PepsiCo Juntos Crecemos Partners with Wilmer Valderrama to Surprise Five Phoenix-Area Hispanic-Owned Small Businesses with $10,000 Checks and Essential Resources to Prepare for Super Bowl LVII

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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.