At both Empower Field at Mile High and on the shelves of liquor stores around the state you may see a bottle with an orange and blue label featuring the Broncos throwback helmet.
It’s the limited edition honey whiskey, a partnership between Breckenridge Distillery and the Broncos. The honey used in it also represents a full circle moment for one man who describes himself as the number one Broncos fan in Africa.
Omar Lababidi was born in Estes Park and later moved to Nigeria as a teenager. He loves both of his homes.
“So much of my life has been about merging Nigeria and Colorado,” Lababidi said.
His first home, Colorado, is home to his favorite team, the Denver Broncos. He’s not just a lifelong fan, either. His grandfather, Richard Kitchen, was one of the team’s founding members as the secretary of the board.
“Quite wild when you think about it,” Lababidi said.
In his second home of Nigeria, he picked up another passion, West African honey. He said his first taste nearly left him speechless.
“It was so rich and so beautiful, you know? Luxurious,” Lababidi said.
Wanting to share that feeling with the rest of the world, Lababidi founded Goldswarm, the company now producing the honey he said is unlike anything made in the U.S.
“The bees are foraging through these unique forests all throughout West Africa that have not been bothered by pesticides or industrialization,” Lababidi said.
Recently, his two passions came together. A partner asked if they could send a taste of Goldswarm to Breckenridge Distillery for a possible collaboration.
“I was like, please god let them love this!” Lababidi said.
They did love it. So much so, in fact, they used it to make their limited edition Broncos honey whiskey.
“I was so thrilled when they were excited. It meant so much to me, like it was certain validation that Breckenridge Distillery, like, the top of the top, would love my honey,” he said.
For Lababidi, what better way to merge his two homes than through the football team that literally runs in his blood.
“Goldswarm honey is being sold at Empower Field at Mile High. That’s incredible,” he said. “I’m just full of joy and excitement.”
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
