Shipping policy

Please note that items from different product categories will ship separately.  

STANDARD SHIPPING

We offer economy shipping on FROZEN ITEMS to most of the lower 48 states; your rate shows at checkout. (Frozen items can ship to Alaska and Hawaii with Overnight service only.) Orders for perishables placed after certain cut-off days and times will not be shipped until the following week. This is because if we ship late in the week to some locations, your order will sit somewhere over the weekend and spoil. Frozen items such as Roasted Hatch Green Chile, Tamales, and Rellenos ship Tuesdays and Wednesdays only. Which of the two days depends on how far the box has to travel, because the dry ice is sized to the transit time. Frozen and fresh never ship Thursday or Friday, so no box sits in a depot over the weekend.

SHIPPING SPEED

Please keep in mind that this is from the day we ship your order, not the day you place it. Paying for Overnight (Next-Day) service after our cutoff for shipping a given product will result in the product being shipped out on the next regular shipping day for that product. 

ADDRESS REQUIREMENTS

To guarantee delivery we must have the complete and correct address. We absolutely cannot deliver to PO Boxes for frozen products, fresh green or red chile, roasters, or ristras. Certain dry goods that qualify for USPS service can ship to a PO Box — please call us first at 575-267-2067 so we can confirm your items qualify. Once a shipping label has been printed for an order, we cannot change the shipping address. This includes shipping labels that are printed outside of business hours (8 am - 5 pm Mountain Time). Please contact us if you have any specific questions about your shipping address.

SHIPPING FOR FRESH CHILE

• This is a perishable product. Shipping Protection is optional; our standard damage and frozen warm-arrival remedies apply whether or not you purchase it.
• Fresh chile ships unrefrigerated and normally arrives at outdoor temperature. Warmth alone is not spoilage. If fresh chile arrives spoiled or damaged, tell us within 4 hours of the carrier's delivery scan and send photos. Report ordinary transit damage within 24 hours of delivery, including frozen food that arrives cold but crushed or split (within 4 hours of the carrier's delivery scan for fresh chile). We offer a replacement or refund of the affected items on every order, regardless of shipping speed or Shipping Protection.
• Overnight is the only shipping speed offered for fresh chile.
• Fresh Chile is shipped in a vented produce case to allow airflow while in transit.
• Fresh Chile is shipped on Wednesdays during the season. The Friday 4:00 PM MT cutoff determines eligibility for the following Wednesday; actual shipment depends on harvest availability for your heat level and your place in the order queue.
• If weather impacts our shipping schedule, we will notify you via email.
• All fresh chile orders are shipped via UPS.

SHIPPING FOR FROZEN ITEMS

• These are perishable products. Shipping Protection is optional; our standard damage and frozen warm-arrival remedies apply whether or not you purchase it.
• For frozen items arriving warm or at room temperature, contact us within 4 hours of the carrier's delivery scan for a free reship of the affected items, regardless of shipping speed or Shipping Protection. Send photos of the box and the affected items, and tell us if you prefer a refund or credit. Do not eat or refreeze warm frozen food. Frozen items that arrive cold but crushed or split: tell us within 24 hours of delivery, with photos, and we reship the affected items. Please send photos of the box and the affected items as they arrived. We need them to file a damage, spoilage or warm-arrival claim.
  
• In extreme summer heat, Overnight shipping is recommended.
• Orders ship Tuesdays and Wednesdays only. Addresses three days out ship Tuesday so the box lands before the weekend; addresses one to two days out, and all Overnight orders, ship Wednesday. The cutoff is 2:00 AM MT on the ship day.
• Please call or email us if you need your order to arrive by a certain date so that we can prioritize it.
• Frozen Items ship in a 100% recyclable insulated container on dry ice.
• All frozen items ship via UPS from our two partner distribution centers in NJ and CA. We use these DCs so that most frozen orders can ship by economy service; some states, plus Alaska and Hawaii, are Overnight only (the options for your address show at checkout).

SHIPPING FOR DRY GOODS

• Non-perishable products ship daily. Dry goods to Alaska and Hawaii don't have to ship Overnight; 2-Day or 3-Day service is usually less expensive than Ground, and your options and rates are shown at checkout.
• Please allow 1-2 business days to process your order.
• Please call or email us if your order for sauces, salsas, nuts, seasonings, posole products, and dried chile needs to arrive by a certain date.

SHIPPING FOR RISTRAS

• Our Ristras and Wreaths are handmade from November until we run out of dried chile, and shipped Tuesday and Thursday each week. 
• They are shipping in 100% recyclable packaging via UPS.
• We do not ship to PO Boxes.
• We do not guarantee a rapid turnaround time. Please call or email us if your order needs to arrive by a certain date. 

SHIPPING FOR ROASTERS

• Chile roasters are built to order, one at a time. Please allow 2 to 4 weeks before yours ships.
• We create the shipping label when your build starts, so your tracking number will work before the roaster actually moves. That is normal, not a delay.
• Once it ships, allow 3 to 7 business days in transit.
• We do not ship roasters to PO Boxes.
• We do not guarantee a rapid turnaround time on roasters. Please call or email us if your order needs to arrive by a certain date.

SHIPPING FOR SWAG

• All Hatch Chile Swag is custom-made to order. 
• Please allow 5-10 business days for your order to be made. 
• We do not guarantee a rapid turnaround time on swag, so please call or email if your order needs to arrive by a certain time. 

STANDARD SHIPPING PROCEDURES

Our carriers (USPS/UPS) are authorized to leave all packages at the destination without signature. This ensures that your items will not spoil due to multiple delivery attempts. We are not responsible for boxes that are delivered when the recipient is out of town or unaware that a box must be opened and placed in the fridge or freezer.

GIFTS

Purchased Shipping Protection covers confirmed porch theft after basic checks for misdelivery: check the delivery photo or location, nearby doors, household members, and carrier delivery details. A delivery scan alone does not establish theft. Report ordinary transit damage within 24 hours of delivery, including frozen food that arrives cold but crushed or split (within 4 hours of the carrier's delivery scan for fresh chile). We offer a replacement or refund of the affected items on every order, regardless of shipping speed or Shipping Protection. Please confirm the recipient’s complete delivery address. We are not able to change the address or cancel an order once a shipping label has been printed. Please ensure your recipient will be in town the week we are shipping your order to them. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you need to change an address.

SPECIAL REQUESTS

It is possible to request a delivery week by calling in your order. We do our best to honor special requests made during checkout but do not guarantee that requested delivery dates or other special requests can be carried out. If you have a special request for your order, please don't hesitate to call us and ask. We’ll do our best to do what we can!