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Just two months after its launch in the US, the Knorr Professional Ready-to-Use Mexican sauces range has delivered the highest customer engagement of any Unilever Food Solutions innovation to date.
Why?
Because it offers exactly what today’s foodservice operators need to win with the critical Gen Z consumer: authentic Mexican flavours and operational simplicity for kitchen staff.
And it does so by using sauces, one of the most effective vehicles for menu innovation in restaurants. In fact, 81% of chefs say sauces are the most likely way they would introduce global flavours to restaurant menus, while four out of five say that easy-to-use sauces for kitchens, condiments and dressings are essential to their business.
“Global flavour demand is rising,” says Ximena Hernandez, Head of Marketing, UFS North America, “with 70% of operators reporting increased customer interest and nearly half planning to extend global ingredients across more menu applications.
“Sauces and condiments are not only the easiest but also the most scalable menu solutions for foodservice, especially in kitchens facing labour constraints.”
The success of Knorr Professional Ready-to-Use Mexican sauces for chefs is a stand-out example of how insight-led innovation is driving growth for UFS and its customers.
Operating on the front line of professional kitchens, UFS leverages its chef-to-chef ‘chefmanship’ approach to create innovations that work for customers and kitchens: thinking like a chef, understanding their reality and creating solutions that work in service.
The results are products deeply grounded in customer insights that shape everything from trend-led flavour profiles to kitchen-ready formats and packaging.
With the range covering Chipotle Honey Lime, Mango Habanero and Smoky Ancho Birria variants, these sauces offer a masterclass of this approach, delivering the authentic global cuisine consumers are looking for, in a format that kitchens can flex.
And it could not have come at a better time, with the future of the foodservice increasingly being shaped by a Gen Z diners.
As the first generation capable of searching in real time what appears on menus, research shows that 70% of Gen Z diners check online before trying something new.
And with 64% avoiding brands they perceive as inauthentic, delivering authentic global flavours has never been more important or more challenging. In fact, it’s a fear of being seen as inauthentic that’s holding some chefs back. Research shows that 28% say that a lack of skilled staff is preventing them from introducing new cuisines to their menus, despite one in two of them wanting to do so.
This is where UFS has stepped in. Backed by Knorr Professional’s Mexican flavour expertise (the brand’s chicken boullion has been a go-to for Mexican food for generations), the ready-to-use sauces empower kitchens to deliver true-to-origin Mexican flavour, while maintaining consistency at scale, and removing skill and training barriers.
What makes this launch exceptional is that it offers versatility without complexity. One sauce unlocks limitless applications – from tacos, bowls and burritos to ribs, burgers, bagels and even beverages – allowing operators to stretch a single product across menus, dayparts and formats.
For Mexican operators, it delivers authentic flavour with zero scratch prep. For American operators, it’s an easy way to bring Mexican-inspired flavours to signature dishes and tap into the trend without operational risk.
It is culinary win–win that further positions UFS as menu trends frontrunner, capable of delivering bold, complex flavours like birria – a traditional, slow-cooked Mexican celebration stew. Over the last four years, the number of birria-inspired dishes on US restaurant menus has grown 360%.
Sauces are one of the easiest and most scalable ways for chefs to introduce new flavours. Research shows 81% of chefs use sauces to add global flavours, making them a low-risk way to refresh menus.
Gen Z consumers actively research food choices, with 70% checking online before trying something new and 64% avoiding brands they perceive as inauthentic. This makes credible, authentic flavour critical for success.
The main barriers include lack of skilled staff, training complexity, and fear of being seen as inauthentic. These challenges often prevent chefs from adding new cuisines despite strong consumer demand.
Mexican cuisine is one of the most popular global cuisines, especially among Gen Z, and continues to grow – with trends like birria seeing rapid increases in menu penetration.
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