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Friday, 17 February 2006 |
 BY KEVIN REINHOLD
Serious cooks, erudite professionals and casual foodies know that fresh herbs are essential in the creation of great food. Perhaps in your pantry now are dried herb relics from at least the first Clinton Administration. They are of no use to you; you must go to your finer grocer armed with two simple words “Aroma Fresca.”
Aroma Fresca is a small, local grower and provider of certified organic herbs. Susie Blott began this concept in 1996 when a chef friend was pet sitting for them in Rio Rancho. This friend asked if they could use some of the herbs in her garden. Alas, Aroma Fresca was born in the Blott's kitchen. Blott and her husband, Paul moved to New Mexico via Los Angeles in 1987 where she began working at the Animal Humane Shelter. She credits the TVI entrepreneurial workshop she took in 1996 for making this small venture possible and believes that her “little guy” status motivates her to focus on quality and customer service to set her apart.
 Today, Aroma Fresca is housed in a tiny industrial park just a stones throw from Balloon Fiesta Park. They supply Cid’s Market and Tara’s Ice Cream in Taos, the Aztec Cafe in Santa Fe, Paisano's, Trattorio Trombino and Fano Bread in Albuquerque and both Pasta House and Turtle Mountain Brewery in Rio Rancho. You may find the Aroma Fresca label aboth La Montanita Co-op locations, as well as Whole Foods and Wild Oats statewide. All of these relationships are not just luck. Blott works extremely hard to keep her herbs growing along with the business. To see the operation is to know the quality Blott demands. The coolers she has were picked up wisely at a restaurant auction and are sparkling clean. She credits her employees above all--“I could not do it without them,” she states firmly. Twelve gloved hands sort the herbs that have been meticulously washed. Her actor husband has slowly been drawn into the business too. He was a maelstrom of herb organizing activity during my entire visit.
So what happens to all the herb and stems that don't quite make the grade? They go back into the compost heap to keep the organic cycle going. The real bugaboo of the operation is the basil. Blott keeps the prima donna in its own cooler between 50-55 degrees, while the rest of the gang sits together around 38 degrees. The difference between her herbs and others are that hers will taste better and last much longer. She keeps the cycle spinning long enough from soil to store that she can provide the absolute freshest herbs possible.
Blott also says that immediate future plans for plans for the "Saint Basil of Aroma Fresca" (her own term for the company) includes selling her certified organic tomato plants. She also has a few good ideas on the horizon for those who are looking in the right places. If you've ever thought about the great chile tradition and pride of New Mexico, it makes sense to support local growers of non-chile foods.
A brief word on “certified organic.” According to the New Mexico Organic Commodity Commission, organic foods supply the freshest, most nutrient dense and flavorful products around. Plants that are grown from organic seed are among some of the requirements. Forget the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. In the place of this are methods such as cultivation, crop rotation and beneficial insects and/or botanical materials. Now this is not quite “pure food” and the NMOCC is quick to point this out. For more information and list of organic NM growers check out: nmocc.state.nm.us or call 505 841 9066 and see what "organic" really means.
AROMA FRESCA HERBS | 8612 Paseo Alameda St. NW Ste F in Albuquerque | 505 890 4134 | aromafrescaherbs.com
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