A stroll through the aisles of almost any American city supermarket gives clear evidence of the demographic and gastronomic changes the country is undergoing.
Exotic fruits, together with packaged and canned foods from Latin America, Asia and the Middle East, crowd the racks.
A decade ago, these products were confined to specialty shops. But exotic foods have gone mainstream and one ambitious company in El Salvador, Arrocera San Francisco, has pounced on the United States to capture the wallets and stomachs of all Americans.
"We originally targeted the two million Salvadorans living in the U.S. but sales of our flavored rices, special beans, chiles, soups and preserves, under our Doña Lisa brand, took off," recalls Max Novoa, managing director of the family-owned firm.
"Now, we supply more than 400 supermarkets across the U.S. and this year we'll ship between 150 and 200 containers there. We hope to double that next year."
The Novoa family bought the rice distribution and processing business in 1978 and within two decades had expanded its product line and moved into Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. At home, Arrocera San Francisco has grown spectacularly, with annual sales now at around $25 million.
The United States is now the main challenge. "The U.S. is the biggest market in the world and we feel that the Free Trade Agreement will help transform our operation from a regional enterprise into a true world player," says Max's father and company president Guillermo Novoa.
