WHEN SANTA FE NATIVE Marshall Berg uprooted himself to Portland, Oregon, in 2008 for college, he missed New Mexico chile. So he purchased chile from a New Mexico packer and started roasting outside the Rose City’s grocery stores and restaurants. The business flourished, and in 2012, Berg launched Los Roast. Today, he sells jars of his chopped green chile and other products throughout the country. “We’re trying to provide the best, most authentic example of New Mexico–grown chile,” he says. Berg moved to Deming in 2019 to construct a unique production facility. “We custom built our own roasters, peelers, and choppers,” he says, noting that chiles go from the farm to the jar in less than 24 hours. For 10 years, he partnered with Jim Wrench, owner of Santa Fe Olé, to produce never-frozen, shelf-stable chile products. After Wrench passed away, in 2023, Berg founded Best in the West, the parent company for Los Roast and Santa Fe Olé, which is working to create organic, shelf-stable chile products. With Los Roast, Berg has partnered with a traditional New Mexico chile grower who is transitioning to full organic farming. “It’s in the ground now and will be ready by fall,” he says.
Shop Los Roast’s chopped New Mexico green chile, along with other red and green chile products, at losroast.com.