Financial contributions and digital support
will help local businesses prepare for increased customer traffic
during Super Bowl LVII weekend; Applications for Juntos Crecemos
Hispanic Digital & Delivery Program now open for food and
beverage business owners nationwide
PURCHASE, N.Y., Feb. 2, 2023
/PRNewswire/ -- As The Big Game draws near and an influx of
visitors descend upon Phoenix,
local businesses are anticipating a Super Bowl-sized boost to their
bottom lines. To help them make the most of this important moment,
PepsiCo Beverages North America and Frito-Lay, two units of
PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) have teamed up to give $50,000 and essential digital business-building
resources to five Phoenix-based Hispanic-owned businesses to
support operational enhancements in advance of the game. Today,
Latino actor, producer and activist Wilmer
Valderrama surprised two local small business owners,
hand-delivering $10,000 checks,
respectively. Powered by the PepsiCo Juntos
Crecemos (Together We Grow) platform, these financial
contributions reinforce PepsiCo's commitment to advance its Racial
Equality Journey goal to invest in the long-term growth of
Hispanic-owned restaurants, bodegas and carnicerías across the
country.
Local business owners Alexis
Carbajal and Juan
Ayala, of the popular Puerto Rican restaurant Phoenix
Coqui and MaryLou
Sorkhabi, owner of the long-standing Mexican restaurant
Rosita's Place, received the unexpected visit
from Valderrama and PepsiCo executives to deliver the $10,000 checks and celebrate their continued
business growth. Three other Phoenix businesses including Carnicería
México, Imelda Happy Tamales, and Tacos Tijuana were also among the
recipients of the $10,000 Juntos
Crecemos checks. With the flood of football fans visiting
Phoenix leading up to and during
Super Bowl LVII weekend, owners can use the funds to stock up on
additional supplies, hire and train extra staff, and offer extended
hours, among other business enhancements to meet the increased
customer demand.
In addition to the financial assistance, the five businesses
also received free business-building services through the PepsiCo
Juntos Crecemos Hispanic Digital & Delivery Program
to strengthen their digital capabilities to access more online
customers, an additional value of more than $12,000. The personalized business-building
program offers one-on-one expert consultation for delivery
logistics, technology, marketing and search engine optimization
(SEO).
The monetary support and Juntos Crecemos Hispanic Digital
& Delivery Program come at a time when there is a need for
financial assistance and additional business resources for Hispanic
entrepreneurs. According to a McKinsey and Company study conducted
about the economic state of Latinos in the U.S., access to capital
and better representation in growing sectors remain some of the
main challenges, with 72% of Latino business owners relying on
personal savings, family and friends for funding.
"For local Hispanic-owned small businesses, Super Bowl LVII will
be a much-needed boost, especially for those still recovering from
the impact of the pandemic," said Antonio
Escalona, Senior Vice President & General Manager,
Hispanic Business Unit, PepsiCo Foods North America. "The Juntos
Crecemos contributions and Hispanic Digital & Delivery
Program are ways in which PepsiCo Beverages North America and
Frito-Lay are supporting these local businesses to help them make
the most of this once in a lifetime moment," he added. "We're
excited to partner with Wilmer
Valderrama to shine a spotlight on these resilient
entrepreneurs, and we encourage everyone headed to Phoenix for The Big Game to lend their support
to the home team - local Hispanic-owned businesses."
"I am humbled to partner with PepsiCo Juntos Crecemos to
help shine a light on the continued success of Phoenix's most beloved and longstanding
Latino-owned businesses. For anyone visiting during the Super Bowl
LVII, I encourage them to join me in supporting these small
businesses to experience the authentic flavors of our culture that
are ingrained in this city," said Valderrama. "When we support
local businesses, we celebrate and elevate our communities."
How Businesses Can Apply for the Hispanic Digital &
Delivery Program
Applications for the Juntos
Crecemos Hispanic Digital & Delivery Program are now open
nationwide for Hispanic small business owners in the food
and beverage industry. Applicants can visit
PepsiCoJuntosCrecemos.com for more information.
"Hispanic-owned businesses continue to be a driving economic
force in the U.S., as they contribute over $800 billion to the U.S. economy alone," said
Esperanza Teasdale, Vice President
& General Manager, Multicultural Business Unit, PepsiCo
Multicultural. "We encourage any Hispanic-owned restaurant, bodega
or carnicería to apply for the Juntos Crecemos Hispanic
Digital & Delivery Program, which offers customized financial
resources, training, and consultation services to help Hispanic
entrepreneurs accelerate their businesses now and in the
future."
About PepsiCo Juntos Crecemos
As part of its
Racial Equality Journey Hispanic Initiative, PepsiCo launched the
multi-faceted Juntos Crecemos platform in August 2021 aimed at strengthening Hispanic-owned
restaurants, bodegas and carnicerías (meat markets), to address
foundational business challenges, and support business growth. The
Juntos Crecemos platform is part of PepsiCo's $50 million, five-year commitment to support
Hispanic-owned businesses.
Since the launch of Juntos Crecemos:
- The Hispanic Digital & Delivery Program has
supported 80 Hispanic-owned business locations by enhancing their
online presence, delivery logistics, online ordering and marketing
practices. It has also provided over 500 office hours of extended
support to business owners.
- The PepsiCo Foundation's IMPACTO Hispanic Business
Accelerator has provided $2
million in financial support and business coaching to 150
food and beverage small businesses across 13 cities.
- Bodega and Carnicería Essentials were provided to more
than 500 Hispanic-owned businesses nationwide through marketing and
safety essentials, resulting in these stores outpacing peers in
most markets.
To learn more about PepsiCo Juntos Crecemos and apply to
the Hispanic Digital & Delivery Program, visit
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 and human capital at the center of how we will
create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries
and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more
information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on
Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.
About Frito-Lay North
America
Frito-Lay North America is the $19 billion convenient foods
division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP), which is headquartered
in Purchase, N.Y. Frito-Lay snacks include Lay's and Ruffles potato
chips, Doritos tortilla chips, Cheetos snacks, Tostitos tortilla
chips and branded dips, SunChips multigrain snacks and Fritos corn
chips. The company operates 30+ manufacturing facilities across the
U.S. and Canada, more than 200
distribution centers and services 315,000 retail customers per week
through its direct-store-delivery model. Learn more about Frito-Lay
at the corporate website, http:www.fritolay.com/, on Twitter
fritolay, on Instagram @fritolay and on Facebook Frito-Lay.
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SOURCE PepsiCo, Inc.