A love for all things New Mexico

Alientown Cactus and Chile Company LLC, based in Roswell, NM is a fusion of our love for all things prickly pear, New Mexico chile and the interesting history of our little town of Roswell, NM. Alientown is owned and operated by J Kevin Ballard, a Roswell native who recently returned to his hometown after being gone for the better part of two decades. Kevin has always been fascinated by the amazing prickly pear fruit, going all the way back to his childhood picking the beautiful red fruit from the Arizona desert while visiting relatives in the tiny town of Superior, AZ. But it was this most recent harvest season that inspired him to get a LOT of prickly pears from private orchards around the region and get in the kitchen. After experimenting with a few different recipes, he started giving away samples to friends and family. The feedback was so positive that Kevin decided to expand his operations and Alientown Cactus and Chile Company was born.

Of course, green chile is also an integral part of New Mexico cuisine, so it only made sense to include it in our recipes. Our green chile salt adds incredible flavor and kick to tacos, enchiladas, soups, meats, sandwiches and virtually anything else you would put salt on. We incorporate just a hint of our own green chile powder into our candied pecans and peanut brittle. It’s just enough to know it’s there, but you will definitely know you are enjoying a genuine taste of New Mexico with every piece.

Our home base of Roswell, NM is situated in the heart of SE New Mexico’s oil country, but is also teeming with dairy farms and other agriculture. The former home of Walker Air Force Base (formerly Walker Army Air Field), Roswell became uber-famous when - something - allegedly - crashed near Corona, NM, about 60 miles northwest of Roswell.

Legend has it that it was an alien spaceship and this little town will be forever known as the home of the “Roswell Incident.” We’ll let you make up your own mind, but it has been GREAT for tourism and the local economy, so we’ll just say that “We Believe.” Kevin has an “alternative” theory about what happened. Feel free to ask. We’re sure he’ll be more than happy to tell you what he thinks actually happened.

In the mean time, please enjoy the fruits of our labor (and the desert). We promise that our syrup, jelly, chile salt, candied pecans are made from the freshest ingredients, and sourced locally whenever possible. The prickly pears are handpicked right here and the chile comes from local growers including those in the world-famous Hatch Valley.

Thanks for stopping by. We can’t wait to share our love of New Mexico with you!