September 15 marks the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month. The tradition of celebrating this vibrant section of our population began with a designated week in 1968. The week has since grown to a month to try to fully encapsulate the full influence that Hispanic Americans have had on our nation’s history and our culture.
| This cross-section of consumers is so integral that many companies focus events and product offerings to reflect the Hispanic influence. One of those companies is our WISE partner member, Fresh Texas. Fresh Texas, located in the heart of South Texas, creates plant-based, fresh produce-centric products that ship throughout Texas. We asked CEO Judy Clark, how the company incorporates the Hispanic Culture and celebrates National Hispanic Culture Month. “We find our Hispanic culture to be a great source of innovation in our category. We look to the traditions of rich ingredients and spices that combine to create flavorful dishes. The cuisine lends itself naturally to creating flavorful plant-based meal solutions. Recently, we created items such as a Zucchini Noodle Salad with black beans, fire roasted corn, chipotle vinaigrette and tortilla strips; Deconstructed Stuffed Poblano Chile; and Burrito Bowls with Fresh Pico de Gallo and Sofrito. Melding traditional produce with the Hispanic flavors and spices turn ordinary fresh produce into a fresh take on Hispanic Cuisine. During October, we will host events for our employees celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. At Fresh, we actually speak over a dozen languages on our campus, so we love to celebrate cultural diversity! We host food truck days that showcase the flavors of the culture we are celebrating and educational slides that play throughout our Visual Factory. We have learned, that we can turn most any food truck meal into a taco… even spaghetti can fold up nicely into bread! Our Hispanic roots run deep here in South Texas.” Here are some links that can assist you with learning the history of National Hispanic Heritage Month and ideas for how to celebrate: Woman’s Day Article | Hispanic Heritage Foundation | Top 100 Most Influential Latinas | Hispanic Heritage Awards | Hispanic Heritage Stories – Latinx Perspectives |