Asian Grocery Brands Break Out of Ethnic Aisle as U.S. Demand for Global Flavors Surges
Candice Choi launched her Korean seaweed snack brand, Geem, in 2023 with a direct-to-consumer model and a TikTok-focused marketing strategy. Within three months, the snacks appeared on shelves at grocery stores including some Whole Foods locations, where Geem chips sit alongside kale chips and veggie straws.
Explosive Demand Drives Retail Expansion
"Traditionally, buyers are gatekeepers, and it takes years and years and years to develop those relationships, but they saw the category was growing, and we've been performing," Choi told CNBC. Because of its explosive demand, Geem will launch in Whole Foods stores across Southern California, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii in July, the company told CNBC exclusively.
"There was so much confluence of people being really excited about our snacks and stores really willing to take us on that was really, really exciting," Choi said. "People are being exposed to newer flavors earlier on, and it's no longer that weird snack that maybe you try once and you're like, 'No.'"
Shift Beyond the Traditional Ethnic Aisle
Geem's growth reflects a larger trend: As demand for global flavors in the U.S. rises, Asian grocery items are gaining prominence in mainstream grocery stores, signaling an evolution beyond the traditional "ethnic aisle" of years past. Those aisles typically included a limited selection of international products, often offering primarily sauces or oils. An aisle sign at Whole Foods on May 27, 2026, showed the changing landscape.
"It's really exciting, and we're seeing that taste profile really influence consumer demand. And you can see it in the numbers. Asian snacking is expected to go to multiple billions in the end of 2030, and that's just the snacking," Choi said.
Market Data and Population Trends
Research from global investment banking advisor BDA Partners estimates that the "ethnic aisle" generated $8.8 billion in sales in 2024, with Asian products growing nearly four times faster than overall grocery sales. The U.S. Asian food market is projected to grow to $51.3 billion by 2031, with a 4.7% compounded annual growth rate, BDA said.
According to data from market research firm Circana, sales of Asian grocery items jumped from $1.57 billion in 2021 to over $2.31 billion this year. That growth is multifaceted, Circana analyst Sally Wyatt told CNBC. The Pew Research Center has reported that the U.S. Asian population has more than doubled since 2000, growing to a 7% share of the total population. As that population grows, Wyatt said, so too has its influence, introducing new flavors to the rest of the country.
The trend is also playing out at restaurants, but at a time when eating out is 4.3 times the cost of cooking at home, Wyatt said, the dynamic is most apparent in grocery stores. "Especially as younger consumers are exploring, as consumers want to travel but maybe can't, we do see that," she added.
Market Context
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- Date: May 30, 2026