What is Salad Bowl Branding? Briefings on America's shifting markets, changing tastes and growth opportunities in the foods and beverages sector.
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 At Salad Bowl Branding we keep looking for the next food trend on the menu. While we see patterns emerging in the Mexican, Indian and Asian, there is a new flavor capturing America’s tastemakers, Moroccan.
As dining out for ethnic foods is slowly improving, we are noticing that food outlets who provide more exotic products and restaurants with more adventurous menus are showing strong growth, especially with young adults who have become the most adventurous in trying global cuisines.
This market often identify themselves as ‘cooking enthusiasts’ and are eager to experiment with new recipes, tastes and flavors – stirring the demand for what was once considered exotic specialty foods.
While this niche market may be small, they are also more affluent and are spending more on healthy foods both in the supermarket and in home meal preparation, which continues to be a strong economic trend.
According to a report in PR Newswire, “Young adults are driving the interest in ethnic foods in the USA and their adventurous eating is introducing foods from around the world to their family and friends”.
Even in a recovering economy, ethnic foods set a record at $2.2 billion in sales {see NASFT State of Industry Report}. While Indian and Asian foods continue their rapid growth, expect to see interest in the African and South American international foods category to grow as well.
Rich spiced sauces in Indian and Thai foods are winning consumers’ palates. Moroccan cuisine, which compliments this category nicely, is sure to be one of the hotest exotic culinary experiences in the coming months.
To reduce risk to market, savvy ethnic and specialty food importers need to gain an understanding of the different information gathering tools that are helpful in determining consumer wants, needs and desires to help them develop more effective brand packaging strategies.
Quite honestly, many specialty food companies test their packaging in the aisle. They go with their gut, create a marketable product, leap into stocking fees and pray that the product sells. Now for a start up that may be a bit insane. Especially with the cost of shelf space, how quickly a store pulls under-performing items, and the sheer volume of competitors these days. But for established companies like Cento, Victoria, World Finer and Pastene, they have learned how to make calculated risks good business.
Case studies are fascinating. Especially in packaging. In my recent seminar at the Fancy Food Show I shared the stories behind some of the brands you may already know, analyzed the challenges they faced, discussed the research that was conducted and reviewed the results of their brand packaging strategies. For example, take Bellino, a line that got lost over years of tweaking by different vendors. Bland photography was used across the entire line and the only consistent identifying thing was the gold background. Testing revealed that consumers thought the product was dated and that the contents weren’t fresh. Which was really a shame, because they imported some of the best quality items I’ve ever tasted. Consumers also couldn’t recall the brand name, even after 10 minutes.
 Their packaging strategy included adding a “Product of Italy” phrase across the entire line to justify a higher price point. New product photography was the heart behind this redesign. Food stylists experienced in confectionary items were brought in to add decadence and sophistication to the shots. The old typeface was replaced with a prominent brand logo using a stylized version of the original ribbon. The gold background was maintained and foil stamping and varnishes helped the package shine on the shelf. Sales grew exponentially.
Now I’m not saying with research you can become the next Whole Foods leader. But with research you can make the opportunity to achieve that goal more likely. To that end, here are the seven ways to help evaluate your products branding and packaging:
- Benefit testing
- Focus groups
- Package testing
- Online surveys
- Consumer intercepts
- Research tools
- Social media
Using all or some of these help us to uncover the “AS IS” – where the brand is at right now. I have used some of these tools more than others due to the often tight budgets of the ethnic and specialty foods industry. But each one is a proven research methods that either myself or my colleagues have managed.
If you would like to learn more about each method, drop me a note or download the presentation outline.
The specialty food industry struggled in 2009 but still grew by 2.7%* with much of that growth coming in the fourth quarter.
As a consumer packaged goods marketer I keep an eye on specialty food sales, from the local retailers through natural food stores and supermarkets. For over 20 years I have spent the majority of my time working on ways to help specialty food products sell.
The data I have analyzed reveals a culturally authentic industry that continues to grow despite a daunting global economic recession. In fact, sales of specialty foods last year topped $65 billion, commanding over 13 percent of retail food sales. That’s great news.
KnoorReadytoServe
Better yet, if you sell refrigerated sauces, salsas and dips, you were (and still are) in great demand. Even if you don’t sell Yogurt or Kefir, the fastest growing specialty foods category, the primary question all entrepreneurial brand owners still have to ask is “how do I make sure my product attracts the right buyer?”
That’s where I come in. And on June 26th, if you register for my seminar at the Fancy Food Show, you’ll gain that answer, learn a few tactics and uncover ways to help your products sell better too.
Want some more great news? Come see me at the show.
7 Ways to Evaluate Your Product’s Branding and Packaging to Respond to Changing Markets
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 Fancy Food Show
Saturday, June 26
10:30 AM-12:00 PM
Javits Center, NYC
Register today
One day only!
[* State of the Specialty Food Industry 2010]
 Ethnic food sales will reach a record $2.2 billion this year, and advance by another 20% between 2010 and 2014 (Mintel).
Population growth has been growing steady for specialty foods since 2004, the global research supplier reports. Since 2005 more than 1 million foreigners have become permanent legal U.S. residents each year.
Mexican/Hispanic foods still dominate, holding a 62% of ethnic foods’ share. In fact, nearly six in 10 consumers now report that they cooked Mexican food within the past month. Clearly Hispanic foods have become so mainstream that they are “hardly considered ethnic anymore”.
Sushikid But the real growth-drivers in the Specialty Foods category are Asian and Indian foods, which showed 11% and 35% growth, respectively, between 2006 and 2008.
Wealth and youth are two of the strongest predictors of ethnic food cooking, with 92% of households with incomes of $150,000 or higher and 91% of consumers 18 to 24 reporting that they have engaged in such cooking within the past month.
Cooking shows, product innovations and more international travel have contributed to more Americans considering themselves cooking enthusiasts and experimenting with global cuisines and new foods/ flavors.
Two-thirds of respondents prefer to cook ethnic meals from scratch, but the remaining third prefer foods that require less time and preparation. Food manufacturers are encouraging the cooking trend by providing ethnic sauces and seasonings to add to home-prepared meats and vegetables, “or taking it a step further with meal solutions and pre-made meal kits,” notes MediaPost.
In the $75 billion-dollar specialty foods market, forecast to grow by 50% over the next decade while other food sectors remain relatively flat, an insightful new report has just been released. And for food and beverage companies, there’s A LOT to like about it.
Today’s Specialty Food Consumer 2008, developed by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT) and Mintel International, cites that 56% of American consumers are currently purchasing specialty foods and beverages—offerings the report defines as “distinctive” in taste, such as premium and ethnic products.
With the average specialty foods consumer now spending $115.50 weekly (an 8% increase from 2006 figures) and allocating nearly 23% of their food dollars for specialty products, the findings illuminate a set of lucrative new trends, including:
Youth Segment Drives Demand
The report found that people between 18 and 34 are the most likely buyers of specialty foods. While head-of-household mothers are a prime target for food retailers (and are well represented in this age demographic), brand managers have long held the youth demographic of 18-24 as the “holy grail” of markets for building brand loyalty.
 Moreover, the youth market is especially primed to become “brand evangelists” who discuss new food preferences over the water cooler at work as well as through “online water coolers” like blogs, social networks and Twitter. This pays brands back in spades since this market can act as a veritable sales force.
Americans Want New Tastes… But Tradition Runs Deep
A key finding from respondents was that 86% of specialty foods consumers like to experiment with new recipes; yet 80% said that family food traditions are important to them (with nearly 25% of purchases being imported brands).
This is consistent with the key premise of Salad Bowl Branding that consumers who adopt the traits of American culture do not lose the ties to their heritages, but keep them very much alive through their foods. Moreover, both of these figures signal huge opportunities for brands that leverage innovation as well as those that honor tradition.
Home-based Foods Purchasing On the Upswing 
The report also cites that 6 out of 10 specialty food purchases by consumers are for “everyday meals at home.” Combine that with a weak economy pressing consumers to return to home-based food preparation that is 2/3 less costly than dining out–and we see consumers yearning for more variety that they can create at home.
And while respondents noted “taste and quality” have the most influence on their specialty foods purchases, consumers are no doubt also looking for competitively priced products, too.
So, what does this mean for YOUR brand’s packaging strategy?
In short, specialty foods have achieved mainstream status. No longer only bought by cultural and ethnic markets, specialty offerings are now purchased, adopted and anticipated by wide-spanning segments. In fact, according to Agri-Food, 75% of the sales generated by ethnic foods already come from mainstream customers.
 What these new set of statistics prove is just how vast the opportunities are—in nearly every cultural origin and at nearly every price point—with innovative and traditional food offerings alike. And when we couple these figures with the explosive growth in America’s populations, we find that there’s never been a stronger time for specialty foods and beverages companies to make their mark.
Yet in the average supermarket, housing between 40,000 and 50,000 brands, packaging is your single best shot at grabbing this market’s hearts, minds and market share. But branding doesn’t take luck, it takes a thoughtful strategy.
People don’t stop eating during a recession. Instead, they adjust what they eat and where they have their meals. As a N.Y. branding and packaging agency that specializes in tracking trends in food purchasing preferences, it is quite visible to us here at Arcanna.
 Home-based dining and food preparation is on an upswing, which can bode well for supermarkets and other food retailers. It also has encouraging implications for makers of specialty foods, as people look to substitute the dining variety they would get from eating at ethnic restaurants with experimenting with new foods at home.
When it comes to food preferences, the U.S. isn’t a melting pot and hasn’t been for years. Instead, it’s more like a salad bowl of diverse ethnicities, with ingredients that get tossed together but retain their individuality, influencing everything else.
The growing immigrant population has put new flavors and products on the map, from yellow rice to Wasabi Peas to San Marzano Tomatoes.  The mainstream American population, already familiar with concepts like Tex-Mex and Pan-Asian, have been eager to try them, to the extent that ethnic and specialty foods now account for one out of every seven grocery dollars, and 73 percent of consumers reported purchasing specialty foods in 2007, compared to 64 percent in 2006.
Despite price hikes in retail foods, the grocery store is still less expensive than eating in a restaurant. Food marketers have helped to fuel the upswing in specialty food sales by getting recipes out via food magazines and on packaging, with ideas for using leftovers and how to increase serving sizes, as well as more creative ways to use packaged products with different seasonings and spices.
 Even lower-end convenience stores are using specialty foods to entice more food purchases and bring more profits. C-store chains are catering to local palates, with items ranging from carnitas pita sandwiches to beef and green chili burritos and sugar cinnamon twist pastries.
The Piscataway, N.J.-based makers of Buenos Dias, a line of imported bakery products, recently adjusted its packaging and positioning to appeal to the Spanish market but found that a majority of its sales were from mainstream consumers seeking authentic Spanish products.
Foodtown, a Woodbridge, N.J.-based chain of supermarkets in New Jersey, New York and Long Island, has been increasing its sales in basic staple commodity items such as cheese, pasta, eggs, coffee and peanut butter, not only because of price increases but because consumers are cooking more at home – as much as a 35% increase in home cooking.
Private brand sales have increased and will continue to grow as consumers seek better cost value in their food purchase. “The trend toward organic, prepared and natural products has slowed as shoppers become more price sensitive,” said Foodtown Vice President of Center Stores Gus Lebiak.
As interest in and acceptance of ethnic foods by mainstream America will continue, we expect tough economic times will accelerate this trend.
Over the next decade alone the demand for authentic ethnic specialty foods is slated to increase by a staggering 50%.
Today’s opportunities reside in creating brands that are tailored to the intricate tastes of cultural segments, not mass audiences. Understanding the nuances of these emerging trends can help brand managers employ methods to capitalize on them.
Salad Bowl Branding was created to share positioning insight, discuss clever marketing strategies and to report on the facts and figures shaping America’s new cultural tastemakers. We hope our food and beverage insights will be useful for developing a more effective product positioning strategy.
Just a little walk in the city of New York or Chicago, for
example,
would make any foreigner realize the presence of people of various
races
walking down the street: probably Caucasians, blacks, Hispanics,
African
Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and so on. Or for another example, on
school
campuses in America, both the faculty and the student body are usually
composed
of people from a number of countries rather than only one. Almost
anywhere in
America, the possibility is encountering a mix of people. Thus, America
is a
land of plural races and ethnicities, with a multicultural context.
Indeed, the variety of ethnicities in America is often claimed
to be the
best mix in the world. Leonard Dinnerstein and David M. Reimers
introduce their
book, Ethnic Americans: A History of Immigration and Assimilation,
by
stating, “Never before – and in no other country – have as many varied
ethnic
groups congregated and amalgamated as they have in the United States” . With
such reputation, here is exactly where the famous term “melting pot”
arises.
This conception has traditionally been perceived as the best expression
to
describe the multi-ethnicity of America. Its basic idea presents the
whole
nation as one large pot. Anyone who enters the United States is
automatically
thrown into this “pot” where, for the following years, a process of
assimilation into the American belief systems is taken place. All
the cultural
aspects that one brings into are blended together, or melted, to form a
new
culture. The outcome of this massive procedure is the “melted” version
of a
culture, which is described as characteristically “American.” It is
notable
that in this assimilation, the identities of each original culture are
extinguished to bring out a complete new mixture.
Along
with this perspective, however, there is another expression
that describes the diversity of people in America. It tends to be
interpreted
in the same way as the “melting pot,” but actually has a slightly
different
meaning with a different way of approaching and explaining American
society. In
comparison with the “melting pot” theory, there is the “salad bowl”
theory.
This idea demonstrates a complete separate perspective that the
newcomers bring
different cultures, where each of these cultures is kept as an
essential part
to make up the whole. Every distinctive culture or belief is considered
to be
one of the tastes or ingredients that contributes in forming the whole;
therefore its original shape and characteristics are maintained.
Whether to apply the term “melting pot” or the term “salad bowl”
to the
American multiethnic conditions brings about a large discussion and
controversy. In a way, both serve as an effective and successful
metaphor,
despite their slight difference. Anyone who is accustomed to an
extremely
homogeneous society would be simply astonished after recognizing many
faces
with different physical features in America, and might praise the
country by
employing those two terms in topic. The ideas of the “melting pot” and
the “salad
bowl” in America both connote somewhat of an ideal to many people and
are often
admired. Having a close look at the reality of the country, such as the
existing ethnic segregation, the fact of the white population fleeing
away from
the minority poverty, and the trend of the minority group forming an
enclave,
however, one can see that the “melting pot” theory is merely a myth,
and
despite its long fame, it is rather more suitable to label America as a
“salad
bowl.”
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Read the full story http://cc.kzoo.edu/~k03hk01/melting_pot_or_salad_bowl.html
For more information:
Booth,
William. “One
Nation, Indivisible: Is It History?” Washington Post 22 Feb.
1998. 12
Nov. 2003
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/meltingpot/melt0222.htm>
Camarota,
Steven A. “Immigrants in the United
States – 2000.” Spectrum 74(2): 1-5.
Chock,
Phyllis Pease. “The Landscape of
Enchantment: Redaction in a Theory of Ethnicity.” Cultural
Anthropology
4(2): 163-181.
Dinnerstein,
Leonard and David M. Reimers. Ethnic
Americans: A History of Immigration and Assimilation. New York:
Dodd, Mead
& Company, 1975.
Glazer,
Nathan. “American Diversity and the 2000
Census.” Public Interest 144(Summer 2001): 3-18.
Glazer,
Nathan and Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Beyond
the Melting Pot, Second Edition. Cambridge, London: The M.I.T.
Press, 1970.
Harrigan
John J. and Ronald K. Vogel. Political
Change in the Metropolis. New York: Longman, 2003.
Moffat,
Michael. “The Discourse of The Dorm:
Race, Friendship, and “Culture” among College Youth.” Symbolizing
America.
Ed. Herve Verrene. Nebraska: University of
Nebraska Press, 1986.
Morganthau,
Tom. “America: Still a Melting Pot?”
Newsweek 9 Aug. 2003: 16-25.
Robinson,
Linda. “America’s New Melting Pot.” U.S.
News & World Report 120(29 Apr. 1996): 30-35.
Rosaldo,
Renato. “Cultural Citizenship and
Educational Democracy.” Cultural Anthropology 9(3): 402-411.
Singer,
Milton. “The Melting Pot: Symbolic
Ritual or Total Social Fact?” Symbolizing America. Ed. Herve
Verrene.
Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1986.
Spiro,
Melford. “The Acculturation of American
Ethnic Groups.” American Anthropologist 57(6): 1240-1252.
“Stirring
the Melting Pot.” U.S. News &
World Report 119(11 September 1995): 8.
“The
Melting Pot Survives.” The Economist
352(3 Jul. 1999): 24.
White,
Shane. “A Question of Style: Blacks in
and around New York City in the Late 18th Century.” The Journal of
American
Folklore 102(403): 23-44.
By now, all Americans are aware of the stunning 2000 Census data citing that minorities—groups spanning Hispanics, African-Americans and Asians—currently represent 1 in 3 Americans and will grow to constitute 50% of the U.S. population by 2050.
But what many companies may not yet know is that in much of the country these forecasts are already a reality… 4 decades ahead of schedule.
Recent Census data heralds that a new “majority-minority” has arrived in 1 out of every 10 of the nation’s 3,000+ counties. In other words, 303 of the nation’s counties already have more than 50% minority-status residents, with cities like Los Angeles already totaling over 70%.
In explaining the sheer gravity of these shifts, Census Bureau Director Louis Kincannon drew this comparison, “To put this into perspective, there are more minorities in this country today than there were people in the United States in 1910. In fact, the minority population in the U.S. is larger than the total population of all but 11 countries.”
Indeed, markets are changing at remarkable clips, and well ahead of
schedule. As brands struggle in this economy, the good news is that the
cultural markets that are sweeping the nation are opening a host of new
opportunities for today’s food and beverage marketers.
Just look at the
other trends fueling more demand for specialty and ethnic offerings…
Continue reading America’s New (Minority) Mainstream Has Arrived… 4 decades ahead of forecasts
 For over 100 years the Ferrara brand restaurant/store in New York City’s Little Italy has been an icon offering pastries and imported confections. The store did so well that it began packaging and marketing many of its products outside to a broad market.
As the brand grew it had a very unorganized identity because so many different people influenced it over the years. Finally, a new sales distributor company purchased the brand and began to unify the image into a cohesive brand and set a solid marketing direction.
Italian specialty foods have been an influence on main stream consumer tastemakers for years. Internal brand research showed that the brand was known primarily as a confectionery brand but it did not have a very competitive identity. Poor photography, confusing logo, and uneven print quality contributed to the low cost identity.
The Problem
 Ferrara Before
Other brands of lesser quality looked more upscale and had better shelf impact. Line was old looking and lacked appetite appeal. Stock or poor photography detracted taste perceptions. Hard to read type with busy graphics – standard fare for production artists. Sales were down and front line brokers and buyers were unmotivated with line.
The solution
It was decided by management and supported by consumer research that the brand needed to compete at a higher level for to gain buyer and consumer attention. It was determined that the brand name had significant recognition but the packaging was not taking advantage of this benefit
 Ferrara After
The brand packaging design agency, Arcanna was hired to enhance the value of the product line by strengthening the brand name on the packages.
A new logo was created, new product photography was taken and a complete new packaging identity using appealing bright blue colors with a subtle motif in the background to add to the upscale value of the brand.
The brand now is positioned to appeal to those consumers looking for a high quality imported Italian specialty product. The shelf impact has been greatly improved and brand name significantly strengthened.
“It’s just what the brand needed, a new look, and an upscale identity for a quality imported product. Consumers now recognize the brand and our sales force is positive and confident when they market the Ferrara brand.” Rick Ciccotelli, President, AlanRic Distributors.
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