About Us

Andy Hageman arrived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 2008 as an award-winning hotelier, restaurateur, and author. He’d honed his chef skills back in Corfe Castle, Dorset, England, but once he landed stateside, he dove headfirst into local cuisine and fell in love with preparing food the “New Mexican way” – where Hatch chile finds its way onto just about everything.

His passion for New Mexico’s signature ingredient led him to develop some exceptional chile jams, and Sandia Spice was born. He even secured FDA approval for his red and green chile jam recipes. But life threw a curveball when Andy became disabled following some serious hospital complications. He discovered that producing his jams commercially would require a co-packer, and finding a local one proved impossible.

So Andy and his wife Sue pivoted. They decided to take their deep knowledge of Hatch chile and channel it into something they could make right at home under New Mexico’s cottage foods laws: handcrafted spice rubs. These blends capture everything Andy learned about balancing the smoky, earthy flavors of red and green Hatch chile – perfect for BBQs and smokers.

Sue runs the day-to-day operations and handles all the logistics, while Andy develops the recipes and manages what he can. Together, they’re bringing the authentic taste of New Mexico chile to backyard pitmasters and grill enthusiasts, one small batch at a time.

Today, Sandia Spice offers four distinctive spice rubs featuring the Hatch chile that made Andy fall in love with New Mexico cooking in the first place. Each blend is made by hand in small batches and available for local pickup or shipping within New Mexico.