PepsiCo named Ya Oaxaca, a food company that crafts artisanal Mexican mole sauces, adobos and salsas, the winner of the Greenhouse Accelerator Program: Juntos Crecemos (Together We Grow). It aims to elevate emerging high-potential consumer packaged food and beverage companies inspired by Hispanic flavors and culture that are better for people and the planet.
Ya Oaxaca products, which received a $100,000 grant from Pepsi, capture the bold and diverse flavors of Oaxaca, making it easy to prepare authentic, chef-crafted and all-natural Mexican meals for any occasion, said Antonio Escalona, SVP of emerging business for PepsiCo Foods North America.
“It inspires me to see how all eight finalists leveraged the resources and PepsiCo mentorship to elevate their businesses to impressive heights from growing revenue to innovating into new categories within food and beverages and more,” he said in a company press release. “Ya Oaxaca stood out for its commitment to transforming grocery store aisles with bold flavors and new product variations. The company’s outstanding results show great potential to evolve the food and beverage industry.”
The announcement comes after a judging process and a five-month PepsiCo mentorship program.
Founded by Chef Susana Trilling and her sons Kaelin Ulrich, Jesse Ulrich-Trilling and Azul Couzens, Ya Oaxaca was selected from eight finalists by the PepsiCo Selection Committee for applying the mentorship learnings to grow its revenue by 350%, expand retail distribution by 200% and enhance operational efficiencies to improve gross product margins. Throughout the accelerator, each finalist received a $20,000 grant and hands-on coaching from PepsiCo experts across R&D, supply chain, design and other key areas.
Since expanding to North America in 2018, the PepsiCo Greenhouse Accelerator, led by the PepsiCo Ventures Group, has evolved to assist entrepreneurs in addressing challenges such as sustainability and unmet consumer needs. This year’s Juntos Crecemos Edition continues the same fundamental goal: to foster the growth of entrepreneurs.
“We are so honored to be selected as the winner of the PepsiCo Greenhouse Accelerator: Juntos Crecemos Edition,” Azul Couzens, co-founder of Ya Oaxaca, said in the release. “This program and the mentorship of the PepsiCo team have been invaluable in supporting our business objectives. With the $100,000 grant, we’ll be able to continue our mission of sharing the flavors of Oaxaca through our line of mole sauces, adobos and salsas.”
