By Emilie St. John
Contributing Writer
INGLEWOOD — A local restaurant has received a grant from PepsiCo and Los Angeles Football Club as part of Pepsi’s Juntos Crecemos (Together We Grow) program.
LAX Tacos received the grant, which is designed to drive the growth of Hispanic-owned food and beverage businesses.
“Thank you so much Sergi Palencia and Pepsi for stopping by,” said Jesus Miranda, owner of LAX Tacos. “We are thankful to be a recipient of this grant.”
The popular Inglewood eatery received $5,000.
Pepsi is the official beverage of the Los Angeles based soccer club.
PepsiCo Juntos Crecemos is a multifaceted platform that is part of PepsiCo’s $50 million Racial Equality Journey commitment aimed to provide short and long-term support to Hispanic-owned food and beverage small businesses over five years
PepsiCo looks to get closer to and support the emerging Hispanic food and beverage industry. PepsiCo values being at the forefront of innovation and collaboration with emerging brands and companies while supporting and uplifting diverse suppliers, the company said.
“In line with PepsiCo’s Racial Equality Journey goals to support and uplift diverse suppliers, this year we chose to focus on Hispanic-owned entrepreneurs,” said Esperanza Teasdale, vice president and general manager of the Hispanic Business Unit of PepsiCo Beverages North America. “We are extremely excited and proud to offer diverse companies an opportunity to grow their businesses with our support, especially emerging food and beverage brands. Through our mentorship program and grants we hope to see these businesses grow and further expand within the food and beverage industry.”
Help includes grants, mentoring, tailored marketing support, access to capital and operational assistance to enable immediate and lasting improvements.
“PepsiCo is continually looking for ways to expand access to small businesses and entrepreneurs, particularly within communities of color,” said Antonio Escalona, senior vice president and general manager of the Hispanic Business Unit of PepsiCo Foods North America. “Knowing that Juntos Crecemos looks to help Hispanic entrepreneurs further grow their businesses, we saw an opportunity to collaborate with the Greenhouse Accelerator program to uncover emerging Hispanic-owned food and beverage brands, innovations and services, and help them realize their business goals, while supporting the Hispanic community.”
The Greenhouse Accelerator program first launched in Europe in 2017 and expanded to North America in 2018. Over the years, the program has evolved to support the innovators and entrepreneurs that appeal to consumer needs, including sustainability and nutrition solutions.
LAX Tacos is located at 543 W. Arbor Vitae Street. A second location is on Firestone Boulevard in South Gate.
Emilie St. John is a freelance journalist covering the areas of Carson, Compton, Inglewood and Willowbrook. Send tips to her at emiliesaintjohn@gmail.com.
