By Nick Lenzi
If you’ve worked in retail long enough, you learn to ignore the chatter and follow one thing: what actually moves at the register.
As SVP of Marketing at Lipari Foods, I’ve spent 47 years in this business. From VG’s Grocery to SpartanNash to Busch’s Fresh Food Markets. I’ve seen “the next big thing” come and go. But this isn’t a fad. It’s a clean growth lane.
Over the past 52 weeks, globally positioned brands captured 82% of all growth in food & beverage. If you’re fighting for incremental dollars, global can’t be a side project. It’s one of the most dependable places to earn share right now.
What “Global” Actually Means
SPINS defines “global brands” as brands dedicated to a particular cuisine type either imported and culturally relevant, or domestic brands inspired by heritage/cuisine. Translation: shoppers aren’t looking for random international SKUs. They’re looking for food that feels authentic, familiar, and worth repeating.
Where to Focus: Two Cuisines with Real Momentum
If you want the most actionable opportunity, start with the categories that are already big and still climbing:
Hispanic/South American
- Mexico: $11.89B, +4.86% YoY
- Hispanic/South Am – General: $4.11B, +8.58% YoY
Middle Eastern/Mediterranean
- Mid East/Mediterr – General: $870M, +6.63% YoY
- Greece: $785M, +10.74% YoY
The Truth About “Hispanic Customers”
One of the biggest mistakes I see is treating “Hispanic” like one shopper. It’s not. Venezuela ≠ Colombia ≠ Mexico. Different staples, different brands, different expectations.
And the growth is being driven by distinct communities: Venezuela (+76.88%), Uruguay (+29.93%), Costa Rica (+19.88%), with others close behind. If you don’t know where your shoppers are from, you don’t know what they buy. The win is ancestry-based: build sets that match the real community in your trade area.
It’s Not Just for One Kind of Store
This growth isn’t showing up in only one channel. We’re seeing it across MULO, regional/independent, convenience, and natural/expanded. Independents can absolutely win here, especially because you can localize faster and execute cleaner.
Stock Smarter: Premium and Better-For-You Are Taking Share
Global is also getting more premium. Better ingredients, cleaner labels, and “better choice” cues are grabbing more share. The opportunity isn’t to add more items. It’s to curate better ones and support them with the right signage, placement, and seasonal moments.
Ramadan is a Major Retail Window
For Middle Eastern/Mediterranean shoppers, Ramadan is a real spend moment, not a niche holiday. Food consumption during Ramadan is estimated at 15% of annual food expenditure, and retailers typically stock up at least a month ahead. Dates, nuts, and dairy are key, and sales have increased ~35% across channels (2022–2024). If you plan early, you can earn loyalty fast.
The Friction Point: Grocery Alone Won’t Complete the Shop
You can’t build a real global destination on shelf-stable alone. The trip gets finished in refrigerated and frozen: dairy, dips, cheeses, prepared items, breads. Perishables turn faster, drive repeat trips, and create the “I’m coming back here” habit.
How Lipari Helps You Act on It
At Lipari, we track the opportunity three ways: market data, register-level signals, and what actually leaves the dock. That lets us help retailers tailor authentic sets, build the full shop across grocery + dairy + frozen, and flex for key moments like Ramadan without losing execution or simplicity.
Talk to our team about building a global set that actually fits your shoppers.
