By Natalie Venegas, Ad Week
While small businesses have endured major economic setbacks since the start of the pandemic, survival has become especially difficult for Latina-owned businesses, which have been tasked with overcoming both Covid-specific obstacles and longstanding systemic barriers.
Aimed at helping these owners gain access to supportive resources, PepsiCo has launched “Jefa-Owned”—that is, run by a Latina boss. The national campaign was created by PepsiCo’s Juntos Crecemos (Together We Grow), a multi-faceted platform launched last fall to drive awareness and support for Hispanic small businesses, specifically restaurants, bodegas and carnicerías (meat markets).
To mark the launch, PepsiCo leaders joined Latina business owners to ring the opening bell at Nasdaq, where they unveiled the Jefa-Owned neon sign that affiliated storefronts can display.
The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness about resources available to Latina-owned businesses, specifically the Juntos Crecemos Hispanic Digital & Delivery Program, an eight-week course in delivery logistics, technology, marketing and search engine optimization to create a digital presence and access more customers. The first 40 Latina small business owners to complete the program will receive the Jefa-Owned neon signs.
PepsiCo is also reminding consumers of the role they play in supporting their community-based small businesses with limited-edition merchandise. The line includes T-shirts, tote bags and notepads, and was designed in collaboration with Hija de tu Madre, a lifestyle brand founded by Latina entrepreneur Patty Delgado, who also established March 31 as National Jefa Day.
“To have PepsiCo support us, as small businesses, it feels like we are not invisible,” Elizabeth Espinoza, owner of Miranda’s Grocery, said in a statement. “PepsiCo is providing much-needed business tools, resources and training that we would otherwise not be able to access. I am truly proud to be a part of ‘Jefa-Owned,’ and I look forward to being a beacon of light to other Latina business owners in our Hispanic community.”
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