Catering to an appetite for Latin flavors, more products make way to freezer case: from imported platanos maduros from Ecuador and Salvadoran pupusas, to made-in-USA T.G.I. Friday's Mexican Style Steak Quesadillas, there are plenty of menu pleasers to enjoy.

Total spending power among Hispanics in the United States is now believed to be upwards of $863 billion. And, like every other time-pressed population segment living and working in the USA, its demand for convenience food products--both frozen and non-frozen, is rising.

"The US Hispanic market drives $34 billion in consumer packaged goods (CPG) spending and will spend an estimated $52 billion by 2015," according to Chicago, Illinois-based Information Resources Inc. (IRI). Such market potential should translate into dozens of new ethnic-flavored food products finding space on store shelves every month, but this is not yet the case.

Products available to consumers in the Spanish-accented aisles of grocery stores are there more for mainstream America to purchase, pointed out Terry De Soto, an Hispanic marketing analyst and president of Burbank, California-based About Marketing Solutions, Inc.

First among a number of basic problems confronting marketers, according to De Soto, is the Hispanic market's segmentation. Just because folks speak the same language doesn't mean they want the same kinds of foods. Additionally, Spanish-speaking consumers are further split by generational differences and rates of acculturation in the USA. The longer a family has been in the United States, the more its members adapt to the culture and tastes that come from living and working in El Norte.

De Soto told Quick Frozen Foods International magazine that large grocery chains should seriously think about better explaining how small vendors can attempt to transact business with them. She explained that data is available for each market about demographics and what products various ethnic populations prefer to consume. However, the current vendor supply chain is hard to change.

Large grocery stores, for example, want to work with companies familiar with their shipping, handling and availability practices. Smaller chains and local bodegas and ethnic grocery stores feature more Hispanic products because it is easier for smaller vendors to penetrate those markets.

But all store marketing plans eventually change, and Hispanic consumers are demanding more attention. Salisbury, North Carolina-headquartered Food Lion, a chain owned by the Brussels, Belgium-based Delhaize group, has opened five Hispanic-centric stores in the Raleigh-Durham market. That area has seen a substantial influx of Spanish-speaking consumers in recent years. Indeed, US Census data for the region shows a 90% growth rate in the Hispanic population over the past decade. Food Lion's widening range of Hispanic foods, formerly only found at predominately ethnic Latino markets, will attract those who want one-stop shopping for all kinds of foodstuffs--including ingredients.

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Authenticity Paces Growth

The rising profile of Hispanic products in "Middle America" may be slow but there is steady movement, and this is especially so in the freezer aisles of supermarkets. IRI's recent report, Hispanic Consumers Capturing CPG Market Potential, says that Hispanic consumers are a particularly good target for food and beverages that appeal to youth markets, have specific health benefits owing to low sugar or high fiber content, or for products that are single ingredients or components of ethnic meals. A look into any store serving Hispanic customers will find a growing array of frozen whole fruits and specialty ingredients that are not common to mainstream America.

Secaucus, New Jersey-headquartered Goya Foods, Inc. is the best known distributor of Hispanic foodstuffs in the nation. It markets products by region, featuring Caribbean, Mexican, Central and South American recipes that appeal to consumers originating from each of those regions. In addition to staple frozen food items such as frozen peas and mixed vegetables, the company also sells a line of tropical fruit pulps as well as more exotic products such as Vianda Sanocho, a Caribbean tuber.

Goya is also tapping into the hand-held frozen snack food category with items such as Chicken Pastries, Cheese and Green Pepper Tamales (sold under the Mexican Kitchen sub-brand), and Fried Plantain Cups which can accommodate a variety of fillings such as meats, vegetables and seafood.

Moonachie, New Jersey-headquartered La Fe Foods, another Hispanic/Caribbean-oriented distributor of frozen products, offers a range running the gamut from mainstream peas and potatoes to spiced Caribbean meat patties. A recent poll on the company's website asked visitors to vote for their most popular Hispanic food cuisine. Based on approximately 3,000 responses, Mexican ranked on top with 43% of the tally, followed by Colombian at 26%, "Others" at 18%, and Cuban at 13%.

Ethnic grocers and mainstream markets serving customers in the US mid-Atlantic region can find a variety of frozen products from Laurel, Maryland-based Rio Grande Foods, Inc. The company's marketing messages feature products that "keep family cooking traditions alive-from grandmother to mother to daughter." This cross-generation marketing speaks to the slow acculturation rate of many Hispanic families, and to a continuing emphasis on home-cooked traditional meals.

Rio Grande is offering a wide line of frozen tropical fruits including nance, tamarind, chipilin, jocote and Mammamee apple, as well as cashew. These fruits are packaged whole, and since they are frozen, are always in season and ready to use. The company's product line features Chirilagua Tamales, Salvadoran Pisque Tamales, and Ripe Plantains sourced from Ecuador.

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Houston, Texas-based Mama Lyeha distributes products to 13 states, through major retailers such as H.E.B. and Kroger. The company imports foodstuffs from nine South American countries, among them frozen Cheese and Loroco-stuffed Pupusas (Corn Tortillas) from E1 Salvador.

Products are clearly labeled with country of origin information. Hispanic shoppers like to know that traditional items are coming from "home," and thus will likely be made from authentic recipes. Mama Lycha's Website has a hip musical flash sequence and guides visitors to products, where they may be purchased, and where they are sourced.

And while one end of the retail freezer aisle is selling frozen refried beans and yucca, the other end is stocked with burritos, taquitos and fusion food such as T.G.I Friday's recently introduced Mexican Style Queso Dip or Mexican Style Steak Quesadilla. These restaurant menu crossovers appeal to more mainstream customers who enjoy the flavors of Tex-Mex cuisine and snacking, coupled with the quick meal preparation advantage that frozen foods deliver.

Quick meals featuring authentic Mexican cuisine recipes are coming out of Dinuba, California-based Ruiz Foods as well. The family-owned and operated company's popular E1 Monterey line will soon add five new meals that can be prepared in either a microwave or conventional oven.

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A Ruiz Foods spokesman stated: "Mexican food is our heritage ... we were the first to offer burritos in a family-pack, the first to offer flour taquitos, and the first to offer roller grilled tornados. We are now the first to offer ... a restaurant-quality family meal line."

This new range features Spicy Beef Enchiladas with Spanish Rice; Cheese Enchiladas with Spanish Rice; Beef and Bean Burritos with Spanish Rice; Chicken Enchiladas with Spanish Rice, and Chicken Mexicana with Pasta.

Bryce Ruiz, president and chief operating officer of the largest manufacturer of frozen Mexican food in the United States, recently discussed the company's roots and product ranges:

"One of our most popular lines is our El Monterey Family Pack Burritos. They were originally introduced in the mid-1960s when my dad and grandfather co-founded Ruiz Foods. While additional flavors have been added over the years, it is those first flavors that continue to rank among the top five burritos in the frozen Mexican food category."

From Puerto Rico to Rio Grande

While certainly not newcomers to the North American cuisine scene, Hispanic-influenced frozen food dishes originating from Puerto Rico to the Rio Grande are increasingly making their way across the USA. Retailers such as Food Lion are offering more products and services to the Hispanic community, and chains such as Texas-headquartered H.E.B. are expanding by crossing the southern border into Mexico.

As authentic Hispanic foods continue to work their way into freezer cases, the entire nation has a chance to try them out. Tasty new products and flavors are generally embraced by Americans of all cultures looking for the next food trend and innovation.

By SHARON J. WISHNOW

QFFI Correspondent