Big Jim Hatch Chile

Big Jim is the chile that put Hatch on the map. Developed in 1975 at New Mexico State University by Dr. Roy Nakayama and Hatch Valley grower Jim Lytle—a son-in-law of Joseph Franzoy, the valley's first commercial chile farmer—Big Jim once held the Guinness World Record for the largest chile pepper on Earth, with pods stretching past thirteen inches. Its thick, meaty walls and approachable medium heat (2,500–8,000 SHU) made it the definitive relleno chile and a staple in kitchens across New Mexico. Every Big Jim product below is Certified Hatch—grown in the same Hatch Valley soil where Lytle and Nakayama first tested the variety nearly fifty years ago—and flame-roasted, shipped fresh, or jarred into sauces within days of harvest.