Buenos Dias is launching its latest Hispanic Bakery product: Pan de Ajo - Toasted Garlic Bread with Fine Herbs at the coming IDDBA show in Minneapolis June 5-7. The Toast has a light texture and is made with Olive Oil and Crushed Garlic and sprinkled with herbs

This new addition to the winning Buenos Dias range has many retail industry leaders talking about it, and has joined the other Stars in the dynamic Latino assortment. It is now available for distribution to all markets.

The flavored Toasted Bread category is heating up and posting double-digit increases in dollar sales and near double-digit increases in units sold. Driven largely by robust sales of garlic bread and garlic toast products, the category as a whole posted a 15.3% increase in dollars and 9.8% increase in units for the 52 weeks ending April 25, 2005, according to Information Resources Inc. (IRI), Chicago.

The growth of garlic bread and toast has been phenomenal and has brought in a lot consumers who had never shopped the category before. This strong success has helped to even out some of the seasonality in this category.

Retailers can gain additional momentum in sales by taking advantage of opportunities for cross-merchandising. They can capitalize heavily on opportunities to cross-merchandise toast bread by tying it into different categories. Frozen breads and rolls, especially garlic toast, are an absolute part of the meal solutions trend, and meal solutions is where the growth has been. There's obviously a tremendous growth opportunity for cross-merchandising Garlic Toast with center-of-the-plate items.

Many retailers have experienced the success of placing garlic toast bread as close as possible to pastas and soups as a convenience for the customer. Research also indicates that sales of Toast Bread increases when the product is displayed adjacent to the cheese and cold cuts in the deli. Significant increases in sales are seen when the products work together like with soups, dips, and cheese. Pasta, either frozen or dry, with spaghetti sauce works very well for Garlic Toast.

Although Buenos Dias Garlic Toast is targeting Hispanic consumers, it has a clear cross-over appeal to all supermarket shoppers.

The new Buenos Dias Pan de Ajo is packed 12 to a case. It is shipped in colorful punch-out boxes that highlight the attractive packaging and illustrate at least one of its main applications. Retailers are advised to stack 5 boxes in different sections of the supermarket. This new open multi-deck case display from Beunos Dias generates impulse buying.

A Big Toast to Garlic and Fine Herbs, and a Salud to Buenos Dias!