Tamales from Cuatro Cinco Enterprises.
el Restaurante publisher Ed Avis just returned from the Texas Restaurant Association Marketplace in Houston and saw a number of products worth sharing with readers:
1. Quijote Chorizos – This company has been making chorizo since 1988, but new this year is a line of pre-sliced chorizo products, including Lomo Embuchado, Cantimpalo Chorizo, Salchichon, and Cantimpalo Hot Chorizo. http://quijotefoods.com/index.html
2. Café Diario – You probably serve coffee in your restaurant, so why not serve an authentic, familiar Latin brand? Café Diario was launched in Mexico in 1965, and began offering coffee in the U.S. in 2009. www.cafediario.com
3. Cuatro Cinco – This Houston-based company offers a line of delicious prepared Mexican staples, including refried beans, Mexican rice, tamales, and meat for fajitas. It just launched a foodservice division. www.45foods.com
4. Mifrut – Looking for a delicious base for agua fresca? Check out the line from Mifrut, including passion fruit, pineapple, hibiscus, mango, and melon. http://www.wholefruitjpc.com/
5. El Matador Foods, Inc. – Looking for some interesting tortillas? El Matador offers spinach/herb, tomato/basil, cilantro, jalapeno/cheddar, salsa verde, and others. http://www.elmatadorfoods.com/
6. Beer Saver – Not a Latin brand, but this company makes a system called SelfTAP that would be a hit in any bar. It allows patrons to serve themselves beer at their tables, using a system of tubes connected to each table. http://www.usbeersaver.com/English/SelfTAP.aspx