, best known for Asian and Indian-inspired vegetarian cuisine that comes in convenient, microwavable pouches. The brand was launched at a time when founder Hans Taparia says that the nuance of South Asian cuisine was ‘virtually unknown’ in the US.“When we started Tasty Bite, we saw a gap in American convenience foods. You could only get flavor or health, not both. There was a compromise,” Taparia shares.
, Kim Pham of Omsom shares the genesis of the ethnic aisle, which was established for soldiers returning from WWII to access foods consumed abroad to “cater to a white suburban population.” But that concept is also disappearing. CVS launched a front of store healthy food initiative that features diverse brands with a better-for-you focus. Walk into some retailers, like Whole Foods and Costco, and there is nary an ethnic aisle to be found.
One such example is Siete Foods, a pioneer in the better-for-you Mexican-American food category. The company raisedin 2019. Co-founder and CEO Miguel Garza shared that in more and more retailers, the company’s products are integrated as mainstream products into the store.