruit Stand, a booth at the Cherry Creek farmers' market, and he raves about the Athena cantaloupes he's bringing in from Okagawa Farms in Grand Junction. "They're just phenomenal, and they're about the same price as the Rocky Fords," he said.

The heat has made it a good year for Colorado cantaloupes, which should be plentiful through mid-September at around $2 to $3 a melon at supermarkets, fruit and vegetable stands and farmers' markets.

There was some concern in March that Colorado's melon crop, dependent on pollination by honeybees, would be threatened by colony collapse syndrome, which had killed millions of honeybees in the United States. Fortunately, the threat didn't materialize.

Do you have a tip on a new food product or trend in groceries? Contact Janet Simons at simonsj@RockyMountainNews.com, 303-954-2547.