About
Heart of the Desert
Welcome to the state’s first and largest producing pistachio groves.
New Mexico’s pistachio industry started here.
Owned and Operated by the Schweers Family Since 1974
Our Pistachios
Heart of the Desert pistachios are grown under the desert sun on our farm in southern New Mexico. Each September, we harvest up to 200,000 pounds of fresh nuts and process and package them right here on the farm. Our seven flavors highlight New Mexico’s culinary staples, featuring Hatch green and red chile, jalapeños, onion, garlic, salt, and lime. Bring fresh heat to your kitchen with our flavored nuts, or enjoy a classic snack with our salted/unsalted and roasted options. All pistachios are available for sample every day at any of our locations.
Our Wines
Heart of the Desert wines showcase our seven varieties of grape vines, grown in the same soil as our pistachios and harvested every August. Our award-winning lineup features traditional wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, as well as flavorful proprietary blends like our Pistachio Rosé. If you like our spicy pistachios, try them with a glass of our Malvasia Bianca. If you prefer a handful of regular salted and roasted, pair it with a glass of sweet Gewürztraminer. Stop by any of our locations for free wine samples seven days a week.
Try free samples of Heart of the Desert pistachios and wines every day at any of our locations.
Our Story
In 1969, Major George Schweers (USAF), his wife Marianne, and their three kids were stationed at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, New Mexico. George and Marianne were high school sweethearts who grew up farming in Nebraska. They always planned to return to agriculture after military service, so when George retired in the early ‘70s, the Schweers family had a new mission—find a crop that could grow in the desert of southern New Mexico.
The Start of New Mexico Pistachios
After months of researching what might grow in a desert, a connection from Holloman AFB contacted the Schweers, having heard of the family’s farming pursuit. He offered to sell his 400 two-year-old pistachio trees, and George and Marianne bought them. This deal was the start of a new industry in New Mexico.
A New Industry Takes Root
The whole family, including kids Gordon, Laura, and Jean, worked the new farm daily. Being the only pistachio grove in the state, everything was done by hand, as there was no support industry in place for harvesting or processing pistachios.
After five years, the Schweers planted another 700 trees. This was a huge undertaking for a family of five, but with the help of the Alamogordo High School baseball team, where Gordon was pitcher, they were able to complete the farm’s first expansion.
Some of the first pistachio trees planted at Heart of the Desert in Alamogordo, New Mexico, circa 1974.
In the beginning, everything was done by hand, including harvesting the nuts (shown here).
Drying the nuts was originally done manually on our hand-built drying tables.
Founder and farmer George Schweers with young pistachio trees, sometime in the 1970s.
Our very first full bin of fresh New Mexico pistachios, ten years after the first trees went in the ground.
Our original sign, pointing folks to the first “storefront,” the dining room table at the family farm house.
The original storefront, back when we were known as Eagle Ranch. Alamogordo, New Mexico, 1986
George and Marianne Schweers inside the Alamogordo store soon after its grand opening.
Breaking Ground on the First Store
In the early years, the family sold their pistachios out of their dining room. They eventually broke ground on their first retail location in 1986, establishing the same storefront in Alamogordo that’s still open daily for pistachio sampling, wine tasting, and farm tours. In 2003, a vineyard of 12,000 grape vines was planted about half a mile south of the store.
50+ Years of Growth
Over half a century later, Heart of the Desert has expanded to 13,000 pistachio trees and 24,000 grape vines. It has developed a line of award-winning wines, created gourmet pistachio candies and cookies, and added a popcorn factory on-site. In Alamogordo, The Patio at Heart of the Desert provides an extraordinary event setting for weddings and private events amongst some of the farm’s longest-producing pistachio trees.
You can visit the farm and shop the original storefront in Alamogordo, or you can stop by our other locations in Mesilla and Las Cruces. You’ll find our homegrown products across the state of New Mexico and nationwide in small groceries and select Whole Foods.
Over 50 years later, Heart of the Desert pistachios are still grown, harvested, processed, and packaged on-site in Alamogordo, New Mexico.