Products to help finance ENMU scholarships

PORTALES - A list of snack foods and drinks that help finance scholarships at Eastern New Mexico University continues to grow.

To coffee, wine and salsa, ENMU has added pistachios, flavored popcorn, and cookies to its list of treats that will carry the ENMU brand and contribute to scholarship funds, but the nuts, popcorn and cookies lack names.

The coffee is called Greyhound Grind, the wine is called Eastern Sunrise, and the salsa is branded Silver Dawg salsa, but names for the newer products are the object of a contest.

The new products are ENMU-branded garlic-and-green-chile flavored pistachio and pistachio-caramel popcorn, concocted by Heart of the Desert, based in Alamagordo; and a spicy date with pecan cookie, made by Snugglecubs Cookies in Albuquerque.

Proposed names for these treat items can be entered in ENMU's naming contest by visiting http://www.enmu.edu/PistachioNaming or http://www.enmu.edu/Cookie before Friday.

ENMU-branded coffee and salsa have been on the market for about six months, according to John Houser, ENMU's assistant vice president of marketing and communications.

The coffee and salsa, he said, have raised $1,616.82 for the university's scholarship fund.

"The wine just rolled out before Christmas so we do not have numbers available yet; those should come available later this spring," he said

The idea of ENMU-branded comestibles came about as a result of brainstorming between ENMU's Office of Communication Services and the President's Office, Houser said.

The goal was "to come up with new ways to both support scholarships at ENMU and to support businesses in New Mexico as we come out of COVID-19."

ENMU is still scouting for more products that can carry the ENMU brand.

Houser said the product-branding team looks at four qualifications: "1. That they are based in New Mexico. 2. If possible, they are New Mexico True-certified. 3. That the products are something that our alumni and friends might be interested in purchasing. 4. That the business wants to help support scholarships at ENMU."

The coffee, salsa, pistachios and popcorn are all New Mexico True-certified, Houser said.

At present, he said, Enchantment Vineyards in Portales is developing a red wine to carry the ENMU brand.

Companies that make the products must become officially licensed vendors of ENMU, Houser said, like the makers of ENMU apparel.

ENMU's product-branding efforts, Houser said, are led by the college's Office of Communication Services through a licensing agreement with the Collegiate Licensing Association.