A Letter from Matt Rembe

Dear friends, family, guests, and neighbors,

Over the course of countless generations as a family farm, we have come to learn that times of transition naturally lend themselves to quiet introspection. This season, as we prepare our fields for winter amidst the falling leaves, we find an even greater need to reflect and come together as a strong, united community.

Now is the time to remember our past – failures and triumphs alike – and to take to heart the lessons history has taught us. They are the deep roots that ground us and give the strength to weather any storm. The key to our resilience lies in an unfailing commitment to our core values of authenticity, preservation, and integrity.

As a family and a business, there is nothing more important than leaving a meaningful legacy for future generations so that they may continue to use and enjoy the land. Here on the farm, we have a saying: “rooted in history, planting seeds for the future.” To us, these words embody not only the spirit of Los Poblanos but also of our community as a whole. We believe in being devoted stewards of the land, practicing sustainable farming, and positively impacting the lives of those around us.

Our mission is as relevant today as ever. We are committed to serving, sustaining, and supporting our diverse, beautiful community.

Sincerely,
Matthew Rembe
Executive Director

Dairy Barn Restoration

Ever since Penny and Armin opened up their home as a 6-room bed and breakfast over 15 years ago, Los Poblanos has experienced  steady, measured growth. Much like the stone fruit trees in our orchard, Los Poblanos, as a business, has spent its early life setting deep roots in the community and growing its proverbial branches – Historic Inn, Events, Organic Farm, Lavender Products, and Farm Shop. Those years of hard work, perseverance, and nurturing have laid a strong foundation for what will surely be our most fruitful stage of growth yet. We are currently in the process of renovating the historic dairy barns (once home to the dairy co-op that would become Creamland Dairies) into a brand new space which will include a field-to-fork restaurant, artisan bar, small-batch bakery, as well as a new home for the Farm Shop. The north pasture, which has been largely unused until now, will soon be home to 28 new guest rooms overlooking five acres of newly planted fields and gardens. Once finished, these rooms will boast sweeping views of the Rio Grande River Valley and the majestic Sandia Mountains. Their style is in the vocabulary of the historic dairy buildings.

Los Poblanos Herbal Bug Repellent

We are beyond thrilled to introduce the newest addition to our line of hand-crafted, small batch Los Poblanos products. Meet our new Herbal Bug Repellent! Formulated with a base of lavender hydrosol, distilled from our own plants, and a blend of essential oils that are known to repel bugs. Our farmers and gardeners have been using lavender oil to deter pesky biting bugs in the fields for years, so when it came time to craft our own bug repellent it seemed only natural to use their tried and true method. And wouldn’t you know, it really works! Before releasing it to the world, the LP farmers field tested (quite literally) the formula and came back at the end of the day, unbitten and smelling great.

Spotlight: Penny Rembe

Penny and Armin Rembe, founders of Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm.

As a company as well as a community we firmly believe that the most important element at Los Poblanos – the thing that makes this business what it is – are the people who work to maintain the history and essence of this historic property. And at the core of that, the heart and soul of this place, is Penny Rembe.  Penny is the co-founder and matriarch of Los Poblanos as we know it today. Without her drive, determination, generosity, and expertise in business none of us would be here, able to do what we love every day. In relation to Los Poblanos, Penny’s story is probably one of the most important, so it seems only appropriate that she be the focus of our first spotlight piece.

Blackberry Buckle

All across the farm, we have little blackberry brambles tucked here and there between the heirloom roses, fruit trees, figs, and wisteria vines. For most of the year they go relatively unnoticed compared to their flashier, more prominent counterparts, but come July and August when the berries start shifting from vibrant crimson to lovely deep, dark blue-violet, the blackberries become the star of the show. Often, in the early mornings, our pastry team can be found in the gardens harvesting the ripest berries for use in the kitchens. They stand out, attired in their crisp chef whites.

Life As A Lavender Plant

Lavender is near and dear to our hearts here at Los Poblanos. If you’ve been to the farm you have probably seen our 3 acre organic field filled with row upon row of our favorite botanical and maybe even purchased a product or two at the Farm Shop. What you perhaps haven’t seen is the full life cycle of our much-loved lavender plants. To us our plants aren’t just a commodity, they are living organisms that requires care, attention, and understanding. Each step in every plant’s life is incredibly important; from the initial propagation all the way through planting, growth, harvest, distillation, and finally incorporation into our lavender products. Our farmers work year round tending to the needs of our plants; protecting them for pests, weeding their beds, and making sure they have adequate water to cope with the heat of our high desert climate.

Los Poblanos Love Stories: Isabel & Simon

For Isabel and Simon, it all started with pizza. Now, pizza almost always leads to wonderful things, but for this lovely couple it was the catalyst for an amazing life full of love, partnership, good eating, and endless adventures. The story goes that Isabel found Simon on OkCupid and after much perusal of his profile, she sent a message off into the void, hopeful and intrigued. He didn’t reply. She could only assume that he wasn’t interested, as anyone might in such circumstances, but something – she’s still not quite sure what – made her send another message a few days later. This time, he answered quickly and so they began trading messages in earnest. She was abroad in Brazil at the time, so they were able to get to know each other through stories and photos before meeting in person. She says that early into their correspondence, she sent Simon a photo of her favorite pizza in Sao Paulo and that, as they say, “sealed the deal.” He knew instantly that he had found a woman who loved to think about food as much as he did, a trait that he sees as somewhat of rare treasure. And so the scene was set for their epic love story.

The Legacy of John Gaw Meem

Architect John Gaw Meem

Many unique elements come together to make Los Poblanos into the captivating property that it is. The people, the agriculture, the land, and the history all shape the story-book setting of Los Poblanos; but perhaps the most distinctive feature is the architecture. Most notably the Historic Inn and La Quinta buildings designed by the legendary Southwestern architect John Gaw Meem.

Meem revolutionized architecture in the southwest by mixing progressive elements with well-known regional architectural styles. His understanding of natural elements along with stylistic inspiration built an internationally recognized aesthetic and functionality. The full courtyard ranch house, Los Poblanos Inn, and the entertainment building, La Quinta, are now home to our historic inn rooms and event center respectively. The elements in these spaces were designed by Meem to create both an elegant and nostalgic experience.

Field Notes from the Farmers

The fields at Los Poblanos are always in flux, changing and evolving with the seasons. Although we can plan as much as we want, ultimately the plants, the rain, and the sun will do just as they please. It is the job of our farmers to work with the whims of nature, adapting the plan as they go, in order to keep the farm alive, well, and productive. Each new season we like to check in with the farm team and see how they’re doing.

Lavender Labs

Some people wait all year for the winter holidays to roll around, but here at LP we wait with giddy excitement for something else completely: Lavender Season. So, as the first velvety purple blooms begin to emerge, we are pleased to announce that the time is finally here! And to celebrate we have packed our Events Calendar full-to-brimming with Lavender Labs events (that’s what we call our collection of lavender-centric workshops, classes, dinners, etc.). All through the months of June and July we invite the community to come learn about and experience lavender. Whether you’re new to it or an old hand, there is something for everyone during our Labs.