zest of the south west

Way back in 1943, Carl Roettele had an idea—marry the richness of fresh tomatoes to the zestiness of green chili peppers. The result was legendary and the rest is history.

history timeline
  • texas inspiration texas begginnings Carl Roettele and his wife open a small family canning plant in Elsa, Texas. Together, they process over 25,000 cases of vegetables a year. The combination that they are proudest of is their tomatoes and green chilies.
  • carl rottelle carl rottelle Figuring no one would be able to spell or pronounce Roettele, Carl used the name RO*TEL on his products. It wasn't long before his products were gracing the tables of public figures and politicians throughout Texas.
  • texas begginnings texas begginnings Originally, RO*TEL Tomatoes and Green Chilies were only shipped as far away as San Antonio, Houston and Dallas. They were the biggest cities closest to the town of Elsa, which is at the bottom tip of the State.
  • texas expansion texas begginnings Cans of RO*TEL had made their way to Oklahoma and Arkansas by the mid-50's. The news about RO*TEL Tomatoes and Chilies was slowly starting to spread its way around the USA.
  • texas expansion texas begginnings The wife of a popular politician in Washington bragged to a national magazine about her chili recipe. She revealed to them the secret ingredient that made her chili better than anyone else's. You guessed it—RO*TEL.
  • texas packaging texas begginnings Same original recipe, RO*TEL updates the packaging it is delivered in. An appealing color palette, more appetizing photography and the debut of the star in the logo combine for a more festive look and feel.
  • texas transition texas begginnings American Home Products added RO*TEL Tomatoes and Green Chilies to its family of fine foods. The deal did not go unnoticed by the U.S. food industry. There were more changes to come.
  • texas union texas union In November of 1996, RO*TEL was acquired by Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst Inc. and C. Dean Metropoulos & Co., and becomes an integral part of global giant—International Home Foods.
  • texas Flavors texas Flavors Because the original RO*TEL Whole and Diced varieties proved to be so popular, Hot and Mild were added to the product line along with Mexican.
  • texas Bigtime texas Bigtime International Home Foods was acquired by ConAgra Foods in 2002, however, this did not alter the spirit of the RO*TEL brand, which is still made with the same original ingredients.
  • texas Strong texas Strong RO*TEL still holds firmly to the belief that quality is paramount in making a great tasting product. That's why only the reddest, ripest tomatoes and the zestiest chilies make the final cut.