Interview: Tajin Doesn’t Have Consumers, It has fans!

Tajin is a brand with a clear vision of the future. What started as a blend of tangy dried chiles, lime, and sea salt, has grown into a worldwide, viral phenomenon that’s sold and distributed across multiple countries and continents, including the United States of America, Asia, Africa, Central America, South America, and Europe. With humble roots in the city of Zapopan Jalisco, Mexico, Tajin was founded by Horacio Fernandez in 1985 as a way to share his grandmother’s unique blend of chiles with the community. Selling one bottle at a time from the back of a pickup truck that crawled from store to store in Zapopan, everyone who tried Tajin fell in love with its sharp flavor, and those unit sales quickly converted into case sales.  

Becoming a national icon in Mexico, Tajin first came to the United States in 1993, its bottles packaged in the colors of its heritage: red, white, and green. While Tajin did find success in the United States, it wasn’t until the early 2000s when Tajin re-branded that it began to see the sort of cross-cultural success it sees today, with over 24,000 points of sale in the US alone as of 2021.

“Tajin doesn’t have consumers. It has fans,” says Alex Cantu, Regional Sales Manager of Central, Midwest & East Coast. 

This customer-centric mindset is what has driven Tajin to become 2020’s #1 Chile and lime condiment blend in both the United States and Mexico, being declared “the taste of the year of 2020” by multiple prominent food magazines, including EatingWell and Food Network Magazine. In addition, leveraging television, radio, and viral social media marketing, a younger generation of “fans” have welcomed the brand’s delicious flavor onto their fresh fruit, cocktails, and grilled meats. 

In its quest to continue expanding its seasoning lineup, Tajín International Corporation is reintroducing its long-standing sauces Tajín Mild Hot Sauce and Tajín Fruity Chamoy Hot Sauce, to compete in the rewarding hot sauce category.

“Not all people have a palate for very spicy hot sauces. In fact, a substantial number of category users actually prefer a mild-to-medium heat level. These Tajin flavors range from sweet and tangy to mildly spicy, always with the distinctive touch of lime that differentiates the Tajin brand. As a result, consumers will be drawn to these high quality, innovative product options to dip, top, mix and enjoy the snacks they love” said Luis Alfaro, Brand Marketing Manager of Sauce Category.

Tajín Mild Hot Sauce has Tajin’s distinctive lime flavor in a mild hot sauce and it’s made with a blend of 100% natural chilies, lime juice and sea salt. On the other hand, Tajín Fruity Chamoy Hot Sauce offers a fruity flavor mixed with a tangy Chamoy taste, all combined in a mild sauce. It’s made with 100% natural chilies, lime juice, sea salt and a touch of apricot. Both these sauces have no added sugar or coloring and are perfect for the entire family.

Tajín will accompany this reintroduction with a marketing campaign that demonstrates the different ways consumers can use the sauces to enjoy their favorite snacks – the saucy way to Tajin IT! For example, the Mild Hot Sauce with its red cap is great in companion with savory snacks like tortilla chips, chicken wings, pizza and even micheladas, while Tajin Fruity Chamoy, with the yellow cap, is meant to be paired with sweet snacks like fruits, frozen beverages and ice pops.

With all of its success, Tajin is nowhere near finished as they focus on making 2021 the best year in their history until 2022 comes around and the brand’s vision once again ratchets even higher.

In the words of Alex Cantu, “Tajin makes everything, even better!”