Residents in the Pacific Northwest are being introduced to New Mexico Green Chile thanks to an entrepreneur from New Mexico. Kienna Rodriguez talked with Marshall Berg, founder of Los Roast to learn how his company is evolving.
Kienna Rodriguez: Marshall, thank you for joining us.
Marshall Berg: Thank you so much.
Kienna Rodriguez: What influenced you to bring Hatch chile to the Pacific Northwest?
Marshall Berg: I was born in Santa Fe, grew up New Mexico, grew up in the restaurant industry, worked in a bunch of restaurants in Santa Fe in high school, and got a love for New Mexico cuisine and chile. It's definitely a whole culture that you kind of are born into. And so, I realized how much of my culture I was missing. People come to New Mexico for a year and fall in love with chile and then go back. There was a big, big gap that needed to be filled.
Kienna Rodriguez: How has Chile introduced new ideas to the community in Oregon?
Marshall Berg: We're definitely introducing it to new people. I mean, if you haven't seen chile roasters during the season, you see like a huge amount of Peppers. People don't buy Peppers in the quantity that New Mexicans buy Peppers. It's been great to definitely introduce the culture to new people. Educate. So yeah, it's definitely started a new tradition for some people up in Portland.
Kienna Rodriguez: Best in the West purchased Santa Fe Olè in 2023, how did this affect chile production?
Marshall Berg: We were working with Santa Fe Olè, Los Roast kind of had our geographical region, Santa Fe Olè had their geographical region and we're working on bettering the product. We're both really obsessed with the quality and different production methods, kind of came out of those different skill sets and we were sharing knowledge and information and getting up to this point. Santa Fe Olè was doing a lot on the canning side and we were doing a lot on the roasting side, developing roasting equipment, peeling equipment, putting small lines together. And so the collaboration kind of came out of those different skill sets and we were sharing knowledge and information and getting up to this point, it’s been a really great partnership for Los Roast and it formed this new company Best in the West, but unfortunately the owner passed away. One of my mentors and so it’s been a lot to integrate and now have both brands, but luckily we have the same goals and vision and now we built the plant together. So now we’re able to really getting all of ideas. I just wish he was here to share it with me.
Kienna Rodriguez: Where else in the nation has your business grown or sold to?
Marshall Berg: Los Roast is primarily in the northwest Northern California, so Seattle, Idaho, getting down into Utah and Northern California, the West Coast side of the brands now and Santa Fe Olè and be found in a lot of places all around New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, a lot of East Coast and a lot of stores up in the Northwest, Portland, Seattle, and New Mexico.
Kienna Rodriguez: I have one last question for you. Red or green?
Marshall Berg: I go back and forth like all the time. I think it depends maybe on the green year on the season and what I know about the chile. And then also maybe how much it beats me up every season if it's a little nicer to me, I'll, I'll eat it a little bit more. But honestly, we figured out the red and I've been, like, obsessed with red ever since unlocking its secrets. So, I mean, right now I'm smelling green. Red is a sneaky contender, so.
Kienna Rodriguez: I think I will always be green, but I hope someday I will try your red chile.
Marshall Berg: I will make sure that happens.
Kienna Rodriguez: Marshall, thank you for joining us today.
Marshall Berg: Thank you so much. It was great.
