Albuquerque No Stranger to Ethnic Grocers

Demand brings new markets to the consumer on both ends of the city

Photo courtesy of the Pueblo Harvest Cafe and Bakery

Corn and green chile sizzle on the grill at the Pueblo Harvest Cafe and Bakery - a "Native Fusion" restaurant located in the north valley.

Part of Albuquerque’s allure is its diversity of cultures. And when it comes to ethnic food offerings in restaurants and grocery stores, the city abounds with enough offerings to satisfy any palate.

Just under half a million people call Albuquerque home. A 2007 city survey states that 49 percent of the residents are Anglo/Caucasian. The next largest number - 42 percent, are considered Hispanics/Latino and the remaining 9 percent combined are: Asian, American Indian, African American and "other."

For decades, southwest mexican food cuisine dominated the culinary scene in Albuquerque. However, with the population explosion over the last two decades, the demand for untraditional fare has grown and probably won't be dimininishing in the future.

According to Delores Sanchez, Human Resources Director for Pro's Ranch Market, the clientele at the newly opened supermarket of hispanic fare in the south valley is seeing more and more non-hispanics.

Between restaurant and grocers, hundreds of millions of dollars are to be made in the food industry. There is no shortage of grocers in the local, regional and national scene who are increasing their appeal to the ever growing appeal and demand for ethnic foods.

For instance, Bueno Food, a national food distributor reports on its website, an annual income between $50 - $100 million.

From Fields Near and Far

Whether you prepare your own meals or go out to eat, the food in Albuquerque comes from origins near and far.

Thanks to the long history of agribusiness along the Rio Grande River, Albuquerque has an impressive share of local producers of vegetables and meats contributing to overall meld of ethnic food in the city. Some of the growers associations have websites stating their weekly open market times and locations. The New Mexico Farmers Market provides a list of local growers market schedules and events

Photo courtesy of Los Poblanos website

Historic Los Poblanos Farms on Rio Grande Boulevard provides local produce for grocers and a picturesque event venue for parties and weddings.

According to the National Restaurant Association, (NRA) the trend in the American food service industry is catering to consumer demand for more exotic foods.

Among the top 20 culinary trends the NRA says The latest hip trends survey of top chefs, locally grown produce, Mediterranean cuisine, Pan-Asian cuisine, Asian appetizers and Latin American cuisine.

The Association's web site states that this trend has also crossed over into the retail grocery market, which accounts for 35 percent of ethnic food sales in the United States.

Within the entire radius of Albuquerque, there are about a dozen grocery stores that feature foods that would be considered “ethnic.”

According to the Association's reports, “More than 90 percent of industry experts believe ethnic minority consumers are a key group to target, while ethnic food sales are rising at 14 percent a year in Europe and 5 percent in the US. While minority consumers only form a small part of ethnic food spending, trends in the group drive mainstream ethnic food consumption.”

The Big Two
While farmers markets, cooperatives and small neighborhood retail grocers have existed in Albuquerque for decades, there are two that could be considered the "Big Two" grocers of international foods.

Talin World Market

Photo by Evelyn McCullah

Talin World Market opened in 1978 and features foods from around the world.

"I like shopping at Taliln because the produce is cheap and because you can find a lot of interesting snack foods that you can't find at the regular grocery store." said UNM student Kate Murphy.

Pro's Ranch Market

Pro's Ranch Marke came to Albuquerque's south valley last August and caters to largely, the hispanic/latino market although more and more non-hispanics are discovering us according to store manager, Mario Pimentel .

Photo by Evelyn McCullah

The crema section at Pro's Ranch Market features no less than seven varieties of fresh creams for desserts and other main dishes.

Pro's purchased the shopping center located at Atrisco and Central SW and spent $20 million on renovations.

Photo by Evelyn McCullah

Blocks of specialty candy are made daily at Pro's Ranch Market.