The heat is on for Hatch chili pepper season

When the waiter walks briskly by your table, what he’s carrying may be the best food ad of all. You know, the sizzle.

It may be a freshly seared steak or a freshly made batch of piping-hot fajitas.

If it sizzles, it gets everyone’s mouthwatering. It gets noticed. After all, most of the senses are engaged: sight, smell, when the server brushes by (that’s touch), and of course, the sound — that telltale, off-the-grill sound.

It’s sort of like in the classic poem "The Odyssey" with Homer’s account of how the sirens’ song was of temptation; the luring sound of the sizzle is irresistible.

What does all this mean for produce retailers? It’s almost time for Hatch chili pepper roasting season. The crackling, aromatic popping and sizzling that lures shoppers ever closer to watch, to absorb the sensory moment — and to buy.

Many years ago, I scratched out a 10-Minute Merchandiser piece with more details in The Packer’s Produce Retailer Magazine (now Produce Market Guide), merchandising summer’s hottest commodity.

The famous chili peppers from Hatch Valley, N.M., will soon be in harvest from around early August to late September. Especially in the western states, vendors start sprouting up along street corners. Their welded, cage-like barrels spin slowly over propane-fueled burners while within them the chili peppers roll, crackle, dance and tumble as the chilies’ skin begins to char to perfection.

Regular chili pepper customers already know this, but to the uninitiated, advise them to repack the chilies, with charred skin on, into Ziploc-type bags and store in the freezer until needed.

If your chain or store chooses to set up a roasting station area on your lot or front sidewalk, it’s a big commitment, but it’s also a powerful draw. Customers are drawn to the aromatic smoke. They love the theater, and your store can drive sales and make a lot of new friends.

However, if you’re thinking of doing so, you must plan what to do now:

• The essentials — Now’s the time to source (buy or rent) some heavy-duty, quality chili pepper roasters, as well as secure the propane, the work area, the permit (most cities require a fire marshal inspect and approve all phases), the added labor, the training, and of course, the chilies.

• Setting up the roasters — You will need to cordon off the roasting area for safety. Position the roaster(s) so that the hinged gate spills open toward the customers watching or waiting in line at a safe distance. Ensure all safety precautions are in place: fire extinguishers, heavy elbow-length oven mitts, tongs, etc. Have everything needed within reach, such as heavy-duty packing bags, boxes and brooms, as well as everything necessary for safe handling, production and cleanup.

• Presentation — Around the perimeter of the roasting area on tables, neatly display all the different varieties you wish to sell, either roasted or unroasted. Hang attractive and neat signing so that customers can immediately see what varieties you have, what you’re doing and your roasting prices. Consider offering full bags, bushels and half-bushels for sale. Another good way to move product is to fill some small Ziploc-type bags with roasted chilies on the spot for smaller orders. Call attention to your roasting area by hanging dry chilie Ristras and strings of garlic bulbs for added sales and color. Be creative with placement of shipper burlap bags, bushel baskets, cross-merchandised items and related decor.

• The team — Secure enough labor to operate your roasting operation for the desired days and hours. These clerks are your store’s representatives, so choose those who are not only willing to stand the heat and roast away, but also those few who can engage in friendly conversation and who interact well with shoppers, offering tips and sampling. Ensure all members are thoroughly trained in all phases of the procedure, how to manage sales and especially all safety points.

Chili roasting can be one of the highlights of a strong produce operation as the summer days wind down. Keep the area well maintained, the chilies fresh and rotated and allow all the crackle and popping — and the sizzle — to resonate for as many days as you wish to help promote this growing, fiery category.

I heard one clerk’s sales pitch: “Chilies warm us in two ways. Sure, when it’s roasted today in the summer sun, but imagine months from now on a freezing-cold winter day when you take a bag out of the freezer and add these wonderful gems to whatever recipe you like. The spice, flavor and endorphins kick in — and you’ll get warm all over again.”

That, in a nutshell, is selling them the sizzle.
Armand Lobato works for the Idaho Potato Commission. His 40 years of experience in the produce business span a range of foodservice and retail positions.

Related: More insight from Armand Lobato