P.A.N., the top pre-cooked cornmeal brand in Venezuela and the leading cornmeal product in Latin America, launched its U.S. marketing efforts June 9 to inspire American foodies to try the brand and make it a pantry staple.
P.A.N., short for Productos Alimenticios Nacionales (National Food Products), was launched in Venezuela in 1960 by Empresas Polar.
As part of the newly launched marketing efforts, coming out of Miami, P.A.N. has signed on for a yearlong partnership with renowned chef, restaurateur and philanthropist Lorena Garcia, whose Venezuelan roots make her the ideal ambassador as P.A.N. becomes available nationally.
“My relationship with P.A.N. goes all the way back to my childhood,” Chef Garcia said. “It’s extremely gratifying for me to be able to introduce American consumers to a brand that is a big part of my culture and culinary traditions. I can’t wait to show them all the delicious recipes they can create with it.”
“There’s no better chef to inspire consumers to cook with P.A.N. than Lorena,” added Pablo Baraybar, director of Alimentos Polar, C.A. “Her influence on Latin cuisine in the United States cannot be understated, and her passion for our product will highlight that P.A.N. is a must-have for foodies whether they want to make a dish like arepas or a homemade favorite like cornbread.”
Traditionally used to prepare Venezuelan arepas, P.A.N., when mixed with water and salt, creates dough that can be kneaded and formed into arepas, which resemble pockets.
Different packaging helps consumers distinguish the three varieties: yellow corn, white corn and sweet corn. The yellow and white corn varieties are 100 percent gluten-free, adding to their versatility as substitutes for flour in both sweet and savory baking.
The brand also is tapping influencers via partnerships with blogger communities like Influence Central and Kin Community to create content incorporating P.A.N. as an ingredient for brunch recipes or American favorites like corn dogs and hush puppies. Recipes can be shared online using the #PANfan hashtag. There also are newly launched P.A.N. Tumblr and Pinterest pages for recipes. The company website is pancorn.com.
