Consumer demand for cheeses from Mexico and other Latin American countries continues to surge — driven not just by immigrants but by adventurous diners in general.

The two Mexican cheese-focused brands that Sigma markets in the US are both enjoying strong growth, said Melanie Carrasquillo, the company’s director of Hispanic brands.

The Fud brand is primarily focused on enhancing Mexican recipes and traditions, Carrasquillo said.

“Our major customers is the traditional grandmother from Mexico who lives in the US yet wants to make traditional meals with authentic ingredients,” she said.

Popular cheeses in the Fud line include braided cheese balls from the Oaxaca region of Mexico, she said.

Cotija cheese has grown so rapidly that Sigma has trouble keeping it on shelves. People put cotija on many Mexican dishes. It’s so common that it’s almost like using salt or another seasoning. (Carrasquillo compares it to garnishing Italian recipes with parmesan cheese.) Much of cotija’s fame came from Mexican Street corn, which is so popular, she said.

Continued big growth of the Mexican immigrant community in the US is driving Fud’s growth, Carrasquillo said.

“Hispanics are driving most of the population growth in the US, their families are larger, and they’re keeping their traditions.”

Another Sigma brand, La Chona, is targeted at consumers who may be bicultural or not even Hispanic at all, Carrasquillo said. But they still want to replicate at home dishes they tried in Mexican restaurants.

“They’re not really invested in making tortillas by hand, nor in straining cheeses at home, which are time-consuming tasks. And they may not know the difference between different culinary regions but want access to easy ingredients to innovate with in their kitchens.”

Mexican is now the top ethnic cuisine in US restaurants, overtaking Italian, and many of those non-Hispanic consumers want to try their hand at Mexican dishes in their own kitchens, Carrasquillo said.

New packaging on La Chona products features images and recipes, both on-pack and via QR code, that make it even easier for inexperienced cooks to make those Mexican restaurant dishes at home.

Sigma cheeses are recent award winners at the US Championship Cheese Contest. The company’s 8-pound Fresco Wheel took Gold in the Latin American Style category, and Grated Cotija took Bronze in the Grated category.

Andrea Lopez Santos oversees a new Sigma line of cheeses and other products, Mucho Gusto, that launched in July 2024.

The line includes “the most authentic Central American cheeses” and other products and is targeted for distribution in Hispanic-focused retailers in the US.

“Our differentiator is that our El Salvadorean cheese are made in El Salvador,” Lopez Santos said. “This is a market we never catered to, and it’s growing at a rapid pace.”

The number of Central Americans living in the US is growing quickly, and Sigma saw an opportunity, she added. The flavors and textures of El Salvadorean and other Central American cheeses are “entirely different” from Mexican cheeses.