For the first time in Sysco’s Charlotte history a Latin and Italian Flavors Food Show was held to introduce trending food products to their clients.
More than 40 suppliers showcased their products to over 100 local guests and buyers who attended the food show on May 29th, at the Piedmont Natural Gas facilities.
Sysco’s Hispanic Segment Manager for the Carolinas and renowned Latino chef, Roberto Mendoza, spoke with Abasto about the event and the growing demand for Hispanic food products among consumers.
“Today, we have 50+ dedicated resources that directly work with Ethninc restaurants including Chefs, corporate and local talent, and over +1300 products within our Sysco Ethnic brands developed to cater to ethnic segments,” said Mendoza.
Chef Mendoza was born in El Salvador, and he is one of the celebrities in America’s culinary world. He has cooked for movie stars at the Oscars in Hollywood, and as a former chef at the White House, he has had the honor to cook for President Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump.
Currently, Mendoza’s vast experience has allowed him to contribute at Sysco, further improving the quality of the Hispanic food products sold by the company.
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Mendoza highlighted that this is the first time they have held such a food show event with the intent to introduce a significant number of Hispanic and Italian food products. The goal was to “be able to offer our customers high-quality products a good value that will allow them to save money on product cost and that will ultimately benefit their businesses.
Similarly, James Cowart, Sysco’s Marketing Manager, also stressed the importance of the Hispanic market. “This market is growing tremendously; everybody is getting curious about ethnic foods, especially from the Latin and Italian cuisines. It’s huge, a growing segment for sure, especially here in North Carolina. It’s a massive market for us.”
During the food show, important Sysco food and beverage suppliers offered product samples to all the attendees.
MIC Food’s account manager, Alía Fuenzalida, said that for her company, being part of Sysco’s first Latin and Italian food show “means a lot because it represents a significant opportunity to expand our brand to untouched Hispanic markets as well as to reach potential new non-Hispanic markets given the growing interest for Hispanic food flavors.”
She also mentioned that MIC Food products are appealing to consumers because they are one-hundred percent natural and gluten-free.
Also, Helen Salazar, general manager of The Chef Restaurant in Concord, attended Sysco’s food show to see what new products she could potentially implement at her restaurant. “Sysco offers us great quality products, excellent prices, and outstanding service,” concluded Salazar.
After its successful first event, Sysco plans to keep doing the Latino and Italian flavors food show in Charlotte each year to continue promoting its Hispanic products in the growing ethnic food restaurant industry.