Flatbreads and tortillas are the bakery staples of the cultures they originate from and are as versatile — if not more so — than a loaf of sliced bread. Part of these products’ staying power in cross-cultural shopping carts and on dinner tables has been showing consumers all that they can do. 

“We have a dedicated marketing team entirely focused on ensuring the best experience for consumers throughout their interaction with the brand, from in-store to online to at-home,” said Karen Toufayan, vice president of marketing, Toufayan Bakeries, Ridgefield, NJ. “We take great care with branding, packaging, product innovation, usage inspiration and online interaction to share the incredible versatility of these products.” 

With the power of today’s marketing, that consumer education has never been easier. Social media as a pinboard for recipes through TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest have opened a door to getting the word out in a personal way.

“Influencer recommendations continue to drive more than 60% of purchase decisions for consumers according to recent Sidekiq research, so we’ve always partnered with influencers on multiple levels: from the mom-next-door micro influencer to macro influencers with millions of followers and multiple platforms,” Toufayan explained. 

For Tia Lupita Foods, Tiburon, Calif., consumer education is more focused on explaining its ingredients and its mission: cactus flour and upcycled okara flour, which offer both nutrition and sustainability benefits. 

“At Tia Lupita, we know we are in the very early stages of educating consumers on the benefits of cactus and why we are adding it to our tortillas and tortilla chips without sacrificing taste,” said Jose Carillo, head of marketing for Tia Lupita. 

As an emerging brand, Tia Lupita still benefits the most from trialing its products in grocery stores. 

“We are confident that our tortillas have really good nutritional facts, but just talking about the benefits is not enough,” Carillo said. “We show consumers that they also taste great. We have to get creative and find ways to get our products in people’s hands so they can experience it themselves. We wish there were a simpler way, but it’s part of the process of introducing a new ingredient like cactus.”

This article is an excerpt from the March 2024 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Tortilla and Flatbreads, click here.