How one family found a social network that grew their business

“My parents started their own business because they wanted to live the American dream of having something that was truly theirs and really growing it,” Daisy Cuevas says. They started with a restaurant featuring traditional dishes from their home state of Guerrero, Mexico. Word-of-mouth spread, so the family looked to expand. A grocery store came next.

They opened La Aguila Market with a counter that serves Cuevas’ family recipes. In addition, they stock grocery staples including fresh produce and home supplies. What makes the store special, Daisy says, is its connection to the Westminster, California, community. “People were so excited that we were there,” she says. “Generations of families shop with us.” With business thriving, Daisy’s father opened a second shop in nearby Fullerton and asked her to manage it.

But the timing of their expansion brought unexpected challenges. “We opened three months prior to COVID, so the community did not know us yet,” Daisy explains. “Everybody was stressed out and running to the big stores to stock up their homes. People were not coming to ours.” For help navigating those difficulties, Daisy turned to PepsiCo’s Juntos Crecemos platform.

Juntos Crecemos (Together We Grow) provides support to small businesses like restaurants, grocery stores and meat markets, offering resources including operational assistance, mentorship, marketing support and access to capital. “PepsiCo came in here and asked us, what can we do? What do you need?” Daisy recalls. “They were so willing to help our store in whatever way we needed.”

PepsiCo’s support helped La Aguila Market build a stronger foothold in its new community. “Next thing we knew, people found out we were here,” Daisy says. She used insights from the program to launch La Aguila Market’s Instagram account to promote daily specials and giveaways that helped build an online presence. As her customer base expanded, they left online reviews which created more awareness of her business. Having that digital reach increased her visibility in search engines.

“I remember reading one of our reviews, and somebody was like, ‘Hey, this store, they have everything,’” Daisy recalls. “What a privilege it is that we were able to do that. What a privilege it is that we were able to provide for what the community needs.”

PepsiCo has invested more than $35 million to support hundreds of small businesses like La Aguila Market across the United States. As part of the company’s pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) ambition to uplift communities where it operates, PepsiCo provides resources through platforms such as Juntos Crecemos, Pepsi Dig In and the PepsiCo Foundation’s small business and restaurant accelerators.

Strengthening local businesses can provide jobs and economic stability for people living nearby. Daisy says her family’s businesses share the same goal. “That’s why I’m here,” she says. “I want to help my staff. I want to help the community. I want to see people thrive.”

Watch the video above to learn more about Daisy’s story.