PepsiCo recently announced the launch of Jefa-Owned (owned by a Latina Boss), a national visibility campaign for Latina entrepreneurs. Jefa-Owned is powered by the Juntos Crecemos (Together We Grow) platform. The campaign aims to encourage more Latina-owned food and beverage small businesses to apply for personalized business building support services.
To mark the launch, PepsiCo leaders joined Latina business owners for the Nasdaq Opening Bell Ceremony. There, they unveiled the first-ever PepsiCo Jefa-Owned neon sign. In addition, they unveiled limited-edition merchandise honoring Jefa-owned businesses designed in collaboration with Hija de tu Madre. Founder Patty Delgado established the lifestyle brand. She also established March 31 as National Jefa Day.
As part of its Racial Equality Journey Hispanic Initiative, PepsiCo launched the multi-faceted Juntos Crecemos platform last fall. Aimed at strengthening Hispanic-owned businesses, the platform specifically targets restaurants, bodegas and carnicerías (meat markets). The goal is to address foundational business challenges and support business growth.
Empowering women during uncertain times
According to the 2020 State of Latinos Entrepreneurship Report, Latinas (women) represent 40 percent of all Latino-owned businesses. Forty-one percent of Latina business owners reported “large negative impacts” as a result of the pandemic. Furthermore, twice as many Latina-led companies experience closure compared to Latino-led (male only) businesses.
“Latinas are a powerful economic force in the U.S., creating businesses at a rate six times the national average,” said Esperanza Teasdale, Vice President & General Manager, Hispanic Business Unit, PepsiCo Beverages North America. “Despite this accelerated growth rate, Latinas are confronting foundational challenges which must be addressed. This Women’s History Month, PepsiCo is proud to grow the impact of the Juntos Crecemos platform with a focus on helping Latina business owners strengthen their businesses while raising visibility for them through the Jefa-Owned campaign. Having each Latina business owner turn on her Jefa-Owned neon sign is a testament to their entrepreneurial achievements, their resilience, as well as the important role they play in the U.S. economy.”
Helping Latina-owned businesses thrive
Applications for the Juntos Crecemos Hispanic Digital & Delivery Program are open now. This eight-week personalized business building program offers expert consultation for delivery logistics, technology, marketing and search engine optimization. The program helps businesses create a viable digital presence to access more customers. Participants will have access to one-on-one consultation from experts to receive coaching and guidance. The first 40 Latina small business owners to complete the eight-week consultation curriculum will receive an exclusive Jefa-Owned neon sign. To apply for the Hispanic Digital & Delivery Program, visit: Pepsicojuntoscrecemos.com/jefaowned.
“Supporting Latina-owned businesses is intrinsically linked to strengthening the overall community it serves. From job creation to revenue generation, these businesses are positively impacting families, the communities and the economy,” said Antonio Escalona, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Hispanic Business Unit, PepsiCo Foods North America. “Our Jefa-Owned campaign is not only a celebration of the ‘Latina Boss,’ it is an affirmation of the vital role they play in our economy and the commitment of PepsiCo to help their continued growth.”
Providing tools, resources and training
Limited edition Jefa-Owned merchandise will be available for purchase on Hija de tu Madre’s online store, beginning March 31. The merchandise, which will include t-shirts, tote bags and notepads, honors businesses owned by a Latina boss. To shop the merchandise supporting Jefa-Owned businesses, visit: Hijadetumadre.com/collections/support-jefa-owned.
“To have PepsiCo support us, as small businesses, it feels like we are not invisible,” said Elizabeth Espinoza, owner of Miranda’s Grocery and one of the small businesses PepsiCo supports through Juntos Crecemos. “PepsiCo is providing much-needed business tools, resources and training that we would otherwise not be able to access. I am truly proud to be a part of Jefa-Owned. I look forward to being a beacon of light to other Latina business owners in our Hispanic community.”
Miranda’s Grocery remained open throughout the pandemic. It was important for Elizabeth and her parents to continue serving their Chicago community during hard times. Similar to other Latina-owned small businesses, the pandemic disproportionately impacted the Espinosas’ livelihood. As a result, they applied for resources provided by PepsiCo’s Juntos Crecemos platform. Since then, they have participated in the eight-week Hispanic Digital & Delivery Program and IMPACTO Hispanic Business Accelerator. These resources helped them strengthen their business and build a larger consumer base.
About PepsiCo Juntos Crecemos
In 2020, as part of its Racial Equality Journey Hispanic Initiative, PepsiCo committed $172 million over five years to address issues of inequality and create opportunity for Hispanic Americans within its workforce, business partnerships and the communities it serves. As part of that, PepsiCo dedicated $50 million to support Hispanic-owned businesses over five years. As a result, PepsiCo launched Juntos Crecemos, a multi-faceted platform aimed at accelerating business recovery for Hispanic small businesses, specifically restaurants, bodegas and carnicerías disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
Since the launch of Juntos Crecemos in August 2021, the program has:
- Hispanic Digital & Delivery Program: supported more than 130 businesses with tools to strengthen their online presence, delivery logistics, technology, marketing and SEO
- Bodegas and Carnicerías Essentials: provided more than 500 Hispanic-owned bodegas with safety essentials
- The PepsiCo Foundation IMPACTO Hispanic Business Accelerator: provided $2 million in grants and business coaching to 150 businesses in 13 cities across the U.S. through the IMPACTO Hispanic Business Accelerator, funded by the PepsiCo Foundation. In the years to come, IMPACTO’s goal is to provide $10 million in funding to help 500 Hispanic small food and beverage business owners. The next round of grant recipients will be announced in 2023.
Business owners interested in learning more about PepsiCo Juntos Crecemos, can visit: https://pepsicojuntoscrecemos.com/ and follow @PepsiCoJuntosCrecemos on Facebook and Instagram.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $79 billion in net revenue in 2021, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with PepsiCo Positive (pep+). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for the planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.
Check out Lioness’s 2022 resource guide for female entrepreneurs!
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