Chapter 1 Executive Summary
Scope of This Report
Report Methodology
The Market
- Market Definition
- Hispanic Population Growth
- Hispanic Purchasing Power
- Buying Power of Hispanic Consumers
- Regional Distribution of U.S. Hispanic Population
- The Broader Market for Mexican and Hispanic Foods
- Figure 1-1: U.S. Total Retail Sales of Mexican Foods (in millions), 1998-2002
- U.S. Retail Sales of Mexican Foods By Category, 1998-2002
- Mexican Sauces
- Frozen Foods
- Refrigerated Tortillas
- Juices
- Tortilla Chips
- Consumer Patterns
- Household Usage Rates by Racial/Ethnic Origin
- Consumption Trends
- Use of Mexican Foods by Age Group
- Projected U.S. Retail Sales of Hispanic Foods, 2003-2007
Competitive Situation
- Hispanic Food as an Investment Opportunity
- Major Mainstream Players
- Leading Specialists
- From Mexico to Mainstream
- Frozen Food Specialists
- Private-Label Power
- Overall Category Shares of Mexican-Food Brands
- Figure 1-2: Market Share (as Dollar Share) in Hard/Soft Tortillas/Taco Kits, Based on U.S. Sales in 2002
- Subcategory Shares
- Hard/Soft Tortilla/Taco Kits
- Mexican Food Items
- Refried Beans
- Mexican Sauces
- Growth Beyond Mexican
New Products And Product Trends
- Table 1-1: 5-Year SKU Counts of New Mexican/Hispanic Food Product Introductions, 1998-2002
- Flavorings Lead, Products Follow
- Trends Influencing New-Product Creations
- Adventure and Intensity
- Desire for Greater Authenticity
- Beyond Mexico
- Portability
- Convenience: Frozen Heats Up
- Portability+Convenience=Bowls
- Meals for One
Retail Strategies
- Opportunities and Challenges
- Frozen Mexican Drives Sales in Supermarket Segment
- Consolidation May Affect Distribution
- The C-Store Connection: Young Males, Frozen Burritos
- Courting Ethnic Consumers
- Retailer-Driven Strategies
- Customized Formats
- Ethnic Store-Within-A-Store
- The Online Channel
Foodservice Trends
- Mexican on the Mainstream Menu
- The Influence of Chefs
- High-End Trends
- The Fast-Casual Segment
- "Fresh Mexican Grills"
- Latin American Competitors Turn up the Heat
- Table 1-2: Fast-Casual Mexican Restaurants, The Top 3, By the Dollars, Revenue and Percentage, for 2001
- QSR Tries to Keep Pace
The Consumer
- Overall Usage
- Usage Skews West
- Usage of Specific Categories by Region
- Bigger Household, Bigger Mexican Appetite
- Women Have Slight Edge
- Usage Increases with Household Income
- Table 1-3: Usage of Mexican Food by Household Income
- Education Level Also Equates to Usage
Chapter 2 The Market
The Market
- Latino Jell-O
- An Inaugural All-Latin Food Show
- What are "Hispanic Foods?"
- Scope of This Report
- A note about nomenclature
- A Note about IRI Data
- A Note about Simmons Market Research Bureau
- A Note about Advertising Data
The Market for Hispanic Foods: Who' s Buying, What and Where
- The Hispanic Market
- Population Growth
- Table 2-1: U.S. Population Break-down, By Race, As of July 1, 2001
- Purchasing Power
- Buying Patterns
- National Origins of U.S. Hispanic Population
- Figure 2-1: Nationals Origins of U.S. Hispanic Population
- Regional Distribution of U.S. Hispanic Population
- Figure 2-2: Regional Distribution of U.S. Hispanic Population
- The Broader Market for Mexican and Hispanic Foods
- Latin Influence on Mainstream Consumers
- Consumers Exhibit Widespread Interest in Ethnic Foods
- Hispanic-Americans Have Highest Household Usage Rate for Mexican Products
- Figure 2-3: Percentage of Households Using Mexican Foods/Ingredients, By Racial/Ethnic Origin
- Salsa Is No. 1 Mexican Food Product Cited
- Figure 2-4: Household Use of Mexican Food Products by Type
- Gen-Xers, Younger Boomers Are Most Frequent Mexican Food Users
- Go West, Mexicans Food Markets
- Mexican Food Should Have Age-Spectrum Appeal
The Market for Hispanic Foods: Past and Present
- Retail Hispanic Foods Market Reaches $2.7 Billion (Tortilla/Corn Chips Excluded)
- Retail Sales of IRI Mexican Foods Categories Exceeds $1 Billion
- Figure 2-5: U.S. Total Retail Sales of Mexican Foods (in millions), 1998-2002
- Mexican Sauces Outpace Other Mexican Food Categories
- Growth in Terms of Sales
- Figure 2-6: CAGR of Mexican Foods and Sauces, by Category, 1998-2002
- Figure 2-7: Growth of Mexican Foods and Sauces (in millions) by Category, 1998-2002
- Figure 2-8: Comparison of 2002 Total Retail Sales of Mexican Foods and Sauces by Category
- Table 2-2: Sales (in millions) of Mexican Foods Subcategories and Mexican Sauces, 2002 vs. 2001
- Frozen Mexican Sales Heat-Up
- Tortilla/Corn Chips
- Refrigerated Tortillas See Solid Growth
Retail Outlets
- Food Stores Dominate Mexican Food Sales
- Role of Internet
Projected Market Growth
- Hispanic Foods to Exceed $3.4 Billion by 2008
- Market Growth Projections for Hispanic Food Segments
- Mexican Foods: $1.31 billion
- Figure 2-9: Projected U.S. Retail Sales of Mexican Foods, 2003-2008 (in millions)
- Mexican Sauces: Mexican Sauces: $1.11 billion
- Table 2-3: Projected U.S. Retail Sales of Mexican Sauces, 2003-2008 (in millions)
- Refrigerated Tortillas: $256.8 million
- Table 2-4: Projected U.S. Retail Sales Refrigerated Tortillas, 2003-2008 (in millions)
- Frozen Foods: $659.1 million
- Table 2-5: Projected U.S. Retail Sales of Frozen Mexican Foods, 2003-2008 (in millions)
- Tortilla/Corn Chip Market: $7.7 billlion
- Table 2-6: Projected U.S. Retail Sales of Tortilla/Corn Chips, 2003-2008 (in millions)
Chapter 3 The Competitive Situation
- Hispanic Food as an Investment Opportunity
- Major Mainstream Players
- Leading Specialists
- Frozen Food Specialists
- From Mexico to Mainstream
- Private-Label Power
- Up-and-Comers
Marketer Shares
- Overall Category Shares of Mexican-Food Brands
- Figure 3-1: Mexican-Food Brands Used Most Often, 2002
- Subcategory Shares, With Extra Sauce
- Hard/Soft Tortillas/Taco Kits
- Figure 3-2: Market Share (as Dollar Share) in Hard/Soft Tortilla/Taco Kits, Based on U.S. Sales in 2002
- Table 3-1: Dollar Share of Hard/Soft Tortillas/Taco Kits Market 2002 vs. 2001
- Table 3-2: Top Hard/Soft Tortillas/Taco Kits Brands, 2002 Sales
- Mexican Food Items
- Table 3-3: Top Marketers of Mexican Food Items, 2002 Sales
- Refried Beans
- Table 3-4: Top Marketers of Refried Beans, 2002 Sales
- Sauciest Marketers, By Brand Sales
- Table 3-5: Top U.S. Marketers of All Mexican Sauces, By Total Sales (in Millions) 2002 vs. 2001
- Table 3-6: Top Marketers of Salsa, 2002 Sales
- Table 3-7: Top Marketers of Taco Sauce, 2002 Sales
- Table 3-8: Top Marketers of Picante Sauce, 2002 Sales
- Table 3-9: Top Marketers of Other Mexican Sauces, 2002 Sales
- Frozen Dinners and Hand-Held Entrees
- Bottled Juices and Nectars
- Refrigerated Tortillas
- Table 3-10: Top Marketers of Refrigerated Tortillas, 2002 Sales
Profiting from Growth Beyond Mexican
Competitive Profiles: The Mainstream Players
- Nestle (Ortega)
- Product Areas - Ortega
- Competitive Advantage: Ortega is a Salsa Leader
- Kraft Foods (Taco Bell)
- Product Areas - Taco Bell
- Competitive Advantage - Synergy Over Authenticity
- But Is That Changing?
- Bilingual Web Site for "Latina Moms"
- PepsiCo (Frito Lay/Doritos)
- Product Area: Doritos/Frito-Lay
- Competitive Advantage: Chips, Chips, Chips
- Table 3-11: Top Marketers of Tortilla/Tostada Chips. 2002 Sales
- Saying "Si" to Sabritas
- Salsa Leade
- Pillsbury/General Mills (Old El Paso)
- Product Areas: Old El Paso
- Competitive Advantage: Convenience and Depth
- Heinz (Delimex)
- Heinz Acquires Delimex Foods
- New Product Lines
- Up and Down Sales Pattern
- ConAgra (Rosarita, Fernando' s Foods)
- Product Areas: Rosarita and Other Brands
- Foodservice Through Fernando' s
- Hormel (Chi-Chi' s)
- Product Area: Chi-Chi' s
- Product Area: "Authentic Products"
- Campbell Soup (Pace)
- Product Area: Pace
- Competitive Advantage: Picante is Hot
- A Smattering of Mexican/Hispanic Products
- Cargill
- Uncle Ben' s
- Ice Cream Manufacturers
- Candy Companies
- What' s Next for Mainstream Marketers?
Competitive Profiles: Hispanic Market Specialists
- Goya
- Competitive Advantage: Authenticity and Depth
- Product Areas: You Name It in Spanish, Goya Probably Has It
- Grupo Bimbo
- Competitive Advantage: Roots and New Branches
- Iberia
- La Fe
- Mission (Gruma SA)
- La Victoria/Embassa (Authentic Specialty Foods)
- What' s Next for the Major Specialists?
Competitive Profiles: The Frozen/Refrigerated Food Speciaists
- Table 3-12: Top 15 Marketers of Frozen Hand-Held Foods (Nonbreakfast), 2002 Sales
- Ruiz Food Products
- A Leader in Most Channels
- Considerable "Cross-Over" Appeal
- New Product Introductions
- Snacking All the Way to the Bank
- Don Miguel
- Specialty Brands
- Camino Real
Competitive Profiles: The Up-and-Comers
- Urys
- Jugos del Valle
- Fresh Foods Concepts (Senor Felix)
- Others to Watch
- Excelline Foods
- Juanita' s Foods
Chapter 4 New Products and Product Trends
- Product Categories Used by Consumers Most Often
- Figure 4-1: Household Use of Mexican Food Products, by Type
- New-Product Introductions
- Table 4-1: 5-Year SKU Counts of New Mexican/Hispanic Food Product Introductions, 1998-2002
- Flavorings Lead, Products Follow
- Table 4-2: A Sampling of New Mexican/Hispanic Product Introductions, 2001-2002
- Frito-Lay Gives Snacks a Latin Twist
- Spices and Seasonings Get Spicier
Trends Influencing New-Product Creation
- Flavor Trends
- Adventure and Intensity
- Desire for Greater Authenticity
- But No to Dulce de Leche M&Ms
- Venturing Beyond Mexico
- Lifestyle Trends
- Portability
- Convenience: Frozen Heats Up
- And Convenience Expands Its Boundaries
- Burritos Are Not Just for Dinner Anymore
- Mexican Dinner Kits
- Mini Mex-es Are Big Business
- Portability+Convenience=Bowls
- Meals for One
New Mexican/Hispanic Products
- Table 4-3: Selected Mexican/Hispanic Products Introduced 2000-2002: Meals and Entrees
- Table 4-4: Selected Mexican/Hispanic Products Introduced 2000-2002: Meat & Poultry
- Table 4-5: Selected Mexican/Hispanic Products Introduced 2000-2002: Dairy/Dairy Substitute (excluding ice cream)
- Table 4-6: Selected Mexican/Hispanic Products Introduced 2000-2002: Frozen Products
- Table 4-7: Selected Mexican/Hispanic Products Introduced 2000-2002: Convenience Items
- Table 4-8: Selected Mexican/Hispanic Products Introduced 2000-2002: Snacks
- Table 4-9: Selected Mexican/Hispanic Products Introduced 2000-2002: Spices/Sauces (including Salsa)/Seasonings
- Table 4-10: Selected Mexican/Hispanic Products Introduced 2000-2002: Sweets (including desserts/ice cream)
- Table 4-11: Selected Mexican/Hispanic Products Introduced 2000-2002: Miscellaneous (including beverages)
- Niche Categories
- Table 4-12: Selected Mexican/Hispanic Products Introduced in Niche Categories, 2000-2002
Chapter 5 Retail Strategies
- Mass and Supermarket Channels Dominate Sales
- Growth Up in Mass and Supermarket, Down in Drug
- Figure 5-1: Compound Annual Growth Rate of Mexican Food Sales by Channel, 1998-2002
Trends in Retail Sales
- Frozen Mexican Drives Sales in Supermarket Segment
- "Premium" Paves the Way to Increased Supermarket Sales
- Consolidation May Affect Distribution
- Investment May Also Bring Diversity
- The C-Store Connection: Young Males, Frozen Burritos
- Don Miguel Scores with the "Bomb"
- Making Hot-to-Go a Priority
- Mature, But Not Retired
- The Online Channel
- MexicanGrocer.com
- Hard-to-Find Items Through MexGrocer.com
- An Ethnic Food Panel
Opportunities and Challenges for Reaching the Ethnic Food Customer
- Best Practices for Courting Ethnic Consumers
- Figure 5-2: Hispanic Shoppers' Top Criteria for Deciding Where to Shop
- Sampling is Key
Retailer-Driving Strategies: Attracting Hispanic Shoppers (and Authentic Product Seekers)
- Customized Formats
- Carnival Food Stores (Minyard Food Stores)
- Marsh Supermarkets
- Albertson' s
- Lowe' s Food Stores
- Ethnic Store-Within-A-Store
- Baking Up Profits from Hispanic Products
- Neighborhood by Neighborhood
- Wal-Mart
- Kmart
- Marketer-driven Strategies - The Goya Approach
Chapter 6 Foodservice Trends
- Mexican - and Latino - on the Mainstream Menu
- Table 6-1: Compound Annual Growth Rate of Quick Service Restaurants 1979 to 1999 (in percentage)
- Mexican QSR Appeal
- Table 6-2: Number of Ethnic Menu Items on Menus of Non-Ethnic Chain Restaurants, by Cuisine, First Half 2002
- Moving Beyond Quesadillas
- Ethnic Eating: Multiple Levels of Appeal
- Table 6-3: Types of Appeal Attributed to Latin Ethnic Cuisines
Rick Bayless and The Influence of Chefs
- Chefs on TV
- High-End Latino Trends
- Is Peru the Next Big ‘New' ?
- Back To Roots
Fast-Casual: Fresh, Real and Quick
- Growth Greatly Outpaces Other Restaurant Sectors
- A Desirable Demographic
- "Fresh Mexican Grills": The Top Three
- Chipotle
- The big burrito
- Aggressive Expansion by McDonald' s
- Advertising and Marketing Strategies
- Baja Fresh
- No, No, No
- Wooed (and won over) by Wendy' s
- Advertising and Marketing Strategies
- Rubio' s
- A New Look and Menu
- Slowing Expansion
- Advertising and Marketing Strategies
- The Next Tier
- Qdoba
- La Salsa
- Niche Players
- Wahoo' s Fish Tacos
- Desert Moon Café
- Table 7-4: Fast-Casual Mexican Restaurants, By the Numbers
- Table 7-5: Fast Casual Mexican Restaurants, The Top 3, By the Dollars
QSR: Taco Bell and Others
- Taco Bell Tries to Keep Pace
- Other Mexican QSR Players
- Latin American Competitors Turn up the Heat
Foodservice Beyond Restaurants
- A New Spanish Course on Campus
- Popular Choice with School-Age Set
- From Foodserservice to Freezer Case
Chapter 7 The Consumer
- Nearly Two-Thirds of Households Use Mexican Food
- West is Best for Mexican Food Consumption
- Figure 7-1: Use of Mexican Food by Census Region
- And What They Eat Depends on Where They :Live
- Figure 7-2: Most-Used Mexican Product Categories By Census Region
- Eating Preferences Reveal Regional Biases
- Old El Paso Has Widest Scope of Regional Use
- Latinos Biggest Users of Mexican Products, But Other Groups Show Strong Patterns
- Table 7-1: Mexican Brands Most Often Used, By Census Region, By Percentage of Households
- Figure 7-3: Percentage of Households Using Mexican Foods/Ingredients, By Racial/Ethnic Origin
- Figure 7-4: Most-Used Mexican Product Categories By Racial/Ethnic Origin
- Gen-Xers, Back-End Boomers Drive Mexican Food Sales
- Figure 7-5: Percentage of Households Using Mexican Foods/Ingredients, By Age Group
- Maturing Boomers to Drive Mexican Growth
- Bigger Families, Bigger Mexican Appetites
- Figure 7-6: Percentageof Households Using Mexican Foods/Ingredients, by Household Size
- Figure 7-7: Percentage of Households Using Mexican Foods/Ingredients, By Ages of Children
- Kids Take Mexican Choices for Granted
- Women Have Slight Edge to Mexican Product Usage
- Figure 7-8: Male vs. Female Usage of Mexican Food
- Higher Income Translates to Higher Usage
- Table 7-2: Usage of Mexican Food By Household Income
- Usage Rises with Educational Attainment
- Figure 7-9: Percentage of Households Using Mexican Foods/Ingredients, By Educational Level
- General Attitudes Toward Ethnic Foods Consumption
Hispanic Buying Patterns
- National Origins of U.S. Hispanic Population
- Authentic vs. Adapted
- Pleasing All of the People All of the Time
Chapter 8 Trends and Opportunities
- More Movement Toward the Mainstream
- Greater Acceptance by All Ages
- New Fusions
- Contenders for the Crown
- Seeking Authenticity
- Craving Convenience
- Integration Into Mainstream Brands
- Hispanic Marketers Branching Out
- Playing Into Consumer Buying Patterns
- Making It Portable, If Possible
- Taking Easy Points of Entry
- Diversifying with Caution
- One from Column A, One from Column B
Appendix I: Addresses of Selected Marketers