PURCHASE, NY. — ¡Ya Oaxaca!, a company that produces artisanal Mexican mole sauces, adobos and salsas founded by chef Susana Trilling and her sons Kaelin Ulrich, Jesse Ulrich-Trilling and Azul Couzens, has been named winner of PepsiCo’s ninth Greenhouse Accelerator class. The Greenhouse Accelerator Program: Juntos Crecemos (Together We Grow) Edition, in its second year, elevates startups in the consumer packaged food and beverage industry producing Hispanic-inspired flavors.
“We are so honored to be selected as the winner of the PepsiCo Greenhouse Accelerator: Juntos Crecemos Edition,” said Azul Couzens, co-founder of ¡Ya Oaxaca! “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.”
¡Ya Oaxaca! was selected out of eight companies for applying the mentorship learnings to grow its revenue by 350%, expanded retail distribution by 200% and enhance operational efficiencies to improve gross product margins, according to PepsiCo.
The company will receive a $100,000 grant and other resources to scale operations and grow its business.
The companies underwent a five-month PepsiCo mentorship program and judging process. Each finalist also received a $20,000 grant and coaching from PepsiCo personnel in R&D, supply chain, design and other areas.
“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,” said Antonio Escalona, senior vice president of emerging business for PepsiCo Foods North America. “¡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.”Enjoying this content? Learn about more disruptive startups on the Food Entrepreneur page.
