Photoby Nicole Roegner

A native Arizonan, Debrah Roberti briefly lived in New Mexico, where she fell in love with chiles and heirloom beans and developed an appreciation for the freshly ground spices that define Southwestern cuisine.

Back in Mesa, Roberti started the Arizona Spice Company in 2008 because she couldn’t find salsa and spice mixes that weren’t too salty or loaded with preservatives, or in the case of dry spice mixes, didn’t contain anti-caking additives.

“Other spice companies have called me and asked me what anti-caking ingredient I use, and I say ‘a butter knife,’” she says with a laugh.

Arizona Spice Company makes a variety of sauces, spice blends and soups, and the company recently released two new soup mixes.

Anasazi Bean Soup mix contains heirloom Anasazi beans with a seasoning mix of New Mexican green chile, onions and herbs. Rattlesnake Chili is a legume jackpot featuring Anasazi and creamy bolita beans (also heirloom), pinto and black beans, with a hefty dose of chile powder (red and green) as well as cumin and garlic.
 
Put a pot on the stove and the kitchen will smell rich with chile and spices – pure comfort on a chilly day. ($10 each) Visit the Mesa retail store Tu-F, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., or purchase online.

Arizona Spice Company
909 E. Main St., Mesa
480-632-2168
azspiceco.com