The BUENO® Story

Food, Family & Tradition

Bueno Foods (El Encanto, Inc.) has been creating New Mexican products for our customers since 1951. We’re a local, family-owned, minority and woman-owned home-grown company. And we are now celebrating our seventh decade! In these seven decades, we have grown into the Southwest’s premier producer of New Mexican and Mexican-style foods.

Honoring New Mexican Food Since 1951

Bueno Foods stays true to our cultural heritage through the New Mexican food we produce. Our New Mexico history is at the heart of every product we make. We flame roast green chile to celebrate the time-honored New Mexican chile roasting tradition. Like our ancestors before us, we still use the ancient tradition of nixtamalization for our corn products and we continue to stone grind all of our corn for tortillas and tamales. And at the core of our prepared food products are traditional recipes that have been passed down through generations.

Roasted Hatch Green Chile - part of our history

There was a time when New Mexico green chile could only be enjoyed at harvest time. Our Founders, the Baca Brothers changed that. Not only were they were the first to develop equipment to flame roast green chile on a large scale, but they had the idea to freeze it. This allowed us to share the delicious New Mexico Green Chile tradition with even more people all year long!

Bueno Foods has since developed proprietary processes for a variety of roasts that maximizes the best flavor of New Mexico grown green chile. The company continues to be the industry leader in innovation and quality.

What You Can Expect From Bueno Foods

Innovation

At Bueno Foods, we value creativity in our pursuit of excellence. We take pride in our ability to translate authentic New Mexican home recipes into commercial production.

Since the beginning, our company has implemented inventive techniques and processes when none were available. We have been the industry leader, implementing new ideas, techniques, and state-of-the-art technology for the purpose of continual improvement.

Food Safety

We take great pride in the fact that our comprehensive food safety program has received accolades by third party auditors who audit thousands of companies world-wide.

We are SQF Certified (Safe Quality Food part of the Global Food Safety Initiative), one of only a handful of companies in our industry to receive the premier food safety certification.

Superior food safety and premium quality are our passion and our promise.

Quality

Excellence is the Bueno Foods’ Standard. Our dedicated, well-trained Quality Assurance team ensures every product’s superior quality and consistency. Every incoming ingredient and every outgoing product must meet strict specifications. We have a 100% guarantee. Our goal is your complete satisfaction and ultimately, your delight.

The BUENO® Timeline

Learn how Bueno Foods grew from a small neighborhood grocery store into the Southwest’s premier producer of New Mexican and Mexican foods.

Today

BUENO Sign Best

BUENO Sign

Bueno is still thriving and continues to craft incredible and authentic New Mexican cuisine in the heart of Albuquerque. We hope to put some in your kitchen soon.

2024

73 years billboard

Billboard celebrating 73 Years of Bueno Foods

In 2024, we celebrated 73 years of delicious food and wonderful family.

1946

Joe and Ace

Joe Baca and The Ace Food Store, 1949

The Baca Brothers, members of a long-time New Mexican family, returned home after serving in World War II. They scraped together enough money to start a small neighborhood grocery store called “The Ace.”

1947

Bacas In Uniform

Baca Brothers Returning from WWII

At first, the small operation was quite successful. However, when large grocery store chains such as Piggly Wiggly and Safeway came to Albuquerque, the Baca brothers knew they would not be able to compete with the big stores.

They were determined to make their business work, and began to think of other ways they could grow the company.

1948

Filomena at Stove

Grandma Filomena Creating Home-cooked Meals

The Baca Brothers began selling their mother’s delicious meals in the store. The homemade traditional dishes were a hit but the Baca brothers realized their growth would be limited and they needed to expand on their dream.

1950

In the early 1950s every household was getting a freezer. Birds Eye® frozen vegetables were becoming the rage. The brothers had the idea to take chile, roast it over an open flame as the wonderful New Mexico autumn tradition dictated, and freeze it so that people could enjoy green chile year-round. Before this time, chile was only available during harvest or if it was dried.

1951

Pie Crust Roller

First Tortillas Made On Pie Crust Roller

The brothers formed a partnership and moved their operation to Airway Road, the site of their childhood home. They began manufacturing corn and flour tortillas on a pie crust roller, red chile, tamales and posole. And with this handful of products, and 5 employees, Bueno Foods was born.

1952

Original Old Bueno Green Chile Tub

Original BUENO® Green Chile Container

The Baca brothers were the first to process green chile on a commercial scale. At this time, there was no process or equipment to roast green chile in mass quantities so they created it.  They built the equipment and invented the process. 

1979

JoeandJackie

Joe and Jackie Baca Working Together

Second generation, Jacqueline “Jackie” Baca, starts full time, working alongside her father and founder, Joe Baca.

1983

Jacqueline, an M.B.A. graduate of the University of New Mexico, becomes executive vice president. She obtains financing to build a new plant in the Barelas neighborhood, the community where her father and uncles have their roots.

1984

1984 New Plant Rendering

Rendering of New Plant

Grand opening of new plant, modernizing the operation.

1986

Jackie and Gene 2

Jackie and Gene

Jacqueline becomes president.

Gene Baca, graduates Harvard School of Law. Becomes senior vice president.

1989

Catherine Baca Joins

Catherine Baca Joins

First plant expansion.

Catherine Baca, M.D. University of New Mexico and M.P.H. Harvard University, joins company, bringing a health focus to the products and the workplace. Leads R&D and Technical Services.

1992

Joe Ana Cookbook

Joe Baca Teaching Ana The Art of Enchilada Making

Ana Baca, A.B. Stanford University, M.A. University of New Mexico, joins the Marketing Department.  Publishes first BUENO® cookbook.

1996 / 1997

A 10 count package of Grandma's Flour Tortillas

GRANDMA’S® Introduced

Second plant expansion.

Introduction of New Mexico’s favorite tortilla GRANDMA’S® Tortillas.

1999

1026 1 GC NM Autumn Roast® Hot 13oz

Autumn Roast® Introduced

Introduction of Autumn Roast® Green Chile.

2006

Single Chile Preserving NM Signature Crop

Preserving New Mexico’s Signature Crop

Gene Baca, co-founded the New Mexico Chile Association to protect and preserve New Mexico’s signature crop.

2013

1026 2 8327 6 GC NM HatchValleyAutumnRoast®Hot13oz sm

Hatch Autumn Roast® Green Chile Introduced

Introduction of Hatch Autumn Roast® Green Chile.

2015

0123 1 8542 6 Grandmas Skinny Minis 100 calorie Fresh 12ct 7 14 2016

GRANDMA’S® Skinny Minis® Introduced

The GRANDMA’S® brand continues with the newest 100 Calorie Skinny Minis®.

2020

1350 1 Tamales GC Chicken 6 ct. FINISHED

Green Chile Chicken Tamales

Introducing two new on trend tamales: Green Chile Chicken Tamales and Red Chile Pork Tamalitos.

2022

09 Drone overhead

Green Chile Freezer Expansion

Plant expansion that includes a new freezer that will become the largest green and red chile freezer in the U.S.

The Bueno® Vision

Bueno Foods is a company dedicated to its core values, vision, mission, customers and employees.

VISION:

Customers Come First

MISSION:

We share New Mexico’s rich culinary heritage with the world.

PURPOSE:

Our purpose is to have a positive influence on people’s lives through our products and organization.