From The August/Sepember 2003 Issue of Natural Grocery Buyer

Expanding Ethnic Markets

Produce: From Exotic to Everyday

It takes time and effort to turn a Chinese gooseberry that doesn't sell into a kiwifruit that does

Amy Bernard Satterfield

Why would someone who's never heard of green nira grass, let alone had to decide between green or yellow, buy it and feed it to her family? Traditional Asian-Americans know kumquats, and Latinos like pepino melons, leading many grocers to wonder how the registers would ring if shoppers bought enough ethnic produce to make each one common instead of exotic.

"It's a fairly easy thing to do if you do it," says Kathy Means, vice president of the Produce Marketing Association in Newark, Del. Just educate customers about how tasty the unfamiliar produce is and how to prepare it at home.

Restaurants do the best job of introducing ethnic produce across cultures, says Robert Schueller, assistant marketing director at Melissa's/World Variety Produce Inc., a specialty distributor in Los Angeles. "People have an enjoyable experience dining in an ethnic restaurant, and they want to duplicate that food at home."

That's how the No Frills store in south Omaha, Neb., has increased sales of Mexican foods to its non-Hispanic customers. "There are more and more authentic Mexican restaurants in this area," says Dan Corcoran, the store's produce manager. Sixty percent of his customers are Hispanic, but 20 percent are elderly and Caucasian. They try an authentic Mexican meal; then they come in and ask for tomatillos. "Before that, they thought tomatillos were just little tomatoes. Now they know they're the key ingredient in salsa," he says.

Television cooking shows and the Internet also introduce ethnic produce, Schueller says. People can put an unfamiliar fruit or vegetable into a search engine and get 10 of the most popular recipes for foods they've never prepared before.

A take-charge grocer can speed up the introduction of ethnic produce across cultures in his store.

Sampling is the most expensive but also the most effective method. "You're getting pieces of these fruits and vegetables they've never tried before into their mouths. It doesn't get any better than that," Schueller says. Most fruits can be sampled without preparation; cut them up and hand them out. Vegetables can be paired with dipping sauces.

At least twice a year, the Econofoods in Houghton, Mich., holds "food fests ... with the specific intent to introduce new and exotic items," says Store Manager Brian Sorby. "Normally we have 30 to 35 stations set up, many in the produce department, for sampling and recipes."

Sorby's clientele includes students from 23 nations who attend nearby Michigan Technological University. Econofoods uses recipe cards, a knowledgeable staff and demonstrations to introduce products. "Also, we watch what the restaurants are doing, and we work closely with three major suppliers. The best way to educate your customers is to be educated yourself—even your part-time night people need to know some of the basics," Sorby says.

"People are a little nervous [that] they'll blow their money on [unfamiliar produce] if they don't know how to use it," Means says. Schueller recommends you advertise price, seasonal varieties and recipes for ethnic produce in in-store fliers.

Tristan Millar, director of marketing for Frieda's, a specialty produce supplier in Los Alamitos, Calif., notes that produce suppliers can provide signage that describes the uses of unfamiliar items. And ethnic holidays are a good time to introduce foods across cultures with store displays, she says. Cross-index the foods, Means adds, so customers are directed to buy everything they need for popular dishes.

Mexican and Asian ingredients are transitioning into the mainstream now: fresh chilies; different varieties of squash; fresh ginger; fresh lemongrass; jicama; sweet, young coconut; and Asian greens like daikon and bok choy. Slow to catch on is anything that looks "the most bizarre and unusual," Millar says. "While certain items may be a staple among their ethnic group, these produce items may never become mainstream."

But making an unfamiliar fruit or vegetable completely mainstream takes years. Frieda Caplan, founder and chairwoman of the board at Frieda's, says that in 1962 a Safeway customer wanted to buy Chinese gooseberries from New Zealand. Caplan had never heard of them. Two months later when a produce broker had some for sale, Caplan took all 240 10-pound flats. "We were stuck with them," she says. "Our mistake in taking on something we were unfamiliar with forced us to learn about the fruit—and how to sell it. In the process, we learned some valuable lessons that we've profited from ever since."

They changed the name from Chinese gooseberries to "kiwifruit," which was easier to say, or catchier, or less silly sounding. They educated grocers and restaurants about the product, starting with some of the country's star chefs. And they marketed it as a fruit children love. It took four months to sell the load (kiwi has a long shelf life), but 41 years later, it's a mainstream commodity.

Amy Bernard Satterfield teaches journalism at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo., and is a freelancer and writing coach.