Snack World - May 2013 - (Page 20)

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY REPORT Tortilla Chips Going Crazy Not only are quick-service restaurants trying to steal snacking occasions from the snack aisles, but they also are doing so using the most popular tortilla chip brand. The Doritos Locos Taco at Taco Bell proved to be one of the hottest product introductions during this past year. “In snacks, Doritos Locos Tacos sold more than 325 million shells, contributing to the most successful product launch in Taco Bell’s 50-year history and expanded our presence in the foodservice channel,” said Indra Nooyi, chairman and CEO, PepsiCo, Inc., Purchase, NY, during a February conference call. “We are gearing up for year two of our Doritos partnership with Taco Bell with even more exciting products.” After the success of its Nacho Cheese-flavored shell, Taco Bell recently introduced the Cool Ranch Locos Taco. In turn, Frito-Lay North America, Inc., Plano, TX, a division of PepsiCo, launched Doritos Locos Tacos tortilla chips in both Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch varieties in supermarket and other retail channels. The product includes two types in a single bag, combining both Nacho Cheese- and Cool Ranchflavored Doritos with Crunchy Taco-flavored chips to deliver a taste experience inspired by the wildly successful Taco Bell menu addition. Doritos also came out with its first-ever global design and marketing campaign,and the brand supports a new logo and updated packaging. In 2012, it rolled out Doritos Jacked tortilla chips, which became the eighth best-selling tortilla chip brand, according to SymphonyIRI. However, this new product apparently pilfered some sales from the flagship Doritos tortilla chips, which experienced a 2% sales dip in the same channels this past year. RESTAURANT EXPERIENCE Tostitos, Frito-Lay’s other BROUGHT TO YOU BY J.R. SHORT, HEAT AND CONTROL, MINSA, PRINTPACK, READING THERMAL, RUDOPLH FOODS, AND TNA NORTH AMERICA 20 Snack World May 2013 www.sfa.org top-selling tortilla chip brand, introduced several products this past year, including Cantina tortilla chips and salsas. Tostitos Cantina tortilla chips come in Thin & Crispy and Traditional varieties and feature vibrant, colorful packaging. “The new Tostitos Cantina line brings the delicious Mexican restaurant experience consumers love right into their homes,” said Tony Matta, vice-president of marketing, Frito-Lay. Tostitos also added two flavors to its Artisan recipe line: Baked Three Cheese Queso and Toasted Southwestern Spices. “Consumers’ tastes are becoming more sophisticated and adventurous than ever before, so we crafted the new Tostitos Artisan Recipe flavors to answer that call by layering ingredients like multiple cheeses and spices to add depth that comes through from the very first bite,” said Jody Denton, culinary expert at Frito-Lay’s Flavor Kitchen, one of the company’s key flavor development centers. Baptista’s Bakery, Franklin, WI, patented a line of fried dippable snack chips that include white, yellow and blue corn tortilla varieties. These products can come in Original Salted, Multigrain, Ancient Grain or almost any flavor format desired. “We developed many customizable formulations for this product,” said Tom Howe, president of Baptista’s, a company that specializes in product innovation and works collaboratively with its customers to develop items that it then manufacturers for them. HIGH-GROWTH SNACKS An industry veteran, Mr. Howe observed that the snack industry is made of two major markets. First, he said there is the traditional side of the industry, which is moderate-, slowor no-growth categories such as fried potato chips, standard tortilla chips and standard pretzels. “Then, there is the innovative, high-growth, differentiated, http://www.sfa.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Snack World - May 2013

Snack World - May 2013