Food Consumption Patterns Part 2

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Annex 14: Most Popular Snack Brands, Profitis and Turnover Rates
Redistributors were asked to list their three top-selling brands of each of the three main categories
of snacks – sweet cookies, salted crackers, and cheese puffs/popcorn (also a salty snack). Not all
distributors named three in each category. The most popular salted crackers were the Bongu,
Coctel Fiesta, Guarina, and Maryela crackers (Table ##). The most popular sweet snacks (cookies)
were Maxi, Casino, Salix, and Tempo (Table ##). The Chiritos brand produced in Haiti by Stanco
was by far the most frequently cited best-seller (Table ##).
Table A14-1: Best-selling cookies
Product
Frequency
Maxi 9
Casino 7
Salix 6
Tempo 6
Anika 3
Coctel Fiesta 3
Table A14-2: Best-selling cheese
puff/popped snack
Product
Frequency
Chiritos 9
Mini Jumbo 3
Chiko 2
Arlequin 2
Bingo 1
Popcorn 1
Table A14-3: Best-selling salted crackers
Product
Frequency
Bongu 8
Coctel Fiesta 6
Guarina 5
Maryela 5
Diana 2
Margins and Turnover for Other Snacks
Turnover of such snack products and other frequently purchased foods is fast. A telephone survey
on turnover found that distributors who stocked cookies (n=40) purchased 215 units and restocked
every 13 days, on average; those selling salted crackers (n=41) bought 305 units and restocked
every 12 days; and those selling puffed grains purchased 5,733 units and restocked every 14 days
(Table X). This is consistent with previous research indicating that on a provincial market day a
vendor can sell out of a fast-selling snack food and open a new case or bag the same day. Between
market days, vendors can take three to four days – sometimes a full week-- to sell a case or other
wholesale purchase, although the typical turnover rate for common food and household products
(such as matches or batteries) is one to two days. Regardless of turnover rates, however,
distributors said the margins that they and their customers require is based on the wholesale
quantity (case or large bag). The major distributors all said that the popped millet should be sold
in large bags or cases with 40 to 50 individual bags of the product. This is consistent with the
packaging of the most common potential competitor – various brands of cheese puffs – which sells