AUSTIN, TX — Siete Foods, a better-for-you Mexican-American foods brand, announced the recipients of its Juntos Fund, a program designed to support Latino communities and businesses.
This year’s efforts focused on supporting Latino-owned food and beverage establishments. The Siete fund awarded a total of $300,000, dispersed between 15 businesses from family-run restaurants to pop-up shops.
According to a report from Bain & Company, less than 1% of funds from today’s top venture capital and private equity investors wind up in the hands of Latino-owned businesses. In response to this, Siete committed $2 million in funding over a five-year period to support these communities and their businesses.
“Latino entrepreneurs face greater financial obstacles yet deserve the same opportunities to be successful,” said Miguel Garza, co-founder and CEO of Siete Foods. “This year marks our biggest allocation of awards to date, and we’re excited to support Latino founders making an impact.”
Of the 15 establishments awarded, two retail bakeries received $10,000 each in funds for their businesses.
Dulce Dreams Cafe is a Charlotte, NC, pop-up bakery that specializes in conchas — a traditional Mexican sweet bread roll with a crunchy topping. The tagline for the bakery aptly states, “It’s more than just a Concha. It’s art.” The menu offers an assortment of concha flavors, including cookies and cream, cajeta, vanilla and seasonal pumpkin spice, with each one delicately decorated.
The Cupcake Bar, located in Austin, TX, is a one-stop shop for wedding and event dessert catering. The bakery offers interactive desserts with its Cupcake Bars, Doughnut Bars, Dessert Bars, Roaming Treats Bars and Caramel Apple Bars. Each bar is full-service, where guests can pick cake and dessert flavors and load them up with vibrant toppings.
“As a Latino-founded business, we know firsthand the challenges entrepreneurs face and the importance of support,” said Veronica Garza, co-founder and president of Siete Foods. “We believe in the value of ‘Juntos Es Mejor’ — together is better — and want to use our platform to help other business owners thrive.”
Siete Foods was recently acquired by PepsiCo, with the transaction expected to close in the first half of 2025.
