The Chilean Citrus Committee says a joint campaign with Tajín, the market leader in America’s produce-seasoning category, has helped lift sales in the US in 2013. The promotion was targeted at the Hispanic community amongst which the seasoning is popular, and featured 35 in-store demonstrations in two supermarkets with a strong Hispanic customer base.
Tajín is a tangy spicy seasoning powder made from a blend of chilli peppers, salt and dehydrated lime juice that is sprinkled on top of fresh produce. Originally from Mexico, it became popular in the US in the 1990s and can now be found in produce retail departments across North America.
“Tajín was a natural partner for us, since it already has such high brand recognition and usage by Hispanic consumers,” said Karen Brux, managing director of the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association. “Our retailer partners were enthusiastic about the results which brought dramatic increases in both traffic and sales of citrus from Chile, and gave us the opportunity to support and access the all-important Hispanic audience.”
She said as the fastest growing segment of the US economy, the US Hispanic market was a vital component of CFFA’s North American growth strategy. Research by Nielsen shows US Latino households that earn US$50,000 or more are growing at a faster rate than total households. If the US Hispanic market were a standalone country, its purchasing power would make it one of the top 20 economies of the world.
Last year, Chile exported more than 100,000 tonnes of citrus to the US, double the amount of three years earlier. The Chilean Citrus Committee expanded is promotional programme in 2013, introducing new point-of-sale material and orchard videos, developing new recipes and launching a series of retail promotions. Sales of Chilean Navels and mandarins will run through to early November.
