Expo Comida Latina Texas Exceeded Success

/

PORTLAND, Maine, May 2 — Expo Comida Latina Texas and Nightclub & Bar Beverage and Food Fiesta Latina celebrated a successful event with their co-location that exceeded expectation at the George R. Brown Convention Center, last week, in Houston, Texas.

Chef LaLa (Laura Diaz) spearheaded the culinary demonstrations throughout the 2-day event. Chef LaLa is an awarding winning chef, humanitarian and Hispanic spokesperson for the 5-A-Day program, American Diabetes Association and many other organizations and author of Latin Lover Lite, the first-ever authentic guide to cooking healthy Latin favorites.

“Houston rocks! I had a great time getting to know the amazing community of chefs and foodservice executives at Expo Comida Latina Texas. It was packed at our Culinary Demonstration Theater! I can’t wait to come back Houston,” said Chef LaLa.

Expo Comida Latina Texas is a leading business event for the Hispanic food and beverage industry in Texas. Buyers are able to conduct business with hundreds of exhibitors and leave the shows with new products, new contacts and new information.

“We were so excited to bring Expo Comida Latina Texas and Fiesta Latina to Houston! The support of the show from the business community was tremendous. We were honored to host our dear friends at the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Houston Minority Business Council and the TAMACC (Texas Association of Mexican-American Chambers of Commerce) at the joint networking breakfast. A solid foundation has been laid for the event to grow and annually bring together the very best in Hispanic food and beverage to Texas,” says Brian Randall, Vice President of the Cultural Food Group at Diversified Business Communications.

Expo Comida Latina Texas featured 248 leading suppliers of Hispanic food and beverage. Among them, seven countries were represented including Mexico, Nicaragua, Korea, Colombia, Guatemala, Canada, and the United States. In the Mexican pavilion, 14 Mexican States exhibited including Puebla, Michoacán, Nuevo Leon, Estado de Mexico, Colima, Guanajuato, Sonora, Oaxaca, Tamaulipas, Durango, Tabasco, Queretaro, Yucatan, and Chiapas. Attendance at the event reached 2,618 retail and foodservice business professionals.

“The business community in Texas embraced Fiesta Latina and Expo Comida Latina with wide-open arms. We were so honored to have an incredible turn out of both on and off premise beverage professionals with us. The Hispanic food and beverage industry continues to out perform all statistics. From our educational sessions to the keynotes to the show floor … big business went down here in Houston,” said Jennifer Robinson, Chief Operations Officer at Oxford Publishing.

The following exhibitors are among those that introduced new products at Expo Comida Latina Texas:

  • Mex Gourmet made its debut in Texas by introducing one of the finest Mexican Gourmet Coffees called Cafe Garat.  In Mexico, Cafe Garat is served in over 40% of the finest hotels in Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Veracruz, Acapulco, and in the finest restaurants throughout Mexico.  In Houston, Cafe Garat is served at the renowned Mexican Restaurant Maria Selma.
  • Novamex introduced several new products, including Chocolate Ibarra (Powdered chocolate from Mexico), Mineragua Flavors (Orange, Lime, and Grapefruit flavored mineral water), Manzana Verde Mundet (Green apple softdrink from Mexico), Zuko (powdered mix drink), Jarritos Lima-Limon (lime-lemon soft drink from Mexico)
  • Adapmark Restaurant Menu Design launched a new line of stock paper menus that allow the restaurant owner to print its new menu on professional looking paper using a PC in their own restaurant.
  • Highland Beef Farms introduced a 1/2 gallon Tex Mex Cheese Sauce with pump.  The company began as a cattle farm, specializing in all natural mountain raised grain fed beef and has expanded into a number of new venues now specializing in the manufacture and marketing of the premium quality nutritious shelf stable meat and cheese snacks.
  • Cascabel N.A. LLC launched Cascabel Energy Drink in 4-packs.  The drink is designed to boost energy, concentration, endurance and performance.

Activities involved in this year’s event included a series of educational conference sessions that featured key industry insights and business development ideas to help streamline costs, introduce new menu items and grow businesses. Rudy Beserra, VP of Latin Affairs for the Coca-Cola Company, delivered the Keynote Address. Beserra has made his career as an advocate and voice for the Latino community to strengthened Coca Cola’s bridge with hundreds of Latino organizations and small businesses in the United States.

Chef LaLa (Laura Diaz-Brown) spearheaded the culinary demonstrations throughout the 2-day event. Chef LaLa is an awarding winning chef, humanitarian and Hispanic spokesperson for the 5-A-Day program, American Diabetes Association and many other organizations and author of Latin Lover Lite, the first-ever authentic guide to cooking healthy Latin favorites.

“Houston rocks! I had a great time getting to know the amazing community of chefs and foodservice executives at Expo Comida Latina Texas. It was packed at our Culinary Demonstration Theater! I can’t wait to come back Houston,” said Chef LaLa.

Next, Expo Comida Latina will travel to Los Angeles, California on October 15-16, 2006 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. In 2007, Expo Comida Latina Texas will take place on April 23 - 24 in Houston at the George R. Brown Convention Center. For more information, please visit www.expo-comida-latina.com

About Expo Comida Latina

Expo Comida Latina was launched in Los Angeles in 2002 as the first-ever business event for the Hispanic food and beverage market. Through a bi-monthly e-newsletter, Comida News, and Expo Comida Latina, the brand is now firmly established as a leading resource for the Hispanic food and beverage industry, where foodservice and retail buyers can get the latest news on the industry and explore new authentic Latin products from suppliers throughout the Americas. For more news and information on Expo Comida Latina and its events in Los Angeles, New York or Texas visit: www.expo-comida-latina.com

About Diversified Business Communications

Diversified Business Communications, a division of Diversified Communications, brings buyers and sellers together through award-winning publications and internationally acclaimed trade shows produced on four continents Some of the other products in Diversified’s food portfolio include Kosherfest, All Asia Food Expo, the International Boston Seafood Show and Fine Food Australia. For more information, visit: www.divbusiness.com

About Nightclub & Bar Beverage and Food Fiesta Latina

This show combines the elements of a traditional Nightclub & Bar show and offers an in-depth study focused on the Latino/Hispanic market. It’s a marketplace of ideas and opportunities where professionals in all segments of the hospitality industry can learn and network as the nation responds to this rapidly expanding market. This event provides a complete line-up of educational sessions that are targeted to boost profitability, along with an exhibit hall packed with new products and services and a host of networking events that create endless opportunities for buyers and sellers to meet. www.nightclub.com

About Oxford Publishing, Inc.

Oxford Publishing, Inc. publishes three national trade magazines: Nightclub & Bar, Beverage Retailer, Salud! y Buen Provecho and produces the largest beverage and food event in the industry with their annual Nightclub & Bar/Beverage Retailer/Beverage & Food Convention and Trade Show that is held in Las Vegas each March. They also produce other shows in various cities across the United States including their successful East Coast launch in Atlantic City this past October. www.oxfordpublishinginc.com

MEDIA CONTACT:

Lucila Garcia
949-369-6515 (office)
lucila@ventanalife.com

Web site: http://www.divbusiness.com/ http://www.nightclub.com/ http://www.oxfordpublishinginc.com/ http://www.expo-comida-latina.com/ 

Disclaimer: Information contained on this page is provided by companies featured through PR Newswire. PR Newswire, WorldNow and this Station cannot confirm the accuracy of this information and make no warranties or representations in connection therewith.