Smart, focused content strategy helped transform the Hatch chile from a beloved regional favorite into a national obsession.
Recently, while trolling the cheese counter at Whole Foods, I spied a display of Cheddar cheese flecked with Hatch chiles.
“Must have ….” I thought. Kinda like Homer Simpson murmuring, “Donut …”
Of course, I bought some.
Fresh Hatch chiles, a beloved ingredient in Southwestern cooking, have a fleeting six-week season. Melissa’s Produce used smart content marketing and live events to take the regional specialty national.
Then I realized my Pavlovian response was the result of ace content marketing.
If you don’t happen to live in the Southwest and you’ve had a yen for Hatch chiles lately, you probably have Melissa’s Produce to thank for it.
Over the past two decades, the company has promoted the green chile from a regional specialty to a national obsession with annual chile roastings across the country.
And they used content to help make that happen. Here’s how:
Start With a Great Story
The Hatch chile hails from the dinky town of Hatch, N.M., and lends Southwestern cuisine its distinctive flair, thanks to rich soil nourished by the Rio Grande and hot sunny days followed by cool nights. If this sounds like the terroir of wine, it is.
The chiles grow to about 6-8 inches and look much like their descendent, the California Anaheim. But they boast a meaty texture and more complex flavor and heat, which ranges from mild to X-hot. It’s the only chile pepper with that kind of heat range.
The Hatch has a fleeting, end-of-summer season from early August to mid-September. It’s kind of like the Beaujolais Nouveau of chiles — if you don’t stock up now, you’ll have to wait until next year’s harvest (or used canned Hatch chiles in the meantime).
All over New Mexico and throughout the Southwest, people buy 10, 20, 30 pounds or more and have them roasted to freeze and use throughout the year.
Joe Hernandez, owner and president of Melissa’s, is one of those folks in the know: He grew up in El Paso, Texas, where Hatch chile season is always a big deal.
The chile’s limited availability enhances its mystique — and offers a story that’s worth telling every year.
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Educating consumers about the Hatch was a key part of Melissa’s strategy. The company put a ton of information on their website, then took to new content platforms as they became available — their push started way back in 2002, long before there was such a thing as social media. Last year, they self-published Melissa’s Hatch Chile Cookbook, with ideas for using the chiles in everything from Bloody Marys to brownies.
They also engage lots of brand ambassadors, from food bloggers and influencers to celebrity chefs. One season, Chef Jet Tila starred in a YouTube video that fuses the Hatch with another food obsession: Sriracha hot sauce.
And they’ve steadily extended the product line beyond fresh chiles to include dried chiles, Hatch chile powder, salsa, snacks, and more. Those kinds of product extensions help keep the story fresh.
Give It Time
Hatch chiles weren’t an overnight sensation — Melissa’s first started distributing them outside the Southwest in 2002. They began doing Southwestern-style roastings a few years later, starting in Southern California. Now they’ve teamed up with chains like Bristol Farms, Wegmans, and Hyvee to host Hatch chile roastings are all over the country.
“It’s the Hatch roastings that really fuse all the marketing of the fresh Hatch season outside the Southwest,” says Robert Schueller, director of public relations at Melissa’s. “We’re getting people who have always been afraid of chiles to eat them for the first time (this is the only chile you can get in mild, medium, hot and X-hot).”
Indeed, it’s an event. Melissa’s sets up giant machine that rotates as the chiles as they roast at screamin’ high heat. It’s reminiscent of a lottery ball machine, only in this case everyone’s a winner. You can smell the smoky aroma of roasting chiles when you pull into the parking lot.
“We get a ton of emails and calls every June and July about our roasts that we conduct nationally in August and September. It’s very much a unique thing that happens in front of the stores every season now.”
And, of course, smart content helps whet that appetite.
How to Handle a Hatch Chile
Even if you don’t have a local chile-roasting event, chances are you’ll still spot fresh Hatch chiles as supermarkets this time of year. Here’s how to prep them at home:
- Place chiles in single layer on a sheet pan and roast them under the broiler for 15 minutes or until their skins blacken, turning them halfway through.
- Transfer the roasted chiles to a bowl, cover it with a plate, and let stand 15 minutes, until cool enough to handle. If you’re using them right away, pull off the roasted skins, remove the stem and seeds, and proceed with your recipe.
- NOTE: A lot of recipes direct you to peel/seed roasted chiles under running water. Melissa’s Chef Tom Fraker advises against doing this as it rinses away all the delicious smoky flavor of roasting.
- If you don’t need to use the chiles right away, cool them completely, skip the peeling step, and pack them into heavy-duty plastic freezer bags. You can freeze them for up to two years. Thaw them in the fridge, then peel, seed, and use ’em.
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Hatch Chile Romesco Sauce
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 food processor (or blender)
Ingredients
- 6 Hatch chiles
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1 medium onion, cut into ½-inch slices
- ½ cup whole wheat bread cubes, toasted
- 3 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Move the oven rack to the top position and preheat the broiler.
- Arrange the chiles, tomatoes and onion in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with foil. Broil 15 minutes or until the skins are blackened, turning halfway through cooking time.
- Transfer the chiles and tomatoes to a large bowl, cover with a plate, and let stand 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Peel and seed the chiles and tomatoes.
- Combine the chiles, tomatoes, onion, and garlic in a food processor and process until chopped. Add the bread and nuts and process until chopped. Add the oil, vinegar, and salt and process until smooth. Transfer to a clean jar and refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 2 months. (Makes about 2 cups.)
Notes