ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Grocery stores across New Mexico are playing host to the state’s official aroma this week: The smell of green chile roasting!
Market Street in Rio Rancho is roasting chile for customers and selling a wide range of green chile foods during the Hatch chile season.
“Anything that you could think of, we have green chile in it.” said store director Julio Acevedo.
Acevedo said the store gets five deliveries of Hatch chile each week, totaling between 300 and 400 boxes. Employees roast the chile for customers and the store also makes foods including chile salmon burgers, meats and green chile quiche.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said New Mexico led the nation in chile production in 2025. The state produced more than 54,000 tons of chile with a crop valued at about $54 million.
“It’s part of the soil, part of the heat. It cultivates here, and that’s what makes it special,” said Acevedo.
