International Markets
By maria fernandez | Arts and entertainment | Sept. 30, 2026
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (SCPDA) – A trip to the grocery store may not sound like a cultural experience, but for Stanton College Preparatory School students, it can be. International markets can be places where they find ingredients that remind them of home, memories, and familiar customs. Jacksonville’s international grocery stores bring global flavors into local communities, creating spaces where traditions are shared.
Jacksonville’s international grocery stores offer more than a variety of foods; they create opportunities for people to explore new cultures, celebrate, and connect with others. From discovering unfamiliar ingredients to finding new favorite dishes, these markets are a vibrant space that reflect the diversity and creativity of Jacksonville’s community. Their impact can be meaningful for many Stanton students, who see them as places where one person’s culture and family practices can merge into someone else’s everyday life.
Interactions between students reflect how the exchange of cultures has helped diversify Jacksonville. The variety of customers and foods found at these stores is a part of a broader local demographic change. According to the United States Census Bureau, 14.2% of Jacksonville residents were born outside the U.S. and 1.2% moved from abroad as of 2024. International foods are available in these stores serving different cultural communities.
The role of these stores is best understood through the people who shop there regularly. Some shoppers go looking for ingredients that have been part of family recipes, while others browse the aisles out of curiosity. For some Stanton students, these visits are tied to customs they have grown up with; for others, they are a chance to try something different.
“Dried crabs are one food that I found at an international market, and honestly I have tried a lot of seafood that American stores don’t have as often,” freshman Taylor Stacey said. “I have tried new international foods that look really good, and have good reviews, but my favorite is Indian butter chicken.”
The experiences of trying new foods can look different for everyone. The community a store serves determines which products and amenities are available. Lotte Plaza Market on Atlantic Boulevard, for example, offers Asian groceries alongside a food court. RD International Market, which opened on Beach Boulevard in 2024, also combines international groceries with a food court and live seafood. The Jacksonville Daily Record reported the store had 70 live seafood tanks when it opened. Smaller markets, such as Soriya Food Market, focus on harder-to-find Southeast Asian ingredients. For students with Asian backgrounds, these markets become a way to encounter and maintain parts of their heritage through food.
“I have bought ingredients like masala mix from [Apna Bazaar] to make Southeast Indian or Asian foods like chicken biryani,” sophomore Pranav Nimagada said. “International markets help maintain culture [locally] by bringing foods from all over the world to create a mix of culture.”
Similarly, Hispanic markets in Jacksonville, such as Super Tienda Latina, offer groceries and prepared foods for shoppers looking for Latin American products. Shoppers can also find specialty spices and sauces such as aji amarillo from Peru, Mexican mole, Argentinian chimichurri, and Cuban citrus marinades that are integral to their traditional recipes. For Hispanic students, these markets offer a tangible connection to a family's homemade dish, while also allowing non-Hispanic shoppers to discover and experiment with authentic dishes like paella, tacos al pastor, or ropa vieja.
“My family usually gets foods that aren’t typically available in American grocery stores like Arina Pan and crema salvadoriana in Brazilian Deli Market and Rio Bonito,” sophomore Osorio Briana said. “These stores help maintain parts of my culture because it helps us cook traditional dishes.”
The growth of these stores is also part of a broader national trend. A May 27, 2026 report in Food Trade News found that international grocery stores are increasingly attracting shoppers beyond the communities they originally served. This expansion of customers is the result of younger consumers being globally exposed through digital media, making what once was unfamiliar feel accessible.
“International stores matter, especially with America’s growing market and different cultures,” senior Jordyn Reeves said. “Bringing more cultures into everyday life is important. It helps bring diversity and culture, because most of our grocery stores are Western-focused, and incorporating other cultures is a great way to normalize [them].”
Authentic global experiences can be found in international grocery stores. Global groceries have shifted from niche ethnic retailers to mainstream cultural destinations by seeking authenticity, mainstream integration, and operational innovation. The same report made by the Food Trade News portrays how international markets like H Mart are becoming the next-generation international grocery format. Gen Z and Millennial consumers, especially those influenced by social media, go there to try foods they have seen online, treating the visit as entertainment and cultural exploration.
International grocery stores can also be part of preparing food for family traditions and celebrations. A trip to the grocery store plays a role in preparing an ethnic dish with families searching for ingredients that are not available at conventional supermarkets. It is important during holidays like the Korean Chuseok, the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, and Mexico's Independence to find the right ingredients to prepare for and participate in traditions rooted in their homeland. The exchange of food and customs allows a diverse group of students to share their heritage, allowing them to create meaningful relationships with people.
“I have introduced friends to adobo, a Filipino stew that you eat with rice,” senior Euan Pascual said. “It is typically made with pork or chicken, soy sauce, and a couple other things. I believe food can teach people about resourcefulness and, at the same time, about the background history of a culture.”
Two purposes can be served by international markets: it provides familiarity for one person and discovery for another. A student looking for an ingredient from home may shop alongside someone who has never encountered it before. That is when relationships between people become the backbone of commerce, creating trust, cultural alignment, shared goals, and mutual benefit.
Daily exchanges do more than introduce new foods; they also shape the way we view and understand different cultures. Instead of experiencing another culture only through celebrations and special events, shoppers can encounter it through the foods they eat, the ingredients they cook with, and the people they share those encounters with. Food is becoming a way to explore, share and appreciate new cultures.
For Stanton students, who come from a range of cultural backgrounds, these experiences can bring the diversity they see at school into their homes. A new snack can become something shared at lunch or with their families. These moments show how culture can become part of ordinary routines, making customs feel present in the small moments of people’s daily lives. International markets may be grocery stores at their core, but the foods they offer can encourage people to share experiences with one another. International markets allow people to explore traditions through curiosity, helping shoppers to discover something new and engage with the cultures that make up their growing community.