COVER STORY

Crossing Borders: Designing for the Hispanic Demographic

By Kimberly J. Decker For despite its oversimplification, Salsa: a case study Contributing Editor the story encapsulates a larger truth So does salsa’s success send a mes- about the changing flavor of North sage to food manufacturers about the undits in search of a pithy American life: Hispanics are the coun- value of courting Hispanic-American metaphor for the Latiniza- try’s largest, fastest-growing ethnic food dollars? Yes, but the message tion of the minority. At nearly 40 million strong isn’t as straightforward as manufac- P often seize upon the para- already — 44 million, if you count turers might think. The northward ble of the two competing — the demographic is spread of Hispanic culture may have condiments. As the story goes, the year increasing at a rate of 7%, or 500,000 set the stage for salsa’s stellar sales, was 1992 and Packaged Facts, New households, annually, outpacing the but Hispanic-American consumers York, reported a 14% rise in salsa sales U.S. Census Bureau’s 1999 forecasts. haven’t necessarily driven those sales over the previous year. But while the And with their growth rate expected themselves. spicy sauce raked in a record $640 mil- to exceed the general population’s by “The biggest consumers of canned lion, sales of ketchup, America’s best at least a factor of 10 in coming years, or jarred salsas are Anglos,” says seller for nearly a century, lagged behind Hispanics will account for one-third Veronica Kraushaar, consultant to Texa at a mere $600 million. To be fair, the of the nation by 2030. Translated into Sweet Citrus Marketing Inc., Mission, higher price of salsa relative to ketchup dollar amounts, that works out to a TX, and principle of Vanguard Ethnic softens some of the statistic’s punch. But collective annual buying power esti- Marketing, Scottsdale and Nogales, ever since, everyone from demographers mated at $580 billion, approximately AZ. In the May 1997 issue of The to media executives to the very food 8% more of which goes to weekly Atlantic Monthly, Michael J. Weiss manufacturers who produced the condi- household food purchases in non- reported that demographic surveys ments in the first place accepted salsa’s Hispanic homes. ascribe the greatest U.S. salsa con-

Photo: Kraft Food Ingredients supremacy as a sign of things to come. sumption to two groups: “upscale With the basic elements of dairy, gar- nishes and salsa, an appetizer can appeal to a wide range of cultural groups. How- ever, a simple accent of flavoring can spin it in any number of original directions.

developing products to please the Hispanic market. “You have so many question marks hanging over you when you’re designing for Hispanic Ameri- cans,” says Leigh Enderle, market re- search manager, Givaudan Flavors, Cincinnati. First question: Who are Hispanic Americans? In the strictest sense, the term “His- panic” unites as an ethnicity those who trace their ancestry to the countries of the Spanish-speaking world. But given

Photo: Danisco USA, Inc. the reach of Spain’s colonial empire, such a classification hardly narrows things down, lumping together nearly Anglo families, who can afford to buy Further complicating matters, salsa 20 nationalities spread across the tropics, a condiment that is more expensive — Spanish for sauce — can mean any- mountains, desserts, coasts and grass- than ketchup and who appreciate salsa’s thing from the caramel poured over lands of the western hemisphere. low-fat content,” and what he calls ice cream to a scorching paste made Such a broad definition inevitably “downscale Latino families,” for whom from dried chiles and vinegar. The masks local distinctions — and in the salsa is a staple that they’d rather pre- chunky concoction of fresh tomatoes, process, confuses outsiders and cre- pare from scratch. onions, and cilantro familiar to us rep- ates tension among those so broadly That way, Latinos can calibrate the resents only a sliver of the salsa spec- defined. “Some level of resentment sauce’s flavor to their own tastes, which trum — and a predominantly Mexican of the term exists for some members may differ markedly from store-bought one, at that. More accurately called a of the population identified as His- salsas. As Joe Bavone, R&D manag- pico de gallo, this particular salsa panic,” says Don McCaskill, vice pres- er, Kerry Americas, Waukesha, WI, wouldn’t strike much of a chord with ident for research, Riceland Foods, explains, North American consumers immigrants from South America or Inc., Stuttgart, AK. “Those individu- adopted salsa early in their explo- the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, who als make a case that it generalizes when, ration of Latin-American cuisines, so are more likely to equate “salsa” with in reality, several distinctly different the product “was never really devel- a parsley-speckled chimichurri, or a populations exist: those of Mexican, oped here with Latinos’ tastes in mind. citrusy mojo criollo. It’s no coinci- Puerto Rican and Cuban descent; Cen- It was essentially homogenized to dence, Weiss notes, that two U.S. cities tral American refugees and immigrants; American tastes to appeal to a broad- with atypically low salsa consump- and South American immigrants.” er spectrum of non-Latinos.” In fact, tion rates — Miami and New York Even the Spanish heritage that unites he quips, North American salsa may City — also host sizable Cuban and them survives only to varying degrees have supplanted ketchup because, Puerto Rican communities. and in a mixture of dialects. Moreover, “essentially, it’s just another variety One name, many cultures Latin Americans have often distin- of ketchup” — a sweetish, mild, toma- So while demographers might see guished themselves from each other to-based sauce. “You can get mild, the saga of salsa as a snapshot of by reacting against their shared inher- medium, and hot now, but even the America’s future, food manufactur- itance. Local responses to the Roman hot isn’t necessarily as hot as you would ers would be wise to heed it as a cau- Catholic Church, race, politics, capi- find in parts of Mexico.” tionary tale about the complexity of talism and the sheer weight of pre- Mexicans have made cheese a staple in traditional dishes, like enchiladas. How- ever, Americanized products often sup- plant queso fresco with blends of yellow American and Cheddar cheeses. and post-Columbian history have all carved out unique identities for Latin Americans that defeat the notion of a monolithic Hispanic culture. “Bolivians and Peruvians are strong- ly influenced by a mixture of Incan and Spanish culture, whereas Colom- bians, Venezuelans and Panamanians show an African influence,” explains Lionel Vil, R&D director for season- ings, Kerry Ingredients. Spain’s for- mer Caribbean colonies also cling to African traditions, while visitors to

Chile and Argentina comment on how Photo: Sargento Foods, Inc. European their city squares and tem- perate climate feel. And in Mexico and Central America, the legacy of full scope of the genus Capsicum. This Guatemala and Peru, is the food real- the Aztec and Mayan empires con- culinary coming together laid the foun- ly spicy,” notes Denyse Selesnick, pres- tinues to permeate spirituality, litera- dations for a cocina mestiza, or “mixed ident, International Trade Information ture, architecture and the timbre of cuisine,” that defines the Latin-Ameri- Inc., Woodland Hills, CA. Even within everyday life. can table to this day. Such standard Mexico, a region like Veracruz relies fare as wheat-flour tortillas, rice-and- more on capers and olives than sear- La cocina mestiza bean dishes, crispy corn snacks fried ing chiles to season its foods. “You’ve ’s cuisines tend to in pork fat, and the whole panoply of got fiery chiles, and you’ve got chiles bend to the same winds as culture. Mexican cheeses persist as edible arti- that give flavor without being hot,” And when Columbus made landfall facts of the Columbian Exchange. Selesnick continues. “So spicy food on what is now the Dominican Repub- But they don’t persist everywhere, in Mexico is very different from what lic, a gust blew through that would or with the same popularity. For exam- you’d find in Costa Rica or Caracas.” change the way the region — and the ple, although Mexican cooks use cheese As it happens, though, Mexicans world — would eat forever (this phe- in everything from soups to salads to account for nearly two-thirds of the nomenon is known in some circles as stuffed chiles, the same isn’t true in U.S. Hispanic population, with Puerto the “Columbian Exchange,” as described other Hispanic countries. “If you look Ricans and Cubans coming in at only in a book written in 1972 by social to Cuba or Puerto Rico, when they 10% and 4%, respectively. And accord- historian Alfred W. Crosby). At the use cheese, it’s often just as a snack,” ing to Givaudan resources, more than potluck where the Old World met the says Barbara Gannon, vice president 90% of our Latin-American restau- New, Europeans brought wheat, rice, of corporate and marketing communi- rants bill themselves as “Mexican.” olives, citrus, bananas, sugarcane and cations, Sargento Foods Inc., Plymouth, Thus, much of what we know about livestock — including cattle, sheep, WI. “It’s not usually incorporated as a Latin-American cuisine we’ve learned pigs and chickens — while the indige- vital ingredient in a main dish.” from our neighbors to the immediate nous populations contributed what had Similarly, contrary to popular U.S. south. sustained them for millennia: corn, opinion, not all Latin-American foods But geography, climate, immigra- potatoes, cassava, chocolate, vanilla, leave a lingering capsaicin burn. “Only tion patterns and the unstoppable march pineapples, turkey, tomatoes and the in Mexico, and to a smaller extent in of time have bred endless variations on a collective culinary theme, ren- Old habits die hard Americans who can speak Spanish at dering a blanket statement about the Tortas and Cubanos fit right in on home and English with their friends. cuisines of the Hispanic world virtu- the menu board at any stateside sand- They can go out for pizza, a ham- ally impossible to make. “Subtle dif- wich shop. (The Cubano, in fact, was burger or Chinese food and still enjoy ferences in ingredients, preparation purportedly “invented” in Miami’s Little moles and salsas with their families. and even presentation are key to the Havana.) But the Latin-American They don’t want to forget their roots personality of each,” says Kraushaar. immigrants who introduced us to these or their language. They’re acculturat- So while Mexicans might mash yes- sandwiches sometimes have a harder ed.” And therein lies the difference: terday’s pinto beans and fry them in time making themselves feel at home. Acculturation blends what assimilation lard, Cubans would probably steer more A whopping 63% of U.S. Hispanics once dissolved; it preserves, where toward boiled black beans mixed with are immigrants, and depending on age, assimilation erased. To an immigrant rice and fried plantains. And corn may education, income levels, where they whose only roots tap into memories, be king in Mexico, but rice, potatoes, came from, and where they settle, their this cultural connection gives pro- yucca and other starches reign else- adjustment to life north of the border found comfort. where. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you won’t find corn elsewhere, too, but you’ll have to look for it in different guises. In Puerto Rico, for instance, pasteles are tamales wrapped Panaderías sell wheat rolls called teleras and in aromatic banana leaves, and in South bolillos that, split in half and filled with roasted America, fresh-corn tamales dating back to indigenous times still go by their meats, chorizo, vegetables and cheese, make Quechua name, humitas. Salvadorans make a local version of the corn tor- massive sandwiches called tortas. tilla, called a pupusa, which they stuff with meat, beans or cheese. And in parts of Venezuela and , arepas, flat cornmeal buns, take the — and the ability of their foodways to “The last thing you lose in your cul- place of the daily bread. survive it — can vary widely. ture is what you eat,” says Rafael Toro, The daily bread in Chile and We used to call this adjustment director of public relations, Goya Foods, Argentina, however, is just that: bread, “assimilation,” and as Selesnick Inc., Secaucus, NJ. “You may find peo- made from wheat flour and in the points out, earlier waves of immi- ple who don’t speak the language of French manner favored by the coun- grants resolved to make theirs as seam- their parents or practice any of their cus- tries’ European expatriates. Cubans less as possible. “It used to be that toms. But they still eat the food.” also adopted French-style bread, most everybody wanted to be assimilated,” Kraushaar concurs. “It is human famously in the “sandwich Cubano” she says. But now, with the United nature to try to preserve your tradi- — a baguette layered with ham, mojo- States on its way to minority-majori- tions,” she says. “Food provides that marinated pork, Swiss cheese, pick- ty status, the classic immigrant drive opportunity.” In fact, food serves as a les, mustard and mayo, flattened and to melt completely into America’s bub- “nonpolitical way of holding onto your toasted in a plancha, or sandwich bling pot has waned. Now, even sec- own cultural identity when you are press. Even in Mexico, the ultimate ond- and third-generation Hispanic being assaulted by the lifestyle of the culture of corn, wheat-flour tortillas are Americans — the real engines of the country you immigrated to.” For Latin the norm in the north, and panaderías, demographic’s growth — take pride Americans exposed to the globe- or bakeries, sell wheat rolls called tel- in sustaining their parents’ and grand- spanning din of U.S. pop culture, that eras and bolillos that, split in half and parents’ traditions. assault begins before they even cross filled with roasted meats, chorizo, “It’s not that Hispanics don’t want the border. vegetables and cheese, make massive to become American,” Selesnick con- “There are emotional attachments sandwiches called tortas. tinues. “They already are. But they’re to the food your mother prepared for a different kind of American. They’re you,” says Felipe Korzenny, Ph.D., cofounder and consultant, Cheskin, Furthermore, 30% of Hispanic fam- North-American life. So “while it used Redwood Shores, CA, “and those last ilies have five or more members, to be, and still is in some situations, for quite some time.” according to Via Texas Marketing, that the first-generation mother stayed Mission, TX. “And if you have more home and did all the cooking from Food and family relatives around you,” Meléndez- scratch,” Selesnick says, “now with So strong are these attachments that Klinger claims, “they can keep you two parents working, they’re looking Sylvia Meléndez-Klinger, M.S., R.D., with traditional practices longer. You much more for convenience.” Case in L.D., a Chicago-based consultant to can follow the advice of friends and point: Research from Swift & Com- Hispanic community groups and the family who arrived earlier about where pany, Greeley, CO, shows that 79% food industry, predicts that the con- to go for the best prices and to find of Hispanic-American families sur- tinued growth of the Hispanic popu- your favorite Hispanic products.” veyed named speed and ease of prepa- lation, coupled with its noted family ration as key factors in food purchas- solidarity, will only reinforce cultur- As easy as uno, dos, tres ing decisions, compared with only 52% al and culinary traditions. In Latin Traditionally, dinnertime is family of non-Hispanic whites. America — and, by extension, Latin- time in Hispanic households. “We’ve Granted, “the first generation still American communities abroad — fam- had many Hispanic mothers tell us: holds beliefs about freshness that pre- ily and food are two sides of the same ‘My kids might grab a quick breakfast vent them from consuming certain coin. and be on their way, and they may get frozen and prepared foods,” Korzenny This is, after all, a demographic their lunch at school. But we always says. For example, Latinos cite the that treats grocery shopping as a bona sit down to dinner together,’” says quality of fresh produce as the No. 1 fide family outing and considers the Enderle. Such determination is rare criteria for choosing a supermarket. making of tamales reason to convene in an age when frenzied daily rhythms “Careful selection of each piece of a multigenerational party (Mexicans disconnect families members and leave produce is part of the pride of provid- even have a name for the events: tamal- them fending for themselves at feed- ing the best for the family,” Kraushaar adas.) Kraushaar can’t emphasize ing time. says. “Shoppers will squeeze, fondle enough that “family is everything to But even determined Hispanic- and generally manhandle everything.” the Latino. And food is the premier American moms find it hard to keep And, Gannon notes, even pre-shred- expression of love for that family.” up with the demands of fast-paced ded cheeses rob some first-generation consumers of what they believe to be their sacred preparation oversight. To some extent, this resistance to value-added products owes itself to simple frugality. “Consumers will buy huge sacks of dried beans, and part of the reason is because it’s so much cheaper,” says Korzenny. “When they make beans for the whole family, for them to buy enough cans would cost upward of $10. With dried beans, they might spend around $1. It makes a huge difference.” But as the Hispanic-American mid- dle class grows, it promises to shunt

Variations on Hispanic sandwiches, such as the Cubano or torta, might feature spiced beef, roasted peppers and cheeses. Such products can prove popular with both

Photo: Cattlemen’s Beef Board and the National Association traditional and assimilated immigrants. more of its dollars toward conve- A woman in form-fitting, flowered pants, gauzy fuchsia blouse and high- nience foods. While visiting groceries heeled sandals pushes the shopping cart at a supermarket in Pilsen, a Mexican in Miami’s Little Havana, Enderle neighborhood on Chicago’s south side. She calls excitedly to the two children noticed “a lot more frozen complete who run ahead of her as she reaches for a box of pancake mix. She selects a Cuban meals” in its freezer cases than gallon of whole milk and lets the children choose a package of pink coconut snowball cakes. Piñatas form a colorful swaying ceiling, and brassy music there were equivalent products in Mexi- with a vibrating bass pulses through the aisles. can and Puerto Rican markets she sur- Leigh Enderle, market research manager for Cincinnati-based Givaudan veyed. Perhaps, she theorizes, that’s Flavors, observes this scene. She jots sensory notes on index cards: “Loud,” because Cubans are generally more “bright,” “sensual,” “mother and kids.” She smells deeply: Sweet floral? herbal? affluent, allying them with mainstream citrus? cinnamon? chiles? Enderle is one of 17 participants from the company’s marketing, R&D, sensory and culinary divisions on a Hispanic Trend Trek™. consumers willing to pay a premium Givaudan began these treks several years ago to go beyond learning from for a quick-cook meal. And with near- books and the Internet, to uncover what traditional market research does not ly half a century in the U.S., a signif- measure about emerging trends, and to inspire new directions in tastes and icant number of Hispanics are U.S.- flavors. born, and thus almost four times as Givaudan contracted with Food Marketing Support Services, Inc., Oak Park, likely to pull a frozen meal from the IL, to design a sensory-based program that would expose the “cultural heart and soul” of major Hispanic groups in the United States. In Puerto-Rican and freezer as are recent arrivals, according Mexican neighborhoods in Chicago and the Cuban community in Miami, the to Mintel International Group, Chicago. group discovered themes: family values, the role of community and cere- Korzenny believes that manufactur- monies, love of music, respect for history, nostalgia for the homeland, the ers could broaden their markets beyond importance of homemade/traditional foods, brand loyalty, energy and action, the affluent and acculturated by mak- passion, emotion and pride. The sensory words on index cards, along with pho- tos, flags, foods, and music become part of an on-site ideation at the end of ing small investments in education. the venture. “Many convenience products aren’t Sylvia Meléndez-Klinger, a Chicago-based Hispanic food consultant, was a consumed by Hispanics not because guide and interpreter on the trek. She explained, for instance, that the moth- they don’t like them, but because they er Enderle observed would probably add both milk and eggs to the pancake don’t know what they are or how to mix, even though it didn’t require it. “A mother always wants to add something use them,” he says. Bilingual packag- more — to the pizza or canned soup — as a sign of her love,” she says, while also explaining that “Hispanic mothers believe that whole milk is more nutri- ing helps, although the lesson of the tious.” She also tells the group that it is common for families to be together Chevy Nova — no va means “doesn’t — on a trip to the store or in the kitchen, around the table. Ads targeted to go” in Spanish — reminds us that Hispanics feature families — and the women are glamorous, like popular semantics can be a dangerously sticky Hispanic soap opera stars. “In real life, even those who are not so shapely are wicket in the translation of one language proud of their femininity and like to show off their bodies.” Cultural mining is an essential part of product development at Givaudan. to another. “We can talk about flavor, or texture, but that’s not the whole product,” Enderle Perhaps a safer tactic is simple out- says. “We want to see a product outside the lab — in its cultural context.” The reach. Selesnick recalls that when authentic influence in mainline products appeals broadly to consumers — Pillsbury, Minneapolis, had trouble Hispanic and non-Hispanic, authentic and mainstream. generating interest in its refrigerated Asked for an example, Enderle points to her hus- dough products among Hispanic con- band, Joe, a senior flavorist. Joe returned from the Hispanic Trend Trek with a vision for marketing hor- sumers, it “rolled out a truck with an chata, a popular rice-based Mexican drink. He added oven and took it into Hispanic neigh- bits of rice to horchata-flavored ice cream, pointing borhoods. They invited women to come to its ethnic origins and giving it a texture like he’d in, have coffee and see how to open experienced. He also made it pink strawberry. the canisters of dough and make these Meléndez-Klinger would approve. “We don’t like plain!” she says. Remember the pink coconut fresh breads that smell wonderful — snowball cake in the supermarket? I that’s the first thing they noticed, that sensory appeal. And so the women —Nancy C. Rodriguez learned that they didn’t have to make President, Food Marketing Support Services, Inc. their bread from scratch, and they didn’t ([email protected]) necessarily have to go to the panadería every day to get it fresh.” Within a and constraints in most prepared prod- temperature and pressure, “we can matter of months, she says, sales of ucts.” With the exception of Puerto give you a five-minute cooked bean.” the products doubled. Rico, he continues, “long-grain rice Yager mentions his company’s line No one would argue that refriger- tends to be most commonly used. Medi- of instant refried pinto and black beans, ated, ready-to-bake rolls and biscuits um- or short-grain is popular in Puerto which come in a “ribbons” form. “They aren’t convenience foods. However, Rico, although long-grain is substi- look almost like broken pieces of they’re in a special class of products tuted in some recipes purportedly spaghetti,” he says. “They’re long, slen- that, while considerably easier to pre- offered as authentic.” der and porous, so they absorb a lot of pare and serve, incorporate the ele- On the bean ingredient front, Brian water quickly.” How quickly? “You ments of freshness and hands-on par- Yager, corporate research chef, ADM, bring the water to a boil, you add the ticipation that compel Hispanic cooks Decatur, IL, says, “dehydrated whole bean product to it, you stir it, you take toward scratch preparation. Remem- beans work very well” in boxed-mix it off the heat, let it sit for five min- ber, Kraushaar says, “there is a high applications. Black beans, pintos, kid- utes, and it’s done.” Added to a soup pride for a Latina to cook from scratch. neys, dark reds and even light reds, mix or taco meal kit, it offers con- sumers a middle ground between scooping refried beans from a can and boiling, mashing, and refrying them for themselves.

Spanish-dominant consumers will buy baking Ever faithful mixes and prepared dough because the Even in their home countries, however, Latin Americans have long products give the illusion of scratch prep. had their pick of ready-to-eat meals and convenient ingredients. Gone are the days when Mexicans nixtamalized their own corn, soaking ripe grains in quicklime to ease grinding and release We’ve found that you don’t want to he says, are culturally consistent with nutrients. Now corn processors take take away from the cook’s glory. The what you’d find across Latin-Ameri- care of the alkali treatment and grind- cook must be able to add her special can cuisines. “There are other heir- ing, producing instant masa harina touch to the dish, whether it’s a region- loom beans out there, but they’re not mixes, if not the finished tortillas. al or family influence, using her own really that much of a draw for the aver- “You’re going to find the same canned ingredients.” age home cook in Hispanic commu- foods in Latin America that you find Mintel found that even Spanish- nities, because they’re more expen- here,” says Bavone, “and you’re also dominant consumers — presumably a sive and they’re just not within the going to find a lot more UHT prod- more traditional bunch than English tradition.” Product developers should uct,” particularly where unreliable speakers — will buy baking mixes find this encouraging, because usual refrigeration and inadequate infrastruc- and prepared dough because the prod- suspects, like black beans and pintos, ture preclude the distribution of fresh. ucts give the illusion of scratch prep. are plentiful, easy to source, and eco- What’s more, the food industry’s So baking mixes and quick-cooking nomical. “And when you use these multinational scope has given Latin- rice-and-bean dishes present product beans,” he adds, “the mainstream American consumers as many name- development opportunities that reach American public would be able to brand packaged sweets, breakfast cere- out to the Hispanic home cook. For recognize them, and they’d be more als, baked goods and beverages as the latter, McCaskill suggests going apt to try the product, too.” Manufac- appear in U.S. supermarkets. And make with a long-grain parboiled rice as an turers can customize ingredients to fit no mistake: When Latin Americans ingredient because it “probably comes the product’s processing and prepa- head north, that’s what they’ll look closest to meeting both the necessary ration requirements. For example, “if for. Much has been made of Hispanic finished-product attributes and pro- the rice in the dried mix cooks in five Americans’ legendary brand loyalty, cessing and handling requirements minutes,” using a combination of time, which, Kraushaar says, is second only Tacos camarónes (shrimp) and pescados (fish), regional Mexican favorites, have gained favor as Hispanic cuisine has hit the United States. Manufacturers can mine authentic cuisines for undeveloped gems.

Hispanics don’t like.” Thus, he says, many Hispanics “object to the tortillas they can buy on the shelves here.” A typical tortilla chip might also seem off-key to a Latin-American con- sumer, who looks for something “a little coarser, harder, not really salty, with a lot of color variability from light to some dark spots, heavy corn notes, and strong in a flavor called cal that is distinctive to authentic tortillas and comes from the lime used to treat the corn,” explains Karen K. Trumbull,

Photo: Danisco USA, Inc. vice president of creative services, Food Marketing Support Services, Inc., Oak Park, IL. to African Americans. So if they had their desire to belong, highly assimi- And as for nacho cheese-flavored a weakness for Nesquik in Colombia, lated — i.e., secure — Hispanics go corn chips, according to Federico they’ll bring that craving with them back to brands that they had as chil- Noltenius, international sales region here. In addition to homegrown baked dren in their homeland. I’m one who manager for Latin America, Kraft Food goods and snack manufacturers in now searches for labels that I remem- Ingredients, Memphis, TN, their main Mexico, such as Bimbo, Gamesa and ber seeing as a child in but would audience lies north of the border. If a Sabritas, many U.S. brands are peren- not touch when I arrived in this country snack chip is going to sport a jazzed- nial favorites, including Carnation, 30-plus years ago.” up flavor in Latin America, he wagers Sunny Delight, Jell-O and Quaker Oats. it’ll be chile-limón, not Cheddar. Products from The Coca- Com- Viva la diferencia The differences don’t stop there. pany, Atlanta; H. J. Heinz Company, Even so, Kraushaar cautions: “You Mashed plantains stuffed with sweet Pittsburgh, PA; The Kellogg Company, can’t assume that Latinos will buy a bean purée, avocado ice cream, desir- Battle Creek, MI; and Kraft Foods, brand just because it is Latino. It has able sediment in beverages, water- Northfield, IL, are also continually to be seen as authentic, and it has to melon candies laced with chile pow- popular. communicate a specific image.” But a der, tangy drinkable yogurts, a liberal Brand appeal isn’t just about taste product developer weaned on Ameri- use of lard … These are just some of or convenience, either. As Korzenny canized versions of Tex-Mex favorites the ingredients, sensory profiles and says, a sense of status accrues to has little cultural basis for determin- product applications that “speak” to Hispanic shoppers who purchase North- ing what that image is, let alone how Latin-American palates. American products. “So when the upper to make it authentic. Taking such elements into account and middle classes in Latin America For example, Korzenny says, even in product development, Toro says, buy a Sara Lee cake mix, they may an ingredient as basic as corn is “very has been key to Goya’s success. Indeed, choose it more for the prestige of mak- complicated.” Most U.S. tortilla manu- he believes “it’s key to marketing to ing an American cake.” The flipside facturers, he explains, use a hybrid vari- Hispanics, period. The distinctions of such aspirational buying, Kraushaar ety that yields a brittle tortilla. “That’s are substantial.” The company’s 1,200 points out, is that while “recent immi- why they crack when you try to roll SKUs acknowledge those distinctions, grants reach for American brands in them. And that texture is precisely what addressing not only general Latin- American preferences, but regional developers from doing their home- practices it when she and her col- ones, as well, offering Guatemalans work. “The more mainstream the prod- leagues at Food Marketing Support their beloved volteado-style refried uct, the more important it is to under- Services lead industry professionals beans, Dominicans their beef-tripe mon- stand the subtleties of the various through ethnic neighborhoods in pur- dongo stew, and Central Mexicans their Hispanic cultures,” says Trumbull. In suit of the local color. huitlacoche corn fungus — all canned other words, if we can’t dedicate an Trumbull specifically encourages and ready to go. And although Goya entire product line to second-genera- nonfood observations during cultural products occupy a niche, it’s cush- tion Puerto Ricans and another one to mining expeditions. For the first few ioned with intense customer loyalty. upwardly mobile, middle-aged Mexi- days, in fact, “you don’t offer any expla- “We don’t market to Hispanics,” Toro cans, we had better approach what we nation yet for what you’re experienc- likes to say. “We market as Hispanics.” do design with enough appreciation ing, or any food-related characteris- for their regional differences to rec- tics or how you might apply these Going local ognize the universals. observations down the road,” she says. Not every manufacturer can be And that means going local. “Comp- “It’s strictly an observation and an Goya, though. “There are big compa- anies that are really serious about devel- identification of traditions. You’re look- nies out there who are not going to oping new products for this market ing at the communities, taking in all spend their marketing and research are going to travel,” says Selesnick. of the sensory stimuli: the music, the dollars on making a niche product,” “They’re going to go into some of these colors, the sounds, the smells. It’s about says Enderle, even if that niche com- areas to visit their markets, eat at local going on location and just being there prises millions of consumers. Most restaurants, see what the tastes are.” with the people.” So, in Miami’s Little food companies, if they want to mar- And sometimes, they’re just going Havana, “if we go to a cigar factory, ket to Hispanics at all, have to achieve to play sensory tourist, soaking up a we look at the colors, look at who’s a broad appeal across the subgroups community’s sights, smells and sounds making the cigars: Is it men and women, — as well as within the mainstream before they even start thinking about or just men? What does it smell like? market — in order to make the effort what anyone’s eating. Trumbull calls And we capture those impressions on financially feasible. this holistic approach to tapping sen- cards or sticky notes that we carry But that doesn’t excuse product sory trends “cultural mining,” and she with us throughout the trek.”

Turning a feeling into food After spending a few days immersed in the culture, Trumbull says, “we look for what flows from that experience that we can merge into common themes.” These themes, she says, are “the mean- ingful threads that weave the com- munities together rather than separate them: vibrant color, the beat, the music, the family influence.” By this time in the process, participants have so inter- nalized such signals that “they’re on- track to translate them to food. And that’s the next step.” Meléndez-Klinger, who has par-

Product designers can create myriad vari- ations on the popular wrapped-tortilla dish. Authentic spice blends and ingredi- ent choices, as well as the presentation,

Photo: Kraft Food Ingredients can draw interest from Hispanic subgroups. ticipated in cultural mining expedi- erence curves that show a prominent tions with Food Marketing Support spike around the chile-limón profile, Services, puts it this way: “Think of particularly among Mexican con- the colors of a piñata, the simplicity sumers. “It’s a really big flavor there. of it — it’s paper and cardboard. It You see it in snacks, in potato chips, doesn’t need to be very fancy. But it’s in corn chips,” he says — products vibrant, it’s in a shape the communi- whose neutral flavor base balances ty recognizes, and it’s got the candy the sharper spicy-citrus top notes. The inside that they know. This is some- citrus portion of the equation, in fact, thing that brings back memories. So is a near-universal driver for Latin Amer- you’ve got the colors and you’ve got icans, bridging the gap from savory the fun. You’ve got to transfer that fun — Kraft has introduced lime notes to to the food. It’s got to be colorful. It’s a line of mayonesas for the Hispanic Having immersed themselves in got to be something that makes them market — to sweet, where , fruit the sights, sounds and all-around savor of Hispanic neighborhoods think of home and the flavors of home. sodas, and other beverages often carry on their Latino Trend Treks™, the I think of those cajetas, the goat’s milk a lemon or lime tang. creative minds at Givaudan Flavors, caramels that I remember were always Hispanic consumers also seem to Cincinnati, got to work translating some of the sensations they carried in a piñata in Mexico. How can you gravitate toward sweetness, and in a home into flavor trends. Here are a put that cajeta into a pancake, an ice big way. “They definitely love sugar,” few of their impressions and ideas. cream flavor, or a beverage?” This is says Enderle. And she does mean sugar: how dulce de leche worked its way With cane sugar a traditional com- Hispanic Savory Flavor Trends • Chocolate with cinnamon into everything from coffee beverages modity in places like Puerto Rico and • Citrus to lollipops, and it’s how tropical fruits, Cuba, the taste for corn syrup — to • Coconut like tamarind and guanábana, piggy- say nothing of artificial sweeteners — • Dark, sweet coffee • Guanábana backed onto more familiar carriers didn’t develop with the strength it has • Guava and cheese like strawberry and vanilla, snuck into in the United States. • Honey and tobacco Popsicles and yogurt. Another popular sweetener, at least • Horchata • Lime But while a product developer might in Mexico and Central America, is • Mango swoon over the helados she tried at a piloncillo, unrefined cane sugar solid- • Mojito Chicago ice cream vendor’s cart, the ified into hard, brown cones. Like most • Papaya ice cream parlor on the corner of Main unrefined sweeteners, it has a deeper, • Pineapple • Mamey Street, U.S.A., might not be ready for muskier, slightly spicy sweetness that • Sangria something like avocado à la mode. In complements rich, caramel-inflected • Sour-orange that case, Trumbull says: “You look applications, giving them a complex- • Strawberry • Sugar cane juice (guarapo) at the color, the texture, the ingredi- ity that Bavone says is a trademark of • Sweet plantain ents, and you morph that into your Latin-American sweets. “You’ll have mainstream world. That way, you’re the caramel candies and the dulce de Hispanic Ice Cream Flavor Trends • Chocolate silk with sour-orange going to hit some of the high notes, leche, but you’ll notice notes of the • Cinnamon and chocolate sugar cane the drivers, the familiar feel, and you’re goat milk they’re made with. You’ll • Cinnamon papaya cobbler still going to have broad appeal.” have candies that are made with chile • Coconut Champagne cola So what are some of the gems that pepper — sweet and hot. It’s more • Cream cheese and guava • Honey café horchata (tobacco) participants dig up on a cultural min- complexity on many levels.” • Key lime mojito ing trek? For one, they learn that His- The whole category of beverages is • Strawberry horchata panic consumers don’t shy away from also wide-open for exploration. Break- • Strawberry sangria • Tropical sugar cane combining sweet, spice and salt in fast for many Mexicans, Meléndez- • Vanilla (hibiscus flower) one stimulating package. “Just think,” Klinger says, is atole, a thick masa- Korzenny says, “Mexicans eat pineap- based drink, drunk warm and Source: Givaudan Flavors, Cincinnati ple with lime, salt, and hot peppers.” sometimes flavored with chocolate (in Noltenius agrees. He’s seen flavor pref- which case it’s called champurrado), fruits and nuts, cinnamon, vanilla or the seed.” Processing also extends the and chips with sweet-savory flavor piloncillo. Latin-American stores shelf life — aseptic products, when combinations, rich and gooey candies already sell atole mixes, and Hispanic- stored properly, last about a year, and — and think: “We can do these.” And American consumers might appreci- frozen products approximately three, they’d be absolutely right. If a manu- ate finding such products on shelves she says — while preserving the fla- facturer wants to grab the attention of here. Mexicans also love their hor- vor and texture of the fruit. And tex- a Hispanic-American shopper, it does- chata, a cool, cinnamon-spiced bev- ture, Rodriguez adds, is crucial to a n’t have to offer a full line of “authen- erage made from soaked, pulverized fruit beverage’s Hispanic appeal. “Pulp tic” frozen dinners bearing all the fla- rice grains and almonds. Supermarket is a desirable sensory characteristic vors of home, especially considering shelves carry refrigerated versions in that the Hispanics are used to, unlike that the average Hispanic-American flavors ranging from vanilla and banana in the American markets where you consumer might deem the home kitchen to strawberry and chocolate, and see the juices made with clarified ingre- a better source of those authentic fla- McCaskill says that “with regard to dients that are free of pulp.” vors in the first place. But few con- ingredients and processing methods Another theme that Enderle noticed sumers, Hispanic or otherwise, can in commercial products, rice flour or was an overall acceptance — indeed, make their own sodas, candies, ice broken grains could be used. A final a preference — for artificial flavors cream and packaged snacks. So a man- wet-milling step might then be applied that would be very difficult to mistake ufacturer’s better bet for capturing His- to further reduce particle size for added for the real thing. Strawberry notes, she panic market share might be to stick smoothness.” says, graced everything from bever- with the products in which they already Fruit smoothies and shakes attract ages to yogurts, and nobody seemed have a core competency, and angle both mainstream and Hispanic shop- to mind that they tasted very little like these products more in the direction pers. Licuados, fruit and dairy shakes, strawberries fresh from the field. Chalk of the Latin-American palate. sometimes fortified with raw egg, are it up to economics and nostalgia. “Nat- When Meléndez-Klinger thinks of more popular with Mexicans, while ural flavors are very expensive,” she Puerto Rico, she things of grape-, straight fruit concoctions — called says, “and to make a product with a strawberry- and orange-flavored sodas batidos in Cuba — seem to get more natural flavor is probably going to be in wildly vivid colors that don’t occur traction elsewhere. Eva Rodriguez, cost-prohibitive” for some Latin-Amer- in nature. “They love the colors, they director, regulatory affairs and quali- ican manufacturers, not only because love the sweetness, they love the fla- ty, iTi tropicals, inc., Lawrenceville, the flavors themselves are expensive, vor. You’ve got to think in those terms. NJ, says that Latin Americans prepare but because they may require overages, Latin Foods are fun, sexy and full of the beverages at home by puréeing encapsulation or other processing pre- flavor and color. Who wouldn’t be the raw, fresh fruit with sugar, water cautions to maintain their integrity in attracted to that?” I or milk, but manufacturers can use the finished product. And if you grew frozen and aseptic purées to get a sim- up drinking an artificial strawberry Kimberly J. Decker, a California-based ilar effect. “They’re more convenient soda, you may prefer it to natural. No technical writer, has a B.S. in Consumer than the raw fruit because a purée is wonder Tang orange-flavored drink Food Science with a minor in English from basically a raw fruit without the skin mix is such a hit in Latin America. the University of California–Davis. She or the pits,” she says. “It’s ready to Product developers might look at lives in the San Francisco Bay area, and go. It’s just easier than taking the man- these examples — sweet and fruity enjoys cooking and eating food in addi- gos and peeling them, dealing with beverages in fantasy colors, snacks tion to writing about it.

Reprinted from the September 2004 issue of Food Product Design