New Mexico's food producers and processors have dreams bottled up in their salsas, jams, ciders, stews, syrups and sauces.

Entrepreneur Cindy Barreras of Santa Fe wanted to produce the state's first certified organic salsa. Sugar-free dessert maker Joseph Semprevivo wanted to launch a new line of maple syrup. Jim and Cleda Hawman wanted to squeeze a specialty foods business from a 20-acre berry and garlic farm.

For help, they turned to Willis Fedio, a food technology specialist who joined NMSU's Cooperative Extension Service in May 1999.
A microbiologist, Fedio pokes his pH meter into countless jars of salsa to make sure the products are properly acidified to prevent deadly botulism. He does microbial counts, water activity tests and accelerated shelf-life studies to ensure that processed foods won't spoil. He teaches groups from food processors to fair visitors. And he helps businesses understand rules and unravel problems with regulators.

Cindy Barreras makes a kettle of salsa for  the organic Cindy's de Santa Fe label.

I find it really satisfying to help people develop products that allow them to stay on the land or supplement their incomes, Fedio says. It's really more than just making jam or salsa.

Barreras' dream was to be in business for herself after 13 years as part of a family catering operation. A customer complimented my salsa and asked me why it wasn't on the market, she says. I decided I'd see what I had to do.

Her research found a gap in New Mexico's salsa market: No one had a product with organic certification.

Bringing the product to market, however, took more persistence than she had imagined. I've been a cook practically all my life, and I've made a lot of salsa, Barreras says. I thought it would be easy. Boy, is it hard.

Barreras met Fedio while struggling with the Nutrition Facts panel for her salsa. He analyzed her product and gave advice on filling out Food and Drug Administration (FDA) paperwork. He stuck by me all the time, Barreras says.

She picked up more information at an FDA food processing certification school at the University of Arizona in January 2000. Ralph Price of Arizona and Fedio teamed up to teach the course, which will also be offered in New Mexico.

You don't have to be a big company to have an acceptable product, Fedio says. I encourage processors to start small and think big.

By May 2000, seven months after Barreras began, the first batch of Cindy's Salsa de Santa Fe was ready. I was there on the first day she used her salsa kettle, Fedio says.

Barreras marketed her salsa to a number of local specialty food stores. She also participated in New Mexico product promotions at the State Fair in Albuquerque and the Southern New Mexico State Fair in Las Cruces.

I didn't think it would start selling this quick, Barreras says. Her future plans are to buy a filler, capper and electric dicer to speed up production. Now, she's pursuing a larger market: the organic foods sections of Albertson's stores statewide.

Fedio also works with established food processors such as Joseph's Lite Cookies, a family-owned company that sells its sugar-free cookies, candies and brownies worldwide. Chief Executive Officer Joseph Semprevivo, diagnosed with diabetes at age 9, inspired the company's products.

Before launching the company's newest line of sugar-free maple syrup, Semprevivo asked Fedio for help in analyzing it. Fedio, who had just outfitted a lab for microbial testing, offered to get started on the spot. We hit it off, Semprevivo says. I couldn't believe how consumer-oriented he was.

Fair fare: Willis Fedio, Extension food technology specialist, left, and Jim Hawman of the Truck Farm sample visitor Sydney Wilkinson's reaction to New Mexican foods at the State Fair in Albuquerque.

Fedio detected no microbial growth on the syrup plates. He also did an accelerated shelf life study. We found out the syrup is fine and dandy, with a good shelf life, Fedio says.

To follow up, Fedio visited the Deming plant to check the product's water activity the amount of moisture available for bacteria to grow in. The lower the water activity, the safer the product. Tests showed a safe reading of below 0.85.

Food safety is a priority for Semprevivo, who has a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan in place, though it's not required. HACCP plans, which are mandatory for meat and seafood processors, provide controls at points of possible contamination.

Having a HACCP plan shows a commitment to food safety, Fedio explains. It's definitely a benefit for Joseph, both in terms of product safety and in differentiating himself from the competition.

Trading the corporate world for a value-added farming and food business appealed to Jim and Cleda Hawman of the Truck Farm in Mesilla.

I worked in corporate America for a long time, and while it's a great place to learn, you can't build a legacy there to give to your family and the community, Jim says.

The former plant manager and part-time farmer had moved his family to the country more than 15 years ago. Our kids are basically grown, and I feel that planting the berries and hauling the hay have been invaluable life experiences for them, says Cleda, a retired teacher. Being able to hold onto the farm and having it now to help us with the business has provided an experience for us in our retirement' that is just amazing.

With only 20 acres, the Hawmans opted for raspberries, blackberries and garlic. At first, they supplied Dan Lowry, a local farmer and food processor. When he wanted to get out of the business, the Hawmans bought his store as an outlet for their own berries, pies, gifts and garlic.

Soon after, the Hawmans invested in two other small-scale food processing operations whose owners were relocating. They met Fedio when a regulatory snarl involving one of the new businesses temporarily closed its doors.

Willis had been here only a month and a half at the time, but he already knew the person we needed to talk to, and he called to find out what was going on, Jim remembers. We found out it was a misunderstanding, and we were back in business the next day.

From the left, Jim Garcia, Brandon Garcia and Raymond Ortega of El Pinto Restaurant sought Fedio's advice to safely process their award-winning entry in the State Fair's green chile cookoff.

In addition to his work with food processors, Fedio does educational programs throughout the state. Known for having an infectious sense of fun, he uses a handout titled Life begins at 40 degrees to show how refrigeration slows bacterial growth.

As education chair for the New Mexico Food Producers and Proces-sors, Fedio gives updates on new food packaging technology and other timely topics.

Fedio's fun-loving side emerged when he played BAC man, a champion of food safety, for up-coming videos. The videos, which were shot throughout the state, are part of a national campaign to Fight BAC short for bacteria. Instead of a cape, Fedio dressed for the settings, wearing costumes from a lab coat to a Navajo blanket.

This fall, he was part of the New Mexico HACCP Educators group that staffed a hand-washing booth for three weeks at the New Mexico State Fair in Albuquerque.

More than 7,000 people spread a special Glowgerm lotion on their hands, then washed. By inspecting their hands under a black light, they could see glowing spots they had missed. Handouts attached to bars of soap reminded them to lather for 20 seconds long enough to sing the alphabet song once or the happy birthday song twice.

You're trying to wash away the stuff on the outer layer of skin, the transient microflora, Fedio explains. As an example, I always tell people to think of the Peanuts character Pigpen, who stirs up a cloud of dust wherever he goes. That's what you're trying to wash away.

Even the state's chief executive had to come clean. Fedio cajoled Gov. Gary Johnson, who was unveiling a logo for New Mexico products at the fair, into visiting the booth.

I told him after glad-handing all day, he really needed to wash his hands, Fedio says with a twinkle in his eye.

Fedio, a Canadian, says his job has given him an appreciation for the people and foods of New Mexico. I've probably gained 10 pounds since I've been here, he says. I can't believe I once thought you could eat a cheeseburger without green chile.