Hispanic Foods and Beverages in the U.S., 5th Edition

Tortillas and taco kits outsell hamburgers and hot dog buns. Salsa boasts almost twice the dollar sales of ketchup. Latino culture has impacted the U.S. grocery aisles to such an extent that it has redefined American cuisine, or more accurately that its long-standing role in American cuisine has expanded to become irrepressibly evident. Hispanic foods and beverages appeal to a wide variety of consumers, from Spanish-only speakers to multicultural consumers and foodies to, in fact, most households in America.

And marketers have taken note. The market isn’t only the playground of traditional Hispanic food companies like Goya and the Gruma Corporation. Mainstream marketers such as General Mills and Kraft have jumped on the bandwagon as well, not only with Latin-flavored products but also with mainstream products whose market share they’d like to grow with the expanding Hispanic population.

This report examines the market for Hispanic foods and beverages in the U.S., including the trends driving growth and creating new product development and sales opportunities. Readers will learn about fast-growing brands and rising stars; the diverse range of Hispanic products; demographics and psychographics of the Hispanic foods and beverages consumer, and information on consumption habits; and the new, engaging ways in which marketers are connecting with customers.

The report segments and quantifies the market by channel and product type, providing historical sales figures and forecasts through 2017. The report examines market size based in part of retail sales-tracking data from SymphonyIRI, and the consumer landscape based on extensive analysis of Experian Simmons national consumer survey data. The report also maps out the competitive situation at the marketer and brand levels, with detailed profiles of several of the biggest Hispanic marketers in the food and beverage arena.

Report Methodology

The information contained in this report was obtained from primary and secondary research. Primary research entailed consultations with Hispanic food and beverage sources and on-site examination of retail venues. Secondary research included extensive Internet canvassing and research- and data-gathering from relevant consumer business and trade publications; company reports including annual reports, press releases, and investor conference calls; company profiles in trade and consumer publications; government reports; and other food and beverage market reports by Packaged Facts.

Sales estimates are based on data from the above sources as well as SymphonyIRI data for mass-market channels (supermarkets, drugstores and mass merchandisers other than Walmart); published and estimated sales of major market participants; market size estimates from other sources, including those appearing in the trade press; the performance of relevant retail venues; consumer usage rates for Hispanic food and beverages; and new product introduction activity in the market. Our consumer analysis draws primarily from a national consumer survey data from Experian Simmons. Through an ongoing program of telephone and booklet questionnaire surveys of a large probability sample of consumers who represent a statistically accurate cross-section of the U.S. adult population, Simmons is able construct detailed demographic profiles across various consumer product and service markets, including the Hispanic market. Additional resources include a roundup of consumer research about Hispanic shoppers conducted by a variety of industry participants.