Selected Hispanic-owned companies will
participate in a six-month business mentoring program and receive a
$20,000 grant to accelerate business
growth and transform product offerings; One finalist to receive
$100,000 at the end of the program to
further advance their business
PURCHASE, N.Y., July 6, 2023
/PRNewswire/ -- Today, PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP) announced the 10
finalists chosen to participate in the Greenhouse Accelerator
Program: Juntos Crecemos (Together We Grow) Edition. For the
first time in its history, the program is focused on supporting
emerging Hispanic businesses that provide products, services and
technology solutions across the food and beverage industry.
The finalists represent a diverse range of emerging businesses
in the categories of consumer-packaged goods, beverages, market
analytics and technology, sustainable packaging solutions, and
environmental impact and waste reduction. The 10 Hispanic-owned
businesses chosen to participate in this year's cohort include:
- CHUZA Inc: (San Diego, CA)
CHUZA is spicing up the snacking game with its range of spicy
fruits and vegetable snacks using 100% Mexican spices made with no
added colors or artificial flavors. The company was founded to
share authentic Mexican culture, flavors, and flair with the
world.
- Date Better Snacks: (Los Angeles,
CA) Date Better Snacks was built as an alternative to the
traditional candy bar. The Latina-owned company makes the product
from scratch using Medjool dates and rainforest alliance certified
85% organic chocolate. The vegan and gluten-free snacks have less
than one gram of added sugar per serving and no artificial
ingredients.
- Dathic: (New York, NY) Dathic
is an AI-powered platform that provides Hispanic market insights
and analytics to CPG brands to help them grow their sales. The
company provides actionable data to help companies understand
market opportunities, optimize distribution, and create authentic
cultural connections with multicultural consumers.
- FoodWare: (Bay Area, CA) FoodWare is powering the circular
economy via a tech-enabled reusables tracking system & impact
accounting platform. Their mission is to eliminate all single-use
food packaging - one of the biggest causes of climate change and
environmental pollution.
- Hyfé: (Chicago, IL) Hyfé is a
Latina-founded company that repurposes food supply chain
wastewater. The company uses nutrients washed away in trillions of
gallons of food manufacturing wastewater to power the creation of
carbon-negative essential goods like foods, materials and chemicals
to improve the profitability and eco-friendliness of food and
beverage manufacturers.
- I Eat My Greens: (San Diego,
CA) I Eat My Greens provides chef-crafted, plant-based soups
made with fresh, whole-food ingredients that make eating vegetables
irresistible and accessible. The ready-to-eat soups help consumers
meet their daily intake of nutrient-rich vegetables while
practicing sustainable agricultural practices that reduce food
waste.
- Katrina Brewing Co: (Miami,
FL) Katrina Brewing Co is the first craft non-alcoholic beer
that brings an authentic artisanal Mexican option to the emerging
non-alcoholic beer sector. The light and crisp beer brand adopted
the Katrina-inspired logo and the Aztec sun pattern used on the
cans to connect consumers with their culture.
- Pisqueya: (Brooklyn, NY)
Pisqueya [pees-keh-yah] is a first-generation, woman-owned,
Latinx-American food company that offers a premium line of hot
sauces and seasonings. The company was founded to celebrate Latin
culture and tradition while filling the gap in Hispanic Caribbean
representation in the global food market.
- Tia Lupita® Foods: (Los Angeles,
CA) Tia Lupita® Foods is the first brand in the United States to introduce nopales
(cactus) as an alternative functional and sustainable ingredient in
its line of grain-free tortilla chips and tortillas. The
Mexican-inspired foods are high in antioxidants, fiber, iron,
calcium and potassium. The line of low glycemic products helps
reduce water waste and food production carbon footprint.
- TRUE SPIRIT BEVERAGE COMPANY: (Tucson, AZ) Hispanic-founded PARCH™ is the
world's first line of non-alcoholic, vegan, gluten-free,
all-natural agave cocktails infused with desert botanicals and
adaptogens. The ready-to-drink line of beverages is a modern and
credible alternative to traditional alcohol for the mindful adult
drinker.
This edition of the Greenhouse Accelerator has partnered with
PepsiCo Juntos Crecemos - a multifaceted platform part
of PepsiCo's Racial Equality Journey designed to provide
short and long-term support to Hispanic small businesses over five
years. These emerging Hispanic-owned small businesses were chosen
through a deliberate selection process that evaluated their
potential to bring forth innovative packaged goods and
transformative solutions to improve consumer experience,
sustainability and efficiency across the food and beverage
industry.
The finalists were announced at a launch event in Plano, Texas, where they were joined by
PepsiCo executives and experts from functions including research
and development, supply chain and design. During the event, each
entrepreneur presented an overview of their company and was paired
with their PepsiCo mentorship team, who will support the business
during the six-month accelerator program.
"We're excited to continue helping to fuel the growth of these
Hispanic small businesses, not only through financial support, but
also by providing them access to top-of-the-line mentorship and
business resources," said Esperanza
Teasdale, Vice President & General Manager of Hispanic
Business Unit, PepsiCo Beverages North America. Through the
Greenhouse Accelerator Program: Juntos Crecemos Edition,
we're committed to helping even more businesses grow faster and
sustain their long-term performance."
In addition to receiving the $20,000 grant and mentorship, the finalists will
have an opportunity to secure even more funding later this year. In
August, each will have a chance to showcase the progress made as a
result of the support received from the Greenhouse Accelerator via
a virtual event in front of an evaluation committee. In November,
an expert selection committee will award the business with the
highest potential an additional $100,000 to continue its expansion and
opportunities to work with PepsiCo and Juntos Crecemos.
"We are inspired by each of the finalists selected for this
year's PepsiCo Greenhouse Accelerator cohort. Each company truly
represents the Hispanic community's strong entrepreneurial spirit
and ingenuity," said Antonio
Escalona, Senior Vice President & General Manager of
Hispanic Business Unit, PepsiCo Foods North America. "We look
forward to seeing the progress made during each step of the
six-month mentorship journey and setting each business up for
long-term success."
The Greenhouse Accelerator program launched in Europe in 2016 and expanded to North America in 2018. Over the years, the
program has evolved to support innovators and entrepreneurs that
appeal to consumer needs, including sustainability and nutrition
solutions. This is the eighth Greenhouse Accelerator program, and
the objective remains the same: to support entrepreneurs in their
growth.
For more information on PepsiCo Greenhouse Accelerator:
Juntos Crecemos Edition, please visit
https://greenhouseaccelerator.com/juntos-crecemos/.
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 $86
billion in net revenue in 2022, driven by a complimentary
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 pep+ (PepsiCo
Positive). 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.
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SOURCE PepsiCo, Inc.