Latin American-owned restaurants get a boost from PepsiCo’s Jefa-Owned initiative

“Latin America is diverse and complex and beautiful, but at the core of what defines us all is the desire to live a life of joy, freedom and self-fulfillment,” said actress Stephanie Beatriz on August 16 at the launch event for PepsiCo’s Owned by Jefa She says she is overjoyed to support this campaign.

Now in its third year, the program continues to expand and pursues its mission to empower Latin American businesses through financial support, access to resources, and networking opportunities. The 2024 iteration has been brewing for a week now, but will be in full swing in the last two weeks of August.

To 23.AugustThe organization will hold a series of nationwide Jefa lesson Sessions (between 4 and 6 p.m.) in key cities with large Hispanic communities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami. This call to action puts the spotlight on Latino entrepreneurs who already serve their communities, but turns the tables by asking residents to make a concerted effort to support these businesses, thus showing their support in a massive and visible way.

“Latinas open businesses six times as many as the national average, but still face barriers to fundraising,” noted Esperanza Teasdale, vice president and general manager of the PepsiCo Nonprofit Board, in her opening remarks at the campaign kickoff event on August 16.

Restaurant owner Maria Gonzalez hosted the opening event at her Spanish Harlem Mexican restaurant, Bistro Casa Azul. “Our priority has always been to serve our local community,” she said in her opening remarks for the event. “Not just with our delicious Mexican food, but here in our beautiful home. I am honored to be part of this movement. We share resilience and I am so proud to be their representative today.”

Evelyn Barahona of the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce was also an enthusiastic member of the leadership committee that led to the creation of the Owned by Jefa Campaign in Gonzalez’s New York restaurant. “We represent the interests of five million Hispanic businesses.”

Barahona informed the participants that Jefas They contribute $800 billion to the country’s revenue, and overall Latino businesses contribute $2.3 trillion to the GDP. Still, many businesses can’t make it without help. And that’s where support and exposure make all the difference.

“The gana are there, the drive is there, what’s missing is access,” Barahona said. “We want to serve as a bridge and a community partner and we want to make sure economic mobility happens by shining a spotlight and celebrating what it means to be a Hispanic entrepreneur in America.”

Star power

Actress Stephanie Beatriz, known for roles in popular television and film productions such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Beautiful, And Twisted metal is a prominent ambassador for the Owned by Jefa Initiative.

In addition to her career as an actress, she is passionate about seeking out programs that just need an extra push or a helping hand to take what they are already doing to the next level.

When she talked about what PepsiCo’s resources can really do, she was quick to connect it to her own career as an actress, when she sometimes felt lost without adequate guidance. “Sometimes you need a helping hand to take that next step,” she said. And as someone who represents a number of intersections — “being a woman, being Latina, being queer, being an immigrant,” she said — she knew she could help encourage and represent so many people by getting involved and bringing these efforts to the public.

The Owned by Jefa The initiative is an extension of PepsiCo’s Growing together (Together We Grow) – the umbrella initiative will provide $50 million in short-term and long-term support over five years to Hispanic-owned businesses across the country, particularly restaurants, bodegas and carnicerías.

From access to capital and marketing plans to operational support, the support carries the owners’ vision that is already in motion, along with their hard work and commitment, and propels them on the path to sustained operational success. In particular, the Owned by Jefa The program has planned a series of empowerment sessions across the country between August 26 and 29 to create a platform for community, networking and leadership among Latin American women entrepreneurs.

“When a major corporation like PepsiCo speaks to its customers and says, ‘We see you,'” Beatriz noted, “‘We think you’re important, we see the work you do,’ that’s a big deal.”

It is not just a moment; it is a movement that inspires pride and can have a lasting, profound impact.