For Jessica Viciconte the Latino Entrepreneurs Accelerator Program from Brazi Bites came at just the right time to keep her and her business La Porteña Foods going.
La Porteña, which makes small batch chimichurri sauce, dry spice mix and a chimichurri aioli, was the first company selected for LEAP, the accelerator created by Brazi Bites founder Junea Rocha. The program is designed to fill gaps in resources Rocha saw as she was building Brazi Bites 12 years ago.
Viciconte has been self-funding her company. Like many founders, she has faced increased challenges following the pandemic, including the pause on in-person demos and sharp jumps in costs. She noted the cost of some ingredients more than tripled.
“It’s been a challenge. I think that I’ve set out to grow my business very slowly and intentionally, but it’s also the only way to do it,” she said. “Everything I do funds the next steps. Last year was really hard. The Brazi Bites program really kind of saved me from being close to shutting the doors.”
With LEAP Viciconte received a $10,000 business grant and 12 weeks of mentorship with Rocha and the Brazi Bites team. The program also opened doors to other partners for branding help and other support, she said.
Brazi Bites is bringing the program back for 2024. Applications open Sept. 15 and close Oct. 27 for the 12-week program. The winner will be announced in January.
The next iteration of the program has expanded resources. In addition to the $10,000 business grant, the winner will be have access to an array of partners whose in-kind support in legal work, public relations and creative is valued at $66,500. Eligible companies must be owned or founded by someone who is Latino, be based in the U.S., manufacture or sell consumer packaged goods, and have between $250,000 and $3 million in revenue.
Brazi Bites has grown to a 20-member team and its products — a line of Latin-inspired frozen foods like Brazilian cheese bread and empanadas — are in more than 17,000 stores nationwide.
“Over the last decade we have built a network of industry experts around us that has been a crucial part of building Brazi Bites,” said Rocha. “Access to credible and knowledgeable experts is often beyond the reach of early-stage entrepreneurs, yet they can offer invaluable insights in order to strategically and sustainably scale. I’m thrilled to offer this year’s Accelerator Program winner access to our incredible partners.”
With La Porteña, Viciconte makes about 300 to 400 units of product a week. She works in a shared commercial kitchen with Hot Mama Salsa. La Porteña products are found in all Market of Choice stores, in five New Seasons locations as well as co-ops and specialty stores around Portland. She is also present at local farmers’ markets.
Through her work with the LEAP mentors Viciconte said she was able to refocus her work on distribution channels and she is expanding her wholesale business. She noted that as she got more entrenched on getting into more local stores or selling direct to consumer, her wholesale focus slid.
“I was trying to deliver product and do all the things myself,” said Viciconte, who has a team of three. “(LEAP) really helped me focus more energy into certain places. I got to have one-on-one meetings with everyone on the (Brazi Bites) team from sales to marketing to finance. And it was tailored to my business.”
Viciconte has plugged into the robust food and beverage community in Portland. She initially participated in the Portland Community College Getting Your Recipe to Market program through a scholarship from Hacienda CDC. She also worked with Hacienda for an individual development account that she used to help get the business off the ground.
Next year, Viciconte hopes to double the number of stores that carry her product. She also recently started distribution with Alexis Foods and Chefs’ Warehouse.
