Newsweek reports that pork rinds, which had a number of good years owing to the low-carb diet craze and the fact the President George Herbert Walker Bush ate them, are seeing a reversal of fortune as people stop counting carbs and pay more attention to fat and calories.
One Chicago-based company that makes the rinds, Evans Food Group, saw its business triple over five years, reaching $96 million in 2004. Now that sales are in decline, Evans’ owner, Alejandro Silva, has begun cooking up new products. Newsweek writes that “first up is La Tonita, a line of pork rinds Silva says is aimed at the Hispanic market; La Tonita features flavors like guacamole. He also signed a deal with the rapper Chopper (from MTV's "Making the Band"), whose picture now appears on bags of Rap Snacks pork rinds, which Silva hopes will lure African-American buyers. Next month he'll introduce ready-to-eat meals—like rice and beans and lentil soup—featuring pork rinds. For health-conscious types who still like to pig out, he's rolled out lower-fat baked pork rinds, with 120 calories per one-ounce serving, compared with 160 calories in the fried version.”
While he seems upbeat about his chances, Silva tells the magazine that he was burned by the transient nature of American tastes. Referring to the low-carb movement, he says, "All the experts said it was a trend, not a fad.”
One Chicago-based company that makes the rinds, Evans Food Group, saw its business triple over five years, reaching $96 million in 2004. Now that sales are in decline, Evans’ owner, Alejandro Silva, has begun cooking up new products. Newsweek writes that “first up is La Tonita, a line of pork rinds Silva says is aimed at the Hispanic market; La Tonita features flavors like guacamole. He also signed a deal with the rapper Chopper (from MTV's "Making the Band"), whose picture now appears on bags of Rap Snacks pork rinds, which Silva hopes will lure African-American buyers. Next month he'll introduce ready-to-eat meals—like rice and beans and lentil soup—featuring pork rinds. For health-conscious types who still like to pig out, he's rolled out lower-fat baked pork rinds, with 120 calories per one-ounce serving, compared with 160 calories in the fried version.”
While he seems upbeat about his chances, Silva tells the magazine that he was burned by the transient nature of American tastes. Referring to the low-carb movement, he says, "All the experts said it was a trend, not a fad.”
- KC's View:
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All the experts lied.
Or maybe they just got sucked in by their own hype.
Either way, they were wrong, and always will be wrong when it comes to these kinds of things.
A trend is just a fad with a little more endurance.
