Expanding our Hispanic-Inspired Product Line-up

For me, one of the best things about living in Texas and formerly in California is the wonderful influence that Hispanic and Mexican cultures have on the cuisine, literature and arts in these states.  At Frito-Lay, we tap the Hispanic culture for inspiration and guidance as we introduce Mexican- and Hispanic-flavored snacks -- developed by Sabritas, our sister snack food brand in Mexico -- to consumers in the U.S.

Earlier this year, I blogged about our new Hispanic-inspired product line-up, available in select markets throughout the West coast.  The line-up included six bold and spicy snacks under the Doritos, Cheetos and Sabritas (Lay’s) brands, and this summer, Frito-Lay added two more products to the line: Ruffles Queso, a top-selling, cheese-flavored potato chip for Sabritas in Mexico, and Turbos Flamas, a spicy red pepper and tangy lemon-seasoned, corn-based “twisted” snack, developed jointly by Sabritas and Frito-Lay. 

"Ruffles Queso has ‘leap-frogged’ the rest of the line-up and is now our best selling Hispanic-inspired item in the U.S.," Ceclia Hidalgo, Marketing Manager for Frito-Lay's Hispanic portfolio (pictured right), told me.  "It's a fantastic-tasting product, and Hispanic consumers living in the U.S. are already very familiar with Ruffles Queso.  Now, our challenge is to identify a broader audience in the U.S. for it.”

Cecilia brings an energetic and international flair to her role on the Hispanic Portfolio team that is helping Frito-Lay successfully launch Hispanic-inspired products here in the U.S.  After working at Sabritas in Mexico and Puerto Rico for 11 years, she moved to the U.S. and joined the Doritos team. Cecilia taps our Adelante employee network, the Latino/Hispanic professional organization that seeks to make a significant contribution in the development of a diverse and inclusive culture at PepsiCo, for input and insights about Hispanic-inspired products and programs.   

This month, Cecilia and her team introduced two additional top-selling products from Sabritas in Mexico to U.S. consumers.  The first is called Rancheritos, which is a corn-based, rectangular-shaped chip with a wonderful blend of seasonings, including chile, roasted tomato and a smoky chipotle.  “I remember when I was growing up in Mexico, I would put Rancheritos in my ham-and-cheese sandwich, squash it down, and the chips would crumble inside the sandwich,” Cecilia said.  It was delicious.”

The second Hispanic-inspired product we launched this month is Tostitos Salsa Verde.  Cecilia explained to me how this product is enjoyed in Mexico: “It’s very popular in the northern states of Mexico.  People eat it like they’d eat Fritos Pie -- open the bag, scoop vegetables, meat and other toppings onto the chips, and eat the dish right out of the bag.”

Although we currently only sell these snacks in the western U.S. and select markets in Chicago, I expect they’ll eventually catch-on with broader American consumer groups and distribution will expand.  Case in point: When Doritos launched, it was sold only in California.  As you well know, it’s now available in every market in the U.S.

I think that Cecilia’s experience and influence, and our success so far with our Hispanic-inspired snacks, could help Rancheritos -– or one of the other Hispanic-inspired snacks -- become the next Doritos.  What is your favorite Hispanic-inspired snack food?  

Comments

[lenin aguilar]

you should put hot sauce packs like ketchup? like in mexico in the sabritones! thanks!