International Tennis Stars Turn Old El Paso Tortilla Launch into a Worldwide Charitable Event
November 02 2020 - 11:00AM
Business Wire
#MessFreeChallenge benefits food banks across
the globe
What began as a new product launch for Old El Paso Tortilla
Pockets™ in Australia has turned into a global match between
leading tennis players, and the winner is local food banks. While
the ball has bounced around the world, it landed in North America
with the #MessFreeChallenge waged from Canadian tennis star Genie
Bouchard to U.S. tennis phenom Sofia Kenin. And Kenin closed it out
with a final challenge to her rival and teen sensation Iga
Swiatek.
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Tennis stars around the world
participated in the Old El Paso #MessFreeChallenge which resulted
in not only some cool tricks being performed, but with 100,000
products/meals being donated to local food banks around the world.
(Photo: Business Wire)
Aussie tennis star Nick Kyrgios began the #MessFreeChallenge
that initially partnered with his NK Foundation as part of the
launch of the Old El Paso Tortilla Pockets - a new product uniquely
designed for mess-free Mexican mealtimes in Australia and Europe.
Unveiling it to his Instagram and Twitter followers, Kyrgios
launched his #MessFreeChallenge, showing how easy it is to play
tennis one-handed while eating an Old El Paso Tortilla Pocket™.
Kyrgios then challenged Aussie tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt and
from there the competition soared, the tricks got crazier and the
donations in each country took off, with 100,000 products/meals
being donated to local food banks.
To see all of the #MessFreeChallenge videos, click here and for
a highlight reel, click here.
Bouchard and Kenin had a more difficult challenge since the
Mess-Free Tortilla Pockets are not yet available in North America.
So instead they showed off their skills using Old El Paso Tortilla
Bowls. While the competition is engaging for all these tennis
greats and their fans, it is nothing compared to those around the
world facing hunger every day.
“What started as a product launch in one market with one tennis
pro has grown into a star-studded world-wide tennis event,” said
Arjoon Bose, General Mills Head of Culture and Brand Experience for
General Mills' Europe & Australia Segment. “Following on from
the popularity of the #MessFreeChallenge in Australia, Kyrgios
rallied the tennis community from around the world starting with
his good friend, the iconic Sir Andy Murray, to accelerate this
compelling campaign into an example of international athletes
acting as a united force for good in their communities - all while
having some fun one-upmanship and enjoying some good
tortillas.”
Since Kyrgios started the challenge, tennis stars from
Australia, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine,
Croatia, Czech Republic, Russia, Poland, India, Puerto Rico,
Canada, and the U.S. have participated. Along with Kyrgios, Hewitt,
Murray, Bouchard, Kenin and Swiatek, the other names from the
tennis world included Sam Stosur, Matt Ebden, Heather Watson, Leon
Smith, Katie Swan, Freya Christie, Emma Raducanu, Gael Monfils,
Benoit Paire, Elina Svitolina, Garbine Muguruza, Belinda Bencic,
Petra Martic, Karolina Muchova, Anastasia Pavlyunchenkova, Monica
Puig and Leander Paes.
The #MessFreeChallenge comes alongside the commitment of General
Mills, its Foundation and brands to address hunger globally through
support for food banks and other hunger relief programs. Amid the
COVID-19 pandemic, the General Mills Foundation provided $9 million
in grants to support access to food around the world. General Mills
manufactured to immediately donate $5 million in food donations to
Feeding America food banks. Cheerios donated $1.3 million to No Kid
Hungry to help feed hungry children amid COVID-19 school closings
and Old El Paso donated $120,000 to Feeding America as part of its
#TacoTuesdayChallenge.
Bose concluded, “As a global company, General Mills has the
opportunity to make a difference in the communities that it serves.
The Old El Paso #MessFreeChallenge is a great example of a brand
using its size and scale to help those most in need around the
world while bringing moments of joy in these times with popular
sports personalities.”
About General Mills
General Mills is a leading global food company whose purpose is
to make food the world loves. Its brands include Cheerios, Annie's,
Yoplait, Nature Valley, Häagen-Dazs, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Old
El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki, BLUE and more. Headquartered in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, General Mills generated fiscal 2020
net sales of U.S. $17.6 billion. In addition, General Mills’ share
of non-consolidated joint venture net sales totaled U.S. $1.0
billion.
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General Mills Corporate Communications Mike Siemienas
763-764-6364 media.line@genmills.com
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