PepsiCo is using its Fresh Experiences portfolio to move beyond traditional snacking by bringing globally-inspired refrigerated foods, including Spain’s Alvalle gazpacho, to US consumers seeking convenient and authentic culinary experiences.
PepsiCo’s acquisition of Alvalle gazpacho announced earlier this month highlights a broader strategy within the food industry: expanding into new eating occasions. And in the case for PepsiCo, the company is expanding into these occasions through globally inspired flavors for ready-to-eat, refrigerated products.
As consumers seek out convenient options that blur the line between snacks and meals, PepsiCo looks to well-established brands, like Alvalle, to bring accessible international food experiences, according to Marisa Perez, SVP and general manager of PepsiCo’s Fresh Experiences Portfolio.
“People are balancing busy lifestyles with an interest in foods that are convenient and made with quality ingredients,” Perez said. At the same time, consumers are “redefining traditional eating occasions, with more fluid lines between meals, snacks and everything in between.”
Rather than creating a new product from scratch, PepsiCo’s is leveraging brands with established consumer credibility.
Perez described Alvalle as a prime example of that approach.
“Global flavors and experiencing the world through food” using simple, recognizable ingredients is a significant consumer trend, Perez said. “Alvalle is a great example of how PepsiCo is bringing a brand from Spain, making it available in the US.”
Alvalle’s ready-to-eat gazpacho is made with tomatoes, cucumber, peppers and extra-virgin olive oil.
Leveraging Alvalle’s existing familiarity
The strategy reflects PepsiCo’s effort to broaden its reach beyond the traditional snack aisle while building on the strength of core brands, she notes.
Alvalle also gives PepsiCo a way to enter new occasions with a concept that has already been proven successful abroad.
“We’re not introducing an unproven concept,” Perez said. “We’re bringing an established brand and proposition into a market where we’re seeing consumers increasingly embrace the kinds of experiences Alvalle delivers.”
Alongside brands in Fresh Experiences Portfolio, including Sabra and Tostitos Guacamole, Alvalle is helping PepsiCo capture a wider range of eating occasions throughout the day.
Looking ahead, the company remains focused on “finding new ways to earn more occasions, more dayparts and more moments throughout their day,” Perez said.
Although refrigerated foods serve as a growth opportunity, which is reflected in PepsiCo’s nutrition strategy shaping other core brands, Perez emphasized that Fresh Experiences is not intended as a health-and-wellness repositioning of the business.
“We’re not approaching Fresh Experiences as a health and wellness strategy,” she said.
Rather, the portfolio is part of a broader part of the company’s evolution aimed at delivering more options for consumers and allowing PepsiCo to show up in more moments throughout the day, she added.
