Whole raw green chile, picked in our Hatch Valley fields the morning it ships and sent overnight. Our family has grown chile here since 1917. Choose Mild to X-Hot, roast it at home, and freeze what you don’t use: roasted chile keeps 12+ months in the freezer.
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31,900+ Reviews
5th-generation family business
Never imported
Green: typically late July into October (the Hatch chile harvest), with timing dependent on weather. Red: typically follows in October, once the same pods ripen on the plant. Outside harvest, order our pre-roasted frozen chile, flash-frozen at the same harvest.
Via UPS air, Wednesdays only during harvest season, picked and packed the morning it ships. We do not cold-ship: no insulation, no ice packs, no dry ice. Fresh chile travels at room temperature in a vented box. Fresh chile ships Overnight only.
Yes — fresh raw chile needs to be roasted (and usually peeled) before most uses. We sell home propane roasters separately. If you don't want to roast yourself, order our pre-roasted frozen chile instead.
Refrigerated unroasted: 4–7 days. Roasted and refrigerated: 3–4 days. Roasted and frozen: 12+ months.
We ship fresh chile on Wednesdays only during harvest season, picked the morning it goes out. Chile is a crop, so every week is different: some weeks the field gives us a lot, some weeks less, and ship dates can move. It's first come, first served, and we'll email you your ship date the Friday before your chile ships, so go by that email.
⚠
CA WARNING
WARNING: Consuming this product can expose you to chemicals including lead, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/food ↗ (opens in new window).
Reviews.io · Verified buyer according to Reviews.io
Ordered a total 65lbs. Mix of Medium, Hot, and X-Hot green chiles. Shipped up to North Pole, Alaska. They arrived in perfect condition! We roasted, peeled, chopped and packed it all same day to stock up for the year. Will definitely be ordering from here for years to come! Thank you!
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Reviews.io · Verified buyer according to Reviews.io
Ordered a total 65lbs. Mix of Medium, Hot, and X-Hot green chiles. Shipped up to North Pole, Alaska. They arrived in perfect condition! We roasted, peeled, chopped and packed it all same day to stock up for the year. Will definitely be ordering from here for years to come! Thank you!
Imported from Reviews.io. Original incentive status is unknown.
Reviews.io · Verified buyer according to Reviews.io
Ordered a total 65lbs. Mix of Medium, Hot, and X-Hot green chiles. Shipped up to North Pole, Alaska. They arrived in perfect condition! We roasted, peeled, chopped and packed it all same day to stock up for the year. Will definitely be ordering from here for years to come! Thank you!
Imported from Reviews.io. Original incentive status is unknown.
Reviews.io · Verified buyer according to Reviews.io
The chile is very good! A little milder than expected, but still very nice. Living away from NM, it's wonderful to still be able to stock the freezer and have the flavor of New Mexican cooking.
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Reviews.io · Verified buyer according to Reviews.io
as I said before nothing like hatch chili the best of all breeds of chili nothing compares, I made different recipes with the 5 lbs I got and the family loved each and every one. The only thing is I Know how to contact you all so not so many e-mails please I will order from you in the future just slow the e-mails thank you
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5/5 stars · Sarah G · 2026-10-01 15:30:38 (source time; timezone unknown)
Reviews.io · Verified buyer according to Reviews.io
I know this years harvest has had its struggles, but it’s probably one of the best tasting and hot batches we’ve ever tasted! The extra hot, is EXTRA HOT! Roasting and peeling was easy! Fresh with no loss during shipping! Great batch! Thank you for delivering a taste of home to us that no longer live in NM!
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Reviews.io · Verified buyer according to Reviews.io
This is the second time I have ordered and have been extremely satisfied both times. Their customer service is wonderful and the chiles arrive perfectly boxed and Excellent flavor!! I will order again next season!!
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Reviews.io · Verified buyer according to Reviews.io
Right away I was attracted to the wonderful odor coming out of the box. I was impressed with the size and freshness. Some were used in a large batch of delicious salsa. I then roasted the rest and froze most of them. The aroma while roasting is seductive and I wanted to start eating them immediately. A couple of the roasted ones were used in a white bean chili that was wonderfully delicious . I will use the rest of the frozen ones in recipes during the winter. I hope I have enough.
Imported from Reviews.io. Original incentive status is unknown.
Reviews.io · Verified buyer according to Reviews.io
I think I did this once already...but I had chile sent to my son in September. It was recieve d in excellent shape, all the way in Maine. He was thrilled, as usual!
Imported from Reviews.io. Original incentive status is unknown.
Reviews.io · Verified buyer according to Reviews.io
The chile came in a heavy box so no damage to the chiles.
Of course, I like to say, hatch green chile is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.
The chile was a little milder than expected but very tasty. Every now and then, you get a hot one. I always expect that.
All and all, it’s super tasty and good.
I will be ordering it again next season.
Being from NM and living in NC, it’s great!!
Imported from Reviews.io. Original incentive status is unknown.
Reviews.io · Verified buyer according to Reviews.io
Roasted and frozen ready for the winter I have eaten several , delicious,
So glad I found you I have been hatch chile bereft since I Left New Mexico years ago
Love your recipes
Tess Franklyn
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Same chile, different stages. Green gets picked first, typically from late July into October. It's bright and a little grassy. Red is that same chile left on the plant to ripen, and typically follows in October. It's sweeter and deeper, closer to raisin. Ripening doesn't add heat, so a variety runs the same either way. Most fresh-chile buyers want green. Red is for the cook who already knows what to do with it.
Propane roaster (fastest, best), outdoor grill, or oven broiler. Roast until skin is fully blackened and blistered on all sides (5–15 min depending on method). Place in a paper bag or covered bowl to steam for 10 min, then peel under cool water. Bag and freeze in 1-lb portions.
Fresh chile is hardier than people expect: it travels well at room temperature in a vented box. We pick it Wednesday morning and ship it the same day. The biggest risk is extra time in summer heat, and fresh chile ships Overnight only. Shipping Protection is optional. Ordinary transit damage reported within 24 hours, including frozen food that arrives cold but crushed or split (within 4 hours of the carrier's delivery scan for spoiled or damaged fresh chile and for frozen food that arrives warm), with photos of the box and the affected items, is covered regardless of protection.
Check this product page for current order availability and expected shipping dates. Fresh ships during harvest; preorders, when offered, reserve a later harvest shipment. If you want chile outside the fresh season, our roasted frozen chile is available year-round, subject to stock.
Medium is the one most people order: full Hatch flavor, with warmth that builds instead of hitting you. We tell first-timers to start with Mild, though, because fresh chile can't be returned or exchanged. Mild is also the pick if you're cooking for kids or a spice-shy house. Hot if you already cook with chile most weeks. X-Hot is for chile-heads who want their cooking to fight back.
Every box of fresh Hatch Green Chile ships the same day it's harvested. We pick on Wednesday mornings, pack that afternoon, and your chile is on a truck by evening. Fresh chile ships Overnight only and lands Thursday. No warehouse. No cold storage. No sitting on a loading dock. The chile in your box was growing in our fields that same morning.
This matters because fresh chile is a living, respiring product. Every hour between harvest and your kitchen, flavor compounds volatilize and cell walls soften. A pick-pack-ship chain that all happens on one day means you receive chile with the same firm texture, bright aroma, and roasting potential as if you'd driven to the Hatch Valley and picked it yourself.
Harvested Wednesday AMPicked at peak ripeness from our Hatch Valley fields
Packed & shipped WednesdayBoxed within hours of harvest — never warehoused
Overnight lands ThursdayFresh chile ships Overnight only and arrives the morning after we pack it
Our family has farmed chile in the Hatch Valley for five generations, starting with Joseph Franzoy — credited as the first commercial chile farmer in Hatch, New Mexico. Today, Judy Franzoy continues that legacy, overseeing the fields where our family grows 10+ cultivars across the full heat spectrum. Every box is Hatch Chile Association Certified — your guarantee it was grown in the Hatch Valley, not relabeled from another region.
Chile Varieties We Grow, by Heat Level
"Hatch Chile" isn't a single variety — it's a family of cultivars developed by New Mexico State University specifically for the Hatch Valley's growing conditions. Each cultivar has a distinct flavor profile, pod size, wall thickness, and heat range. Our boxes are Mild (1904, Joe Parker, Machete or NuMex 6-4), Medium (Big Jim or Charger), Hot (Sandia Select) and X-Hot (Lumbre or Miss June, Barker occasionally). Below are the varieties our family grows at each heat level.
🟢 Mild Varieties
0–2,000 SHU
Giuzeppi
Bred by the Lytle brothers and named for Joseph Franzoy, who planted the valley's first commercial chile crop. Exceptionally thick walls and a sweet, almost fruity undertone. Excellent for rellenos because the pod holds its shape beautifully during roasting and stuffing. Pods average 7–8 inches.
~500–1,000 SHU
1904
A heritage-style cultivar with classic Hatch earthiness and minimal heat, the "pure flavor" choice. Long, slender pods (8–10 inches) with medium-thick walls. Ideal for green chile stew and sauces where you want depth without burn.
~1,000–1,500 SHU
NM 6-4 (NuMex 6-4)
The industry workhorse — one of the most widely planted mild Hatch varieties. Reliable, meaty pods with the quintessential "green chile" flavor most people picture when they think of Hatch. Good all-purpose mild for any recipe.
~1,000–1,500 SHU
Esmeralda
Bright green color with a clean, grassy-sweet flavor. Thinner walls than Giuzeppi, so it roasts fast and peels easily. A great choice for first-time roasters or anyone making large batches of green chile sauce.
~500–1,500 SHU
Best for: Chile rellenos, green chile stew, queso, family meals, and anyone who wants full Hatch flavor without significant heat.
🟡 Medium Varieties
2,000–7,000 SHU
Our Medium may be Big Jim or Charger, the variety that is replacing Big Jim: earlier in the 2026 season Medium boxes were a mix of Big Jim and Charger, but Big Jim finished for the year in late September.
Charger
A high-yielding medium cultivar with slightly more heat than Big Jim and excellent roasting characteristics. Thick walls hold up well to high-heat charring. Smoky, savory flavor profile. Pods run 7–9 inches with consistent shape — a favorite among experienced roasters.
~3,000–5,000 SHU
Big Jim
The variety that put Hatch on the map. Developed in 1975 by NMSU's Dr. Roy Nakayama and Hatch Valley grower Jim Lytle — a son-in-law of our family's patriarch, Joseph Franzoy. Big Jim once held the Guinness World Record for the largest chile pepper, at 17 inches. Thick, meaty walls with a balanced warmth that builds slowly. The definitive relleno chile.
~6,500 SHU
Best for: Enchiladas, burritos, green chile cheeseburgers, and anyone who wants noticeable warmth without overwhelming heat. Our most popular heat level.
🔴 Hot Varieties
7,000–11,000 SHU
Sandia Select
Named after the Sandia Mountains near Albuquerque. Delivers serious heat with a sharp, clean bite that doesn't linger as long as some hotter varieties. Thinner walls mean the flavor concentrates during roasting. A long-time favorite for hot green chile sauce.
~9,500 SHU
G-76
A classic NMSU hot cultivar with bold, upfront heat and a slightly smoky, almost peppery finish. Pods are medium-length (6–8 inches) with moderate wall thickness. Excellent blended with a milder variety if you want to dial heat precisely.
~7,000–9,000 SHU
Matador
The hotter sibling of Matador II. Rich, complex heat that builds steadily with a long finish. Works beautifully in slow-cooked dishes where the heat mellows and integrates — posole, carne adovada, and long-simmered red or green chile sauces.
~8,000–10,000 SHU
Best for: Spicy green chile sauce, hot salsa, chile-forward dishes where heat is a feature. Popular with returning customers who've worked their way up from Medium.
🔥 X-Hot Varieties
11,000+ SHU
Ms. Junie
Bred by Jimmy and Faron Lytle at Solar Dry Chile Farm and named for their grandmother, Junie Franzoy Lytle. She is Joseph Franzoy's daughter, and she married Jim Lytle, the Big Jim namesake. Intense, immediate heat with a sharp, almost electric bite, and recognizable Hatch chile flavor underneath. Pods are shorter (5–7 inches) and more compact than milder varieties.
~12,000+ SHU (varies year to year)
Lumbre
"Lumbre" means fire in Spanish, and it earns the name. Bred by the same Lytle brothers, it's the hottest chile our family grows, with a distinctive earthy, roasted Hatch flavor profile. The heat is aggressive and lasting. Recommended only for experienced chile eaters who genuinely want fire. A little goes a long way; many customers blend Lumbre with milder roasted chile to create a custom heat level.
~12,000+ SHU
Best for: Heat lovers, blending with milder chile to customize spice levels, and anyone who finds Hot too tame. Note: X-Hot is priced slightly higher due to lower field yields and more specialized growing requirements.
Why our family grows 10+ varieties instead of just one or two: Different cultivars peak at different times during the harvest season, and each brings something distinct to the table. Growing a diverse portfolio means we can pick what's genuinely at peak ripeness each Wednesday — not force-harvest a single variety to fill orders. It also means your box reflects what the Hatch Valley is actually producing that week, which is as close to the real New Mexico chile experience as you can get without being here.
How Much Should You Order? A Sizing Guide
Fresh chile loses approximately 40% of its weight during roasting and peeling — skin, seeds, and moisture cook off. That's normal. Here's what each box size yields in usable roasted chile, and how far it goes:
Box Size
Usable Roasted Chile
Approximate Meals
Lasts About
Best For
5 lbs
~3 lbs
12–15 meals
2–3 weeks of regular cooking
First-time buyers, small households, weekend cooking projects
10 lbs
~6 lbs
25–30 meals
1–2 months
Families, meal preppers, frequent chile users who want a solid freezer stash
25 lbs
~15 lbs
60–75 meals
6–12 months
Annual bulk buyers who roast and freeze a full year's supply. How most New Mexicans do it.
First-time buyer? Start with 5 or 10 lbs. It's enough to roast a meaningful batch, experiment with recipes, and find out how fast you go through it — most people are surprised how quickly it disappears. You can always reorder during the season (July–October) once you know your household's pace. Returning customers who know they love it: the 25 lb box is the best per-pound value and gives you enough to freeze for the full year.
Portioning tip for freezing: After roasting and peeling, we recommend packaging in ½ cup or 1 cup portions in quart-size freezer bags, pressed flat with excess air removed. Flat bags stack neatly, thaw fast, and make it easy to grab exactly what you need for a recipe. Label each bag with the date and heat level. Properly frozen roasted Hatch chile maintains quality for 12+ months at 0°F. For the full freezing walkthrough, see our roasting and freezing guide.
What Arrives at Your Door
If you've never ordered fresh chile by mail, here's exactly what to expect when the box shows up:
📦 The Box
A sturdy corrugated shipping box sized to your order (5, 10, or 25 lbs). Chile is packed snugly to prevent shifting during transit. No ice packs — fresh unroasted chile ships at ambient temperature and handles overnight transit well.
🌶️ The Pods
Whole, unroasted green chile pods — firm, glossy, and bright green. Depending on the cultivar, pods range from 5 to 13 inches long. You'll notice the distinct earthy, peppery aroma as soon as you open the box. Some pods may have minor field marks or slight color variation; this is normal for fresh-harvested produce and doesn't affect flavor or quality.
📋 What's Included
Chile only — we don't pad the box with leaflets or marketing materials. Everything you need for roasting, peeling, and cooking is on our roasting guide and prep instructions pages, which we recommend bookmarking before your box arrives.
⏱️ When to Roast
Refrigerate the chile as soon as it arrives. For best texture and flavor, roast within 3–5 days. Fresh unroasted chile will keep in the refrigerator for 4 to 7 days, but the sooner you roast, the better the result — cell walls are firmest and flavor compounds are most concentrated right after harvest.
Approximate pod count: It varies by cultivar (Big Jim pods are larger and heavier; Sandia Select pods are smaller), but as a rough guide: a 5 lb box contains approximately 25–45 pods, a 10 lb box about 50–90 pods, and a 25 lb box roughly 125–225 pods.
Buying Questions & Answers
Which box size should I order?
If you've never ordered fresh Hatch chile before, start with 5 or 10 lbs — enough to roast a solid batch and discover how quickly you use it. If you already know you love it, the 25 lb box is the best per-pound value and yields roughly 15 lbs of usable roasted chile, which lasts most households 6–12 months in the freezer.
What heat level should I choose if I've never tried Hatch chile?
We recommend Mild for first-timers, because fresh chile can't be returned or exchanged if the heat isn't for you. Medium is our most popular heat level, with a pleasant, building warmth that showcases the flavor of the chile without overwhelming it. If you're spice-sensitive or cooking for kids, go with Mild — you'll get all the Hatch flavor with very gentle heat. Hot and X-Hot are for experienced chile eaters who actively seek spice.
Can I mix heat levels in one order?
Each box ships as a single heat level. To get multiple heat levels, add separate boxes to your cart — for example, a 5 lb Medium and a 5 lb Hot. Many experienced customers do this to blend heat levels after roasting: a ratio of roughly 3:1 Medium-to-Hot is a popular custom mix.
Do you ship fresh chile year-round?
Fresh Hatch Green Chile is seasonal. Harvest typically runs from late July into October, depending on weather and crop timing. Check this product page for current preorder and shipping availability; preorders reserve a spot in that later harvest shipment. Outside the harvest window, our roasted frozen Hatch chile and jarred chile and sauces are available year-round.
How is the chile shipped? Will it arrive fresh?
We harvest on Wednesday mornings, pack that afternoon, and ship the same day. Fresh chile ships Overnight only — it lands Thursday, the morning after we pack. Fresh unroasted chile ships at ambient temperature in a corrugated box — no ice packs are needed for overnight transit. Shipping Protection is optional; ordinary transit damage reported within 24 hours, including frozen food that arrives cold but crushed or split (within 4 hours of the carrier's delivery scan for spoiled or damaged fresh chile and for frozen food that arrives warm), with photos of the box and the affected items, is covered regardless of protection. For full shipping policies, see our shipping information page.
How many chile pods are in a box?
It depends on the cultivar — larger varieties like Big Jim produce fewer, heavier pods while smaller cultivars like Sandia Select produce more pods per pound. As a rough estimate: 5 lbs ≈ 25–45 pods, 10 lbs ≈ 50–90 pods, 25 lbs ≈ 125–225 pods. You're buying by weight, so the total chile you receive is consistent regardless of pod count.
Can I freeze fresh chile without roasting it first?
Technically yes, but we don't recommend it. Unroasted chile has tough skin that's very difficult to remove after freezing, and the texture degrades significantly. Roasting before freezing transforms the flavor (developing the signature smokiness), makes peeling easy, and produces a much better result when you thaw and cook later. The extra step is worth it.
What if some pods are red or turning red?
Completely normal — especially later in the harvest season (September–October). As the season progresses, some pods naturally begin turning red on the plant. Red-turning pods are fully usable: they roast and peel the same way, and many people prefer the slightly sweeter, more complex flavor of a transitional pod. You're not getting an inferior product; you're getting what the plant is naturally producing at that stage of the season.
How is this different from "Anaheim" or generic "green chile" at the grocery store?
Anaheim peppers are a related but distinct cultivar — typically milder, less complex, and grown in California's Central Valley, which has very different soil and climate than the Hatch Valley. Grocery-store "green chile" (canned or jarred) is usually made from Anaheim-type peppers and processed for shelf stability, which diminishes the bright, roasted character. Hatch chile is grown exclusively in the Hatch Valley of New Mexico, where volcanic alluvial soil, 4,000+ foot altitude, intense sun, and dramatic day-to-night temperature swings produce a flavor profile that hasn't been successfully replicated anywhere else. For a deeper comparison, see our What is Hatch Chile guide.
Is this certified Hatch Chile?
Yes. All our fresh chile is certified by the Hatch Chile Association, which verifies that the product was grown in the Hatch Valley of New Mexico. This matters because "Hatch chile" is not yet a legally protected geographic designation — some retailers sell Anaheim or Mexican-grown chile under the "Hatch" name. The HCA certification mark is your guarantee of authentic origin.
Not Ready to Roast Your Own?
We'll do the work for you. Our roasted frozen chile ships year-round — same Hatch Valley fields, already flame-roasted and partially peeled.
