The Past
Chipotle is the process of smoking and drying chiles for preservation. Its history dates back to the ancient Aztec civilization. Legend has it that smoked chile emerged from Teotihuacan, north of present-day Mexico City. Chipotle could be found at marketplaces in Teochtitlan, the capital city of the Aztecs. The Aztecs learned that by applying the same drying process that they already used on their meats, they could preserve chile for later use. The pods were treated by using a smoke-drying process, which resulted in a hard, grayish-tan, smoke infused chile that is both hot and flavorful. The most common variety of Chipotle is the red jalapeno, but can also be found in different varieties of chile.

The Present
“The Pepper Pantry-Chipotles,” by Dave DeWitt and Chuck Evans, describes Chipotle as being...”grayish-tan, quite stiff, and is often described as looking like a cigar butt.” This might be an accurate description for other producers of chipotle, but it doesn’t fit our product. While most of the chipotle found in stores today is imported from Mexico, ours is made in Texas under strict quality and processing standards set forth by state and federal regulatory agencies and our company.

The Future
One of our main goals is to show the world that you don’t have to settle for inferior chipotle and specialty chile. We want to provide a cleaner, better tasting alternative to what is currently available in retail stores. As a consumer, you should be able to know where your chile is coming from, our packaging is clearly marked with the Go Texan logo. We also continue to search for and experiment with different varieties of chipotle and specialty chiles to add to our ever growing product line.

Smoking Process
In order to obtain a perfectly smoked chile, we take the following into consideration:

• The origin and quality of fresh pods.

• The moisture level of pods.

• The type of wood used to generate the smoke.

• The amount of time chiles are exposed to smoke and heat.

• The protection of the product from extraneous contamination.