Farm-to-table store maintains Bustamante family tradition

Last year’s second place in the New Mexico Chile Taste Off has led to something even better for local shoppers with the opening of the Bustamante Farms produce store in Lemitar on Saturday.

Fifth-generation green chile farmers Ken and Shaina Bustamante saw a steady stream of customers throughout the day as people came to check out the fruits and vegetables, they had available.

There was no room in the parking lot for one customer who wheeled in front of the store across the street in his John Deere tractor. A few minutes later, he emerged with a fresh watermelon and a sack of produce in hand and drove away with a smile on his face.

“Everyone has stepped up to help us get started. Our family was all for it when we talked about the idea, and we had some luck in getting the building,” Shaina said. “They (family and friends) were all here to help and get hands on. They liked the idea. There’s a sense of pride.”

As the couple talked about their dream project, their three boys, Kasen, Ryland, and Callahan, were a whirlwind of activity. Despite their young ages, the boys already know their chili.

“Part of this project was the opportunity to be around our boys more,” Shaina said. “Ken grows the chile, and he has to travel to sell it, but we can sell it right here.”

Right here is at 11 Chambon Road in Lemitar, where the couple purchased the building last Oct., and together, they have turned it into a beehive of activity over the previous couple of months in preparation for their opening. There are apples, peaches, jalapenos, zucchinis, watermelons, sweet corn, cucumbers, cantaloupe, raw milk, pinon coffee, locally raised beef, spices, and more.

“Most of the produce is ours. We have our honey. We have bouquets of flowers. I have a field I pick them from,” Shaina said.

It’s kind of hard to imagine Shaina going from picking a bouquet of local blooms to working full-time as a heavy equipment operator. Still, she’s already a veteran at the Bureau of Reclamation.

“I grew up on the farm. My brother got me into heavy equipment operation. They asked me to join and be a laborer,” Shaina said. “I was a laborer for one day, and after that, they threw me on heavy equipment ever since then.”

Her skills also can come in handy if Ken needs help in the chile fields. As a farmer and a salesman, he’s got his eyes on what the other farms are doing.

“Competitive rates are the biggest problem and, of course, finding labor. Some people have to worry about water if they are on a water bank,” Ken said.

Together, the Bustamantes are also working on ways to make their business a place to visit during the seasons, with a pumpkin patch planned for the fall festival season. The start of the total green chile harvest is just a couple of weeks away.

“The chile looks really good this year. It was hot the last week or so, and that was a little hard on the plants, but they look great,” Ken said.

Saturday’s opening was a test of how things would go, but Bustamante Farms’s goal is simple.

“We’re hoping that when people visit here, they leave and go tell their friends about our great produce, friendly customer service, and we’ve got the best chile in the valley,” Shaina said.