Horse Tail Trails

Anyone who has lived in New Mexico knows that there is something about the chile.  Many people who leave the state find themselves longing for the spicy food in one form or another.  Chile elsewhere just doesn’t have the same taste.  So how can a New Mexican outside of their state survive?

Enter Chimayo To Go, a mail-order chile distributor.  Located in Ojo Sarco, it is run by Terry and Mary Cordes and has been in business since 1998.  This couple personally packs and ships a wide range of products, from chile powder to ristras to salsas.  A lot of what they sell they make themselves.

Chimayo To Go originally started out selling other people’s products.  As the business grew, so did the opportunity for expansion.  Today the Cordes’ own two different product lines, Cibolo Junction and Chimayo Traditions.  They sell not only chile, but many different Southwestern foods, jellies, coffee, bread mixes, soup mixes, candies, and even cookbooks.

So how does a business like this start?  “I was the general manager at Rancho de Chimayo,” Terry Cordes says, “We started selling our red and green sauce.  At the time I thought, ‘That restaurant gets people from all over the world,’ and I thought we should do a catalog to sell those products.”  The restaurant staff had too many other things to take care of and was too busy to tackle another project, but Cordes and a friend of his started their own catalog based on that idea and the business grew from there. 

Today Chimayo To Go ships directly to customers all over the world.  People from Canada and Europe are regular customers.  In more recent years, shipments to Iraq have become common as well, with soldiers wanting a taste of home.  The busiest months for the company are from October to December.  With their selection of great gift boxes, it’s no wonder the holidays total more than half of the yearly revenue.

The best way to find the full product line is to order from either the printed catalog or online.  However, many New Mexico supermarkets, (including Whole Foods, Sunflower Market, Alberston’s and Smith’s,) gift shops, tourist shops and specialty stores carry Cibolo Junction and Chimayo Traditions.  Most of the carriers of the products are located in New Mexico.  “We do sell a little bit outside of the state,” says Cordes, “but not that much.  We concentrate mostly inside New Mexico because mostly it’s just Mary and I.  We just don’t have time to beat the bushes outside of the state.  It takes a lot of resources.”  There are a few other states where their products are carried, including places as far as Pennsylvania and Florida. 

“I would say for a cottage food industry, New Mexico chile is probably bigger than any other,” Cordes says, “For a home-based, home-grown industry, it’s bigger than any other food types in the country.”  The most popular item they sell is red chile powder. “I wasn’t even that familiar with red chile until we moved here 20 years ago,” Cordes remarks, “We sell more red chile powder than anything.”  When asked what his personal favorite product is, Cordes responds that he likes the Chimayo Traditions Medium Salsa.  “Made the recipe up to what I like, so it’s my favorite of all time,” he laughs.

For ordering information or to find out how to get Chimayo To Go products in your store, check out their business listing in our directory:  Click Here