To successfully launch new products, Angelich cautions that “you link that to a chord of familiarity. Some of them may not like an açaí or a pomegranate. It may not be as pleasant-tasting as strawberry, vanilla or chocolate, but if you blend it, you get the perception of health benefits and couple it with something that’s familiar. We’ve done some interesting research with drink flavors for tea. We found high levels of interest in Hispanic consumers wanting to try pomegranate, blueberry, lime, lychee, which, except for lime, are things that are not traditionally associated with Hispanic heritage flavors. Other ones they wanted to try in tea and hadn’t are more classic things like cinnamon, tangerine, mango, papaya and pineapple.”
Crossing over
As the burgeoning Hispanic demographic becomes more enmeshed in America, the influences become more pronounced. Wilkerson sees keen interest in Spanish rice products and Cuban-beef-style seasonings. “You’re starting to see some of the staples of Latin cuisine starting to be fused with other things,” he says.
Authentic Latin American foods are as healthful as the black bean and corn salsa that is commonly showing up on restaurant menus. These dishes are flavored with fresh ingredients like lime and cilantro, rather than fat.
According to Marr, the culture’s street food fits in with America’s on-the-go lifestyle. “In Latin America, hand-held, portable food of every description, from grilled corn slathered with mayonnaise to spears of pineapple, mango and cucumber sprinkled with lime juice and chili powder, are available on every corner,” she says. “Latin cuisine offers a wealth of ideas in food, format and flavor.”
The key to developing products with true crossover appeal largely comes down to credibility of the product if it has a Hispanic name or bilingual information on the package. “One of the things that’s very important in positioning anything that has a Hispanic connection to it,” says Angelich, is to ask: “Is it just a taste that you deliver? Is it a Hispanic message you deliver? Does it go with the package, or does it work against the marketing effort? Somebody may say it’s foreign. It’s too distant. It’s not meant for me. Or does it have some magical appeal? This has to be tested against your target audience. In looking at products that you want to market for the mainstream population that has Hispanic elements to it, you have to see how wide you can be and still have some credibility.”
Cindy Hazen, a 20-year veteran of the food industry, is a freelance writer based in Memphis, TN. She can be reached at
cindyhazen@cs.com.
A Powerful Market
Hispanic purchasing power totaled more than $980 billion in 2008, according to “The Hispanic (Latino) Market in the U.S.: A Generational View,” a report from Packaged Facts, New York. Packaged Facts predicts the buying power of Hispanics will continue to grow at a relatively rapid pace, growing to reach $1.3 billion by 2013.
The total Hispanic food market is considerably larger, because purchasing within this ethnic group is only one of the market drivers. As Americans become more exposed to Hispanic food through restaurants, travel, cooking shows and trips down their own grocery aisles, consumption of these foods will only continue to grow.
The Refreshing Flavors of Pan-Latino
A new wave of authentic Latin American foods emphasizes pure ingredients, vivid flavors and lighter recipes, according to “Latino Foods: The Next Wave,” a recent Culinary Trend Mapping Report from the Center for Culinary Development, San Francisco, and Packaged Facts, New York.
“Just as Pan-Asian foods have brought new flavor and ingredient excitement to the American plate and palate, now it’s time to make way for Pan-Latin,” says Kimberly Egan, CEO, Center for Culinary Development.
Regionally authentic ingredients like the Mexican herb epazote, Yucatecan sour Seville oranges and mild Peruvian aji amarillo chiles are driving growth in foodservice and retail. Authentic, healthier foods, like ultra-fresh tableside guacamole, lime-accented rotisserie chicken and olive-oil-based Puerto Rican sofrito, also exemplify this growth.
The Latino population in the United States has increased to 15% and is projected to rise to 25% by 2050.
—The Editors