Spices & seasonings: blending with the best

摘要

Convenient, consistent and healthful products are making an international impact. While the United States is the world's largest importer and consumer of spices, the American demands for convenient, consistent and healthful products are beginning toinfluence the international market. Spice blends and value-added products are leading domestic and international consumer trends while producers stress the need for consumer education in international markets. "A large part of all our marketing budget and plans is to do a lot of sampling and to sample with a product that makes sense," says Belts Theriot, international marketing representative of Avery Island, Louisianabased Mcllhenny, Inc., which is known around the world for its Tabasco sauce. "If a sauce is something that is normally used in that market, then we sample with the familiar sauces." Theriot says it is important for exporters to understand the palate and habits of foreign markets to make a product appealing. "We rely on our local marketdistributor to tell us what the market will bear," she says. Mcllhenny is having success marketing its pepper sauces for seasoning steak tartar in France, pastas and casseroles in Great Britain, wiener schnitzel in Germany and meatballs in Greece.