Latin America’s Superfood Economy: Producing and Marketing Açaí, Chia Seeds, and Maca Root
Chia Seeds
Background
- Chia seeds, derived from the chia plant, originated in northern Guatemala and southern Mexico and the ancient Aztecs and Mayans used them (De Falco, Amato, and Lanzotti, 2017).
- This superfood regained popularity during the 1990s when a team of North and South American scientists working together in Argentina advertised chia seeds as a nutritional food (Coates and Ayerza, 1998).
- Current literature shows that chia has high levels of fiber, antioxidants, and healthy fatty acids (e.g., omega-3 and omega-6), which researchers have linked to human health benefits. However, more research is needed before widely accepting these health benefits (Grancieri, Martino, and Gonzalez de Mejia, 2019; University of Florida Health, 2020).
Production
South America alone produces approximately 80% of the world’s chia seed supply (Businesswire, 2020). The top chia seed producers are Paraguay, Bolivia, and Argentina (SIMSA Export, 2020). Bolivia’s fertile land and good weather conditions allowed the nation to increase its market share in the chia market in response to the demand-induced rise in prices (Beaumont and Michael, 2016; SIMSA Export, 2020). In Paraguay, the Chaco region is the major location of chia seed production (Delphi Organic, 2020). In recent years, Mexico has increased chia production and has started exporting to the U.S. market (Mordor Intelligence, 2020). Beyond Latin America, African nations (including Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda) and Australia have also expanded production of chia seeds (Dumas, 2015; CBI, 2019).Marketing
- Consumers with a strong preference for nutritional products constitute the target market segment for chia seeds (Mordor Intelligence, 2020).
- Initially, sales directed chia seeds to specialized health-food stores, but with their rise in popularity, chia seed retail has expanded to grocery stores as well.
- Similar to the case of açaí, chia seeds serve as an ingredient in sports nutritional products (Strom, 2012; CBI, 2019).
- The advertised nutritional benefits previously described have prompted celebrities and fashion models to promote chia seeds by incorporating them into their diets (Fletcher, 2014).
- Marketing of chia seeds has proven successful in the U.S. market, as evidenced by the increasing consumer awareness. Between 2010 and 2014, the percentage of U.S. consumers aware of chia as a food item rose from 27% to 37% (Businesswire, 2020).
In terms of trade and demand, Germany is the main chia market, with overall consumption of more than 5,000 metric tons in 2018, particularly driven by Germany’s vegan consumers and elderly population, representing almost half of the European chia imports, mainly from Paraguay, Bolivia, and Mexico (Businesswire, 2020). Other notable importers are the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, and Poland (CBI, 2019).
