The biggest difference Schlatter has seen recently is the Hispanic community’s willingness to buy in bulk, such as 5, 8, 10-pound packages. “It reminds me of when I was a kid,” he says, explaining that his grandparents were Italian and it was very important to find the freshest ingredients for sauces and specific dishes. It was, he reminisced, like a community competition of who could make the best-tasting sauce or traditional meal.
Desert Sparkle: Las Vegas, Nevada
Although Las Vegas has shown the least growth of the cities covered here, its Hispanic population grew by an astonishing 104 percent from 2000 to 2013 according to Nielsen. Ranked 16 in the Pew Research Center’s top Hispanic Metropolitan Areas a few years ago, the city has a thriving Hispanic culture. Part of the attraction is a variety of Hispanic-themed celebrations, like the Fiesta Las Vegas Latino Parade, the Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration in December, Clark County’s Dia de los Muertos festival, and many more. Nevada also has a Latino governor, Brian Sandoval.
Nils Goldschmidt, president of Las Vegas-based Terra Exports, LLC, calls Vegas a “great place for business.” Like Schlatter, he believes the influx of Hispanics has a great deal to do with job availability. California, he observes, has a highly competitive job market and fluctuating economic strength. For many, Nevada is the “next closest destination. The cost of living is significantly lower here,” he notes, and better yet, residents enjoy the “perks of not having horrible traffic like you see in Los Angeles.”
Goldschmidt estimates about a third of Terra’s sales end up in Hispanic stores. A Hispanic himself, he cautions that it’s a mistake to think too collectively. “We talk about Hispanics as a market, but Columbians may eat something that Argentinians don’t, etc.”
Although the most recent U.S. census reported slightly less than 10 percent of Vegas businesses were Hispanic-owned, Goldschmidt has noticed real prosperity in the supermarket segment. “Back in the day, you were talking about the little bodega corner market; now you go into these [stores] and they look like a Whole Foods market.” Freshness and price are key, he says, and predicts mangos, pineapples, and papayas will keep rising in popularity due to Vegas’ expanding Hispanic population.
Florida Five: Ft. Myers, Naples, Orlando, Tampa, West Palm Beach
Florida has become a true melting pot for Hispanics in recent decades, beyond the well-known Latino enclaves of Miami. The Sunshine State boasts several areas of growth, and among these the Orlando metro region has seen the greatest surge in Hispanic population at 125 percent according to Nielsen. The Ft. Myers/Naples area came in a close second with 123 percent, followed by Tampa and West Palm Beach at 112 and 111 percent respectively.
