Tara's gets organic in New Mexico.

A Southwestern start up making waves in a dry climate is Tara's Organic Ice Cream, a 5-month-old company, which claims its product is the only organic ice cream made in New Mexico, containing no stabilizers, no emulsifiers, no fillers, no synthetics, "just pure essential ingredients: cream,

The young company quickly gained a rapidly expanding retail and restaurant clientele in that bastion of gourmet dining, Santa Fe, NM, after founder Tara Esperanza started the business with a $20,000 from ACCION New Mexico, which specializes in helping new businesses get off the ground. The organization is part of ACCION International, which has been lending money to "microentrepreneurs" around the world for some 40 years.

Her packaged line is sold in both 8-ounce and 16-ounce packages through Connie's Food Town, the La Montanita Coop, and the Whole Foods Markets in Santa Fe and has recently added outlets in Albuquerque. In addition to the packaged products, Tara's has been succeeding with local restaurateurs and Santa Fe's internationally famous spa, Ten Thousand Waves. The company has also launched a website, www.tarasorganic.com, and is developing new flavors.

Esperanza developed 10 flavors: basil, lemon grass, peanut butter, Turkish coffee, white pepper chocolate chip, coconut sorbet, garam masala (an Indian spice blend), cinnamon, blueberry mint, and vanilla. She recently got a second loan from Los Alamos National Bank, and is looking for retail space in Santa Fe for a Tara's storefront.