'Juntos Crecemos' program helps Arizona Latino business owners overcome pandemic hardships
Javier Arce
Opening a pupusas restaurant in Arizona was a dream that Yesenia Ramírez fulfilled in 2001. Selling typical dishes from her homeland, El Salvador, led her to generate income for herself and her family, but also to keep her culture alive as an immigrant living in the U.S.
El Salvadoreño restaurant grew and expanded in the Phoenix metropolitan area, until it had five locations in Phoenix, Mesa, El Mirage and Tempe, generating dozens of jobs in the community for almost 20 uninterrupted years.
Everything was going well until the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020.
“We survived the 2008 recession, but this was very different,” said Yesenia Ramírez, owner of the El Salvadoreño restaurant.
“With the pandemic, we are not only talking about the economic aspect, but also the health issues — protecting yourself and your employees so they do not get COVID-19, that makes everything more complicated," she said.
Because of this, Ramírez was forced, like many other business owners, to close shop, stopping her flow of income as well as that of her employees.
In order to provide resources to Latino-owned businesses in the food industry impacted by the pandemic, the PepsiCo Foundation launched the Juntos Crecemos program, investing $50 million into small businesses nationwide.
According to a Stanford University survey, 86% of Latino small business owners reported significant negative impacts, including complete closure, as a result of the pandemic, and were only half as likely as their white counterparts to receive loans from the Payment Protection Program (PPP).
“Hispanic small business owners have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, so we are excited to work with PepsiCo to bring this much-needed support to our community,” said Lupillo Ramírez, President of the Latino Food Industry Association.
"Juntos Crecemos will provide valuable guidance and advice while connecting and uniting business owners across the country to share best practices," he said.
The effects of COVID-19
Ramírez found it necessary to reorient the business' operations by reducing store hours, adjusting the menu and transitioning to online ordering and takeout.
And even though her business remained open with to-go orders, her sales plummeted by as much as 40%, a very hard blow to Yesenia and her family.
"Being a single mother and with a child with special needs, I could not afford to close my store, but at the same time I lived with the concern of not contracting the virus, keeping myself and my family safe," said Ramírez, whose main business operates in the area of Central Avenue and Thomas Road in Phoenix.
When she needed it most, help came. And it all started with an internet search.
While searching for a solution on the internet, Ramírez came across the Juntos Crecemos program that would benefit Latino businesses that were hit hard by the pandemic, just like hers.
She quickly applied and it was days later that she received the call notifying her that her business had been selected for a financial scholarship of $10,000.
“It was a very big relief because during the summer sales always go down," she said. Ramírez said the money was used to make repairs to her shops and to pay employees.
Latino businesses in the food industry can apply
Juntos Crecemos aims to strengthen the businesses of Latino owners that were badly hit by the pandemic, specifically restaurants, bodegas and carnicerías.
The PepsiCo Foundation also launched the IMPACTO Hispanic Business Accelerator that will provide $10 million in funding to help 500 Latino food and beverage small business owners in 13 U.S. cities grow their businesses.
According to a study by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Latino-owned businesses alone contribute more than $800 billion in economic activity and play a central role in their communities.
The Foundation is currently working with partners from the Community Development Finance Institution to help business owners at all levels retain employees and build long-term business plans to support their future economic success.
While the launch has been in 13 cities, including Phoenix, the PepsiCo Foundation plans to expand the IMPACT program to additional cities over the next five years.
To obtain additional information about the Juntos Crecemos platform, find out if you are eligible and how to apply for the scholarship, those interested can visit https://pepsicojuntoscrecemos.com.
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