Iconoculture.com - Trends

OBSERVATION

SWEET TREATS

Barritas Guava fruit bars, alfajores cookies, Kolashampan soda satisfy U.S. Latino cravings

KEY INSIGHTS
Barritas Guava fruit bars, dulce de leche-filled alfajores shortbread cookies, and cream-flavored Kolashampan soda are appearing on U.S. retail shelves.

CONSUMER CONNECTIONS
These Latin American favorites are just the ticket to sweeten up U.S. Latinos' nostalgic taste buds.

WHAT'S HAPPENING
Nostalgic Latinos indulge their sweet teeth with Marinela Barritas Guava fruit bars and dulce de leche-filled alfajores shortbread cookies. Wash 'em down with a Kolashampan soft drink. The best part? All this sweetness is now available in the U.S.Marinela's guava bar, with a cookie coating and fruit-filled center, makes its way onto East Coast store shelves in Summer 2005. The four-count packages of the guava-flavored delights, made by Bimbo Bakeries USA, join the already popular strawberry and pineapple varieties, familiar treats for customers of Mexican descent. "This product is tailored to appeal especially to consumers of Caribbean, South and Central American descent, a vital and growing population," says Juan Miguel Esaa, Marinela's U.S. brand manager (HispanicBusiness.com 7.15.05).Centuries ago in Andalusia, Spain, alfajores made everyone's mouth water. The shortbread cookies crossed the Atlantic to South America, and today they're served at Peruvian, Chilean, and Argentinean restaurants in the U.S. Although the treats are typically filled with dulce de leche, alfajores lovers looking for a twist can order them online in various flavors. Split Bean Coffee offers them in raspberry, guava, peanut butter, or chocolate-dipped varieties.The creamy orange tang of Kolashampan, a.k.a. Cuzcatlan Cola Champagne, completes the trip down memory lane. The yellowish soda imported from El Salvador seems a perfect companion to Salvadoran food like pupusas. For one Latino fan, Kolashampan satisfies with its "sweet and sassy aroma, sort of spanking my nose lightly" (JackEnergy.com 7.05).U.S. Latinos stock up on sweet memories with these Latin American favorites - just the ticket to satisfy nostalgic taste buds.

RESOURCES

Split Bean Coffee sells alfajores online.
Soda Pop Stop offers Cuzcatlan Cola Champagne online.

GENERATIONSLatino Young Adults, Midlifers
MACROTRENDMEMORY MARKETINGSM