New Mexico Fresh Foods will open the first HPP tolling facility in the Southwest on Thursday, June 17, in Albuquerque. 

“New Mexico is a great location for the first and only HPP service provider in the Southwest, not only for its geographical importance for serving the fast-growing food and beverage industry in the greater Southwest region, but also because of the vast amount of food and beverage production that already exists locally in New Mexico that wants to expand,” says Kelly Egolf, CEO and Founder of New Mexico Fresh Foods (NMFF).

“We are looking forward to working with NMFF to expand our salsas and sauces into the fresh, refrigerated section of grocery stores with the help of HPP processing,” says Joey Garcia of El Rancho de los Garcia’s. El Rancho de los Garcia’s is an established family restaurant known statewide for its commitment to local ingredients, and it also has a line of excellent salsas and sauces, which are currently only available in grocery
stores as a shelf-stable variety.

HPP uses ultra-high pressure purified cold water to keep packaged food and drinks pathogen-free and to stay fresh longer. Food and beverages are subjected 87,000 pounds of pressure per square inch, the same amount of pressure as at six times the deepest part of the ocean. At this very high pressure, bacteria such as Listeria, E. coli and Salmonella are destroyed.

“Tractor Brewing Company is eagerly waiting for the NMFF facility to open because it can help source local apple juice for our hard cider. Every fall, we release small batches of cider made with New Mexico apples, but because it’s so hard to find processed local apple juice, NMFF will open opportunities for us to have access to more fresh ingredients,” says Skye Devore from Tractor Brewing Company and Troubled Minds Distilling.

“We are excited to connect the entrepreneurs coming out of our Food Business Training Program to New Mexico Fresh Foods to further our mission of creating a vibrant local food system and providing fresh, local food to our community,” says Anzia Bennett of Three Sisters Kitchen, a downtown Albuquerque nonprofit community food space.

Food categories that NMFF processes using HPP include meats, ready-meals, salsa, guacamole, fruits, vegetables, juices, salad dressing, wet salads, dips, pet food, baby food, dairy and seafood. Also, NMFF is the only producer of fresh whole-leaf hemp juice in the U.S.

In addition to HPP, NMFF provides other services, including co-packaging, co-manufacturing, palletizing and freezer- and cold-storage. “We at CannFusion Juice are excited that New Mexico Fresh Foods offers three services vital for our national growth: juice co-manufacturing expertise, in house HPP and a hemp manufacturing license. Working with NMFF allows us to minimize our startup costs and focus our attention
on getting our product to market," stated Lindsay Irwin, CannFusion Co-Owner.

The following companies and organizations will have sample tables at the June 17 event:

El Rancho de los Garcia’s Salsa

El Rancho de los Garcia’s salsa is a family-owned business from Portales, New Mexico. They’ve been offering delicious and traditional New Mexican salsas and sauces since 1975 and were winners of the 2008 and 2009 Scovie Fiery Food Award. El Rancho de Los Garcia’s salsas and sauces have been one of the fastest-growing product lines in New Mexico.

CannFusion Juice

CannFusion Juice is from Amarillo, Texas, and is launching a line of juice shots with cannabinoids this summer. In looking nationally for a co manufacturer, CannFusion was thrilled to learn of NMFF, a company so close to home, that specializes in juice manufacturing with in-house HPP and that also has a hemp manufacturing license.

Tractor Brewing Company

Tractor Brewing Company was founded in 1999 with the vision of making craft beer approachable and inspiring a love of craft beverages in everyone we encountered. Today the brewery produces a core offering of easy-drinking, accessible beers, ciders, and spirits.

Three Sisters Kitchen
Three Sisters Kitchen is a nonprofit community food space in the heart of downtown Albuquerque—a place where delicious, affordable, and locally produced foods come together to nourish our community from the ground up.

About New Mexico Fresh Foods
New Mexico Fresh Foods (NMFF) is the first High Pressure Processing (HPP) facility in the Southwest. HPP is the fastest-growing food processing industry because it extends the shelf life of fresh foods without the need for chemical preservatives or heat. HPP kills harmful bacteria, viruses and molds on food but does not affect color, taste or nutrition. HPP products proudly carry a “clean” label. NMFF also offers additional services, including co-packaging and co-manufacturing of beverages, dips and dressings, case packing, palletizing and freezer- and cold-storage.