Israel Romero / Tuesday, March 5, 2024 / Categories: Internacionalización Canned goods: the American consumer demands higher quality American consumer Our moment has finally arrived. The U.S. market is beginning to demand Spanish gourmet preserves and it’s not satisfied with “what’s available.” At Made in Spain Gourmet, we know this is one of the most important categories for growth in the United States. Types of preserves: there’s improvement, but no leitmotif American taste: they like new flavors, not just the traditional ones Demand for top-quality products Promotion: almost non-existent Quality seals, strengths to promote Made in Spain Gourmet has its own recipe Our recommendations One of the things I noticed a couple of years ago was the quality of Spanish preserves you could find in the U.S. It was the first thing Christian Müller, our Director of Food & Beverage at Made in Spain Gourmet in that country, and I discussed. The most representative brands were Ortíz or Espinaler, which, while being good references for Spanish products, were not the most representative of gourmet preserves. That’s where we saw our opportunity to introduce top-quality products, despite having weaknesses such as a rampant lack of branding. Types of preserves: there’s improvement, but no leitmotif Preserves have transformed in recent years in a surprising way; they are no longer that “resource” for not cooking and suffering the consequences of not having cooked, using “whatever” preserve you find lost in the pantry for a true gastronomic crisis. Now you have genuine marvels that, fortunately, are in preserves because otherwise they would have been lost forever or you discover them for the first time thanks to the preserve. You can no longer imagine a salad, for example, without quality tuna, bonito, mackerel or melva, and for that salad to be a gourmet salad in itself. Eating “from a can” has become a luxury that most people can afford, without it meaning they’re at odds with cooking. Au contraire! Choosing a quality preserve is now a true exercise of culinary wisdom. However, how difficult it is to find unity in the branding strategies of preserves as a country brand!! And that makes us lose a lot of time… and positioning in emerging markets. American taste: they like new flavors, not just the traditional ones I’m a person who values traditions; I’m classic, not classist, and clams in their own juice or cockles in a traditional escabeche still delight me. But disruption has also arrived to preserves. Now finding on the market a tuna belly in pesto or curry, like those from La Curiosa, is common in the markets and best of all, they are bestsellers in markets like the U.S. “They go crazy for them in New York, and trendy restaurants serve them straight from the cans because their design is cool,” shared Cristóbal Fernández, CEO & Founder of Conservas La Curiosa from Nigrán, Pontevedra. But it doesn’t end there — innovation and creativity rule. When you try Galician oysters with an Albariño vinaigrette, you understand that preserves 2.0 have already been consecrated. Another visionary genius is Dimas Noval, CEO of La Mar de Tazones, Gijón, Asturias. Demand for top-quality products So why are Spanish gourmet preserves becoming so popular in the U.S.? Mainly thanks to a combination of factors that create the perfect storm. Year-after-year increases in tourists coming to our country, whether for leisure or business. Gastronomy is a subject no visitor wants to fail when they come to our country, especially as we keep accumulating top gastronomic accolades (rankings of restaurants or our chefs, who rank among the best in the world — the country with the most chefs in the world’s top 100). Americans living in our country who “only” know how to do something priceless: passionately and professionally promote our gastronomy, like Marti Buckley, a wonderful person who, “captivated” by the magic of San Sebastián, where she lives, is doing enormous work promoting Basque and Spanish cuisine in general. By the way, with her new book, Pintxos, she’s sure to be a hit in the U.S. once she presents it. The internet has also helped transmit Spanish gastronomic experiences more quickly and globally across the Atlantic, increasing demand for products seen on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube... The increase of Spaniards on U.S. soil has also contributed to the emerging desire for Spanish gourmet quality products. That’s making American consumers ask their usual retailers to stock these products — many of which they tried in Spain and haven’t forgotten — and they want to enjoy them year-round at home. Promotion: almost non-existent We face the paradox that there is growing demand for Spanish gourmet preserves, but their intelligent communication — the messaging that explains their differentiation, their specificity, why they are unique — does not match that demand. But who should do that promotion? Ah, what a question. You don’t really believe distributors or, worse, importers, will do it, do you? That function must be performed by the brand — yes, by the brand itself. Otherwise, how will they believe we’re serious without proving there’s nothing that can compare with us globally? Speak in the first person, from the soul, but with the script well prepared; from the perspective of the American “star system” it has to be emotional, but also to win and convince. A lot of work must be done in the trenches: relationship marketing and, of course, networking. If you don’t think like an American, it won’t be easy for them to understand you. So it’s time to pack your bags and win them over on their turf… But they’re not a difficult audience if you know how to convince them with arguments that ours is simply The Best. Let’s remind them that no one in Europe casts a shadow over us in anchovies, cockles, bluefin tuna, bonito, mackerel, razor clams… shall I continue? Quality seals, strengths to promote To the new generations, the ones we should target with our branding, we must share our greatest value: quality. Based on many factors — certification seals that guarantee origin, Protected Designations of Origin, PGIs (Protected Geographical Indications), traceability QR codes… what more could they want?! But I repeat: without order, without common sector plans, guerrilla efforts only make us lose time. Made in Spain Gourmet has its own recipe We’re not smarter or more clever than those who arrived in the U.S. before us. But we do have certain advantages from being experts in the behavior of high-net-worth international consumers. For more than 10 years we’ve built our own international community residing in Spain, and if we have been able to bring Americans together with Chinese, Russians with Ukrainians and people from more than 25 nationalities, we’ve also learned how to communicate ours from the heart, but also offering the guidance of a close, trusted person. Now we’re doing it in a country with more than 300 million potential customers, and our recipe is the same: building our community so we don’t do things wrong, only doing it where our values — sharing, honesty, transparency and the pursuit of excellence with professionalism — allow us to create that wonderful market of Spanish Gourmet products, only The Best. Our recommendations Tarantelo of Wild Bluefin Tuna in Olive Oil, Conservera de Tarifa Organic Artichoke Hearts in Oil, De la Cueva Brown Crab Meat (natural), La Mar de Tazones Oysters in Albariño Vinaigrette, La Mar de Tazones Galician legumes — a luxury within your reach If they're going to leave you wanting more, let it be Alemany, please! Print 3 Rate this article: No rating Please login or register to post comments.