NM chiles are a hot commodity
The Hatch Chile Store ensures the iconic peppers are enjoyed all over the world
Chile is a source of good food and cultural pride for people in the Land of Enchantment. Whether red or green, there are few things New Mexicans cherish more than chile. July was National Culinary Arts Month, and even though we are blessed to enjoy our cultural foods every day, we should take this opportunity at the beginning of harvest season to reflect upon the role they play in defining our heritage, and how new advances in digital technology and e-commerce continue to expand their influence to kitchens and serving tables the world over.
Chile peppers have been cultivated in New Mexico for centuries. Considered our state’s signature crop, chile peppers serve as the basis of a highly complex industry. Today, the crop ranks sixth in the state for cash receipts from agricultural commodities, and the chile pepper industry employs thousands of workers from Santa Fe to the Hatch and Rio Grande valleys.
It wasn’t long ago that skeptics predicted the end of the chile industry in New Mexico. Their predictions proved to be ill-fated as chile production has remained healthy in recent years. According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 8,100 acres of chile were planted in 2017. In all, some 7,600 acres of that was actually harvested. The value of New Mexico red and green chile production in 2017 was also estimated at $44.6 million, an increase from the $41 million value in 2015.
My great, great grandparents founded (a) commercial green chile farm in New Mexico’s Hatch Valley nearly 80 years ago. Our extended family currently farms over 1,000 acres of prime farmland in the Hatch Valley and has been in the produce business for more than 100 years. Our history dates back over five generations to Joseph Franzoy, the first farmer to grow chile there.
In 2005, while still a young teen, I launched The Hatch Chile Store with the understanding that Hatch chile peppers were famous because of where they’re grown. After purchasing my grandparents’ share in the business, I grew The Hatch Chile Store into one of the largest online retailers of fresh chiles and salsas in the United States.
Today, because of ... the internet, we are fortunate to provide certified chile peppers grown right in the Hatch Valley to consumers all over the globe.
Despite the storied history of our harvests, the Hatch Chile Store has always turned to 21st-century innovation to heat up our contributions to culinary cuisine across America. ... This has led our peppers to be sold at more than 150 retail locations nationwide. All told, more than 50,000 customers will enjoy our harvest in 2018.
The Hatch Chile Store takes great pride in being able to continue our family’s legacy of sharing our famous produce with chile aficionados, chefs and culinary masters in more than a dozen countries. Our fans enjoy our chile and are passionate about New Mexico. The internet is allowing us to do that. Not only during this harvest season and Culinary Arts Month, but throughout the year, as well. That’s a cultural lesson the whole world can enjoy.