Dive Brief:
- Food company and pork processor Smithfield Foods has launched a Spanish website that highlights a series of partnerships with renowned Latino chefs, according to The Shelby Report.
- The site’s URL, SaborSmithfield.com, roughly translates to “flavor, savor or taste” the brand. It features the tagline “El Delicioso Sabor de Smithfield” or “Taste Delicious Smithfield.” The site is intended as an educational resource for Hispanic households, offering a multitude of recipe ideas and information on different pork cuts, various cooking methods, when to buy pork, and how to defrost it.
- Featured recipes have been created by Jose Garces, an Ecuadorian-American chef and winner of Food Network’s “The Next Iron Chef.” Recipes include Smithfield pork products as the main ingredient complemented by other Hispanic favorites like chimichurri, Oaxaca cheese and poblanos.
Dive Insight:
Latinos accounted for 54% of population growth in the U.S. from 2000 to 2014, according to the Pew Research Center. The U.S. Census reports the Hispanic population reached 57 million in 2015, representing approximately 18% of the country's population. This level is expected to increase to 24% by 2040, making it little wonder that a growing number of food retailers and brands are catering more to this segment.
Last year, Southeastern Grocers began converting select South Florida Winn-Dixie locations into Hispanic-focused Fresco Y Mas stores, offering shoppers authentic ingredients for their culinary needs. Conagra expanded its product portfolio last fall by buying gourmet Mexican company Frontera Foods. Post Consumer Brands named LatinWorks as its Hispanic Marketing Agency of Record.
The most recent move by Smithfield Farms in launching a website targeting the Hispanic community follows on this path and actually makes a lot of sense. Pork — Smithfield’s specialty — is considered a staple in Hispanic households and is used in many traditional Latino dishes. The company's partnership with Chef Jose Garces to highlight Latino recipes is likely to resonate with a broader base of shoppers interested in ethnic cuisines as well.
Given the increasing diversity among the American shopper base, more companies will likely ramp up micro-marketing and micro-merchandising efforts to appeal to different consumer tastes and shopping behaviors. A recent LoyaltyOne study reveals there is enormous opportunity in the area of ethnic marketing. Specifically, the study shows that African-American, Asian and Hispanic shoppers are not finding the products they want and need in their local grocery stores. Many say they would buy more from stores that stock ethnic products.