Kern's introduces two new Mexican beverages

20/04/06 Kern's Beverages, LLC, known for their whole fruit nectars and Original Horchata, is pleased to introduce Kern's® Mango Horchata and Coffee Horchata (pronounced "or CHAT a").

Horchata is a traditional Mexican beverage made with milk, rice, and a hint of cinnamon, commonly served from big glass "jaras" at street stands and in Mexican restaurants. New Mango and Coffee Horchatas are unique and refreshing variations of Kern's Original Horchata.

Mary Tarczynski, Marketing Director at Kern's, commented, "Kern's already brings the delicious authentic taste of Horchata to the convenience of your grocer's dairy case. Now we have two unique blends that appeal to consumers of all ages and ethnic backgrounds."

Kern's introduced its Original Horchata in 2003. The single SKU is a solid performer with retail volume up +26% this year. (Nielsen, 12 WE 3.25.06). Research suggests that Mango and Coffee will be enthusiastically received by both Hispanic and general market consumers. Kern's Horchata is packaged in 64oz cartons and typically shelved with refrigerated juice blends at a retail price of $2.99 - $3.29.

Kern's Horchata can be found in Albertsons, Food 4 Less, Food City, Frye's, Raley's, Ralph's, Safeway, SaveMart, Stater Brothers, Vons, and independent grocery stores in California, Arizona, and Nevada and Wal*Mart stores in those three states plus Texas and New Mexico.

Cinco de Mayo and Other Latin Influences on U.S. Culture

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the victory of Mexicans over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Latinos and non-Latinos celebrate the occasion with fiestas nationwide.

While Horchata may be known best among people of Mexican descent, Horchata has roots among many ethnicities. Horchata originated in ancient Egypt where tigernuts (chufa) were one of the earliest domesticated crops. In Ecuador, sesame seeds are used. In El Salvador, Horchata is typically flavored with ground cocoa plus cinnamon and sesame seeds. In Spain, Horchata refers to orxata de xufes (horchata de chufas), made from tigernuts, water, and sugar and served over ice.

Julius Kerns established Kern's Food Products in the 1920's. Kern's began producing juice drinks for the Libby's company in the 1970's and was acquired by Nestle in 1985. Nestle sold the brand in 2004 and now Kern's Beverages, LLC is an independent company owned by key members of the management team and Stremick's Heritage Foods, a Southern California based maker of dairy, rice, and other "good for you" beverages.

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