Bueno Foods

Bueno Foods in the news

Read this article from the LA TIMES about NM Green Chile.

Read Gene Baca's op-ed from the September 6, 2009 Albuquerque Journal

Chile: New Mexico's pride and joy

New Mexico has long been known for growing the best chile in the world because of its climate, altitude, soil, and seed. Based on this information, does it matter if New Mexico loses its chile? According to a recent scientific poll (June 2009), conducted by Research & Polling, Inc., it does matter to consumers.

80% of NM consumers say it is important that the chile they purchase is grown in New Mexico.

92% of NM chile consumers are concerned about the decline in chile acreage across the state.

77% of consumers feel that New Mexico grown chile is better than chile grown in other states and the majority of consumers feel that chile from New Mexico is better than chile grown in Mexico and other foreign countries.

73% of respondents say it is important that processors, grocers and restaurants purchase New Mexico grown chile.

98% say that food safety is important to them with 92% saying it is very important.

75% of respondents feel that chile grown and processed in the U.S. has higher standards of food safety compared to chile grown in foreign countries.

90% of NM chile consumers agree that government officials should do everything in their power to ensure that chile continues to be grown and processed in New Mexico.

Save Our Chile, Save Our Culture

Without consumers, restaurants, processors, and farmers working together, New Mexico 's state question could easily become: “What country does your chile come from?” Don't let it happen. Ask for New Mexico-grown green chile at your favorite restaurant and grocery store and get the best in the world. Today, chile is a cultural icon and the one food that defines our New Mexican heritage, our culture, and our cuisine. Our father Joe Baca used to say, “I was bred on red and weaned on green.” Where would we be without our New Mexico-grown chile? Help save New Mexico chile!

Buy New Mexico Farm Grown Green Chile!

Help Keep New Mexico Green!

Green chile season is one of our busiest and best seasons at Bueno Foods. We harvest green chile in the fertile Rio Grande and Hatch Valleys of New Mexico, flame roast it, and flash freeze all within 24 hours of harvest. One of our most treasured New Mexican crops, however is losing ground in the chile industry.

We all love our New Mexico-grown chile and consumer demand is skyrocketing throughout the U.S. But did you know that the New Mexico chile industry is suffering and has been in decline for the last 15 years?
Today, New Mexico grows only one third of the acres grown in the early 1990s. In 2008, New Mexico grew 11,000 acres down from 35,000 acres in 1992.
At it's peak , New Mexico 's chile industry, made up of long term, family-owned farms and small family-owned businesses, provided 5,000 full time jobs and 10,000 part time jobs to New Mexicans. Those numbers have dropped almost in half.
Since NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement), New Mexico chile farmers and processors were not protected and have faced severe foreign competition. Imports from China , India , Peru and Mexico account for about 82% of U.S. consumption of chile.
And many of your favorite restaurants and even other brands of chile (if you buy anything other than BUENO ® ) may be using chile from Mexico , Peru , India and China.

But there is good news! This trend can be reversed and the Chile Industry has already made progress. Bueno Foods, along with a host of growers and processors in the New Mexico Chile Association (NMCA), and researchers at New Mexico State University are leading the effort to save New Mexico 's chile. With harvesting automation, research and development, and most of all, with YOUR help, by asking for New Mexico grown chile, the trend can be reversed and New Mexico can be reinstated as the chile capital of the world.