Ángela Aguilar And Manzanita Sol Join Forces To Give Back To Los Angeles Community For Día De Los Muertos

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A beloved brand in Mexico for over 50 years, PepsiCo's Manzanita Sol is the taste of home. This crisp, refreshing apple soda is joining forces with Pepsi and Crush to launch A Celebrar y Recordar (To Celebrate and Remember), a campaign that helps Angelinos honor the rich traditions of Día de los Muertos while supporting their local businesses. For one weekend only, Saturday, October 23 and Sunday, October 24, Manzanita Sol will surprise Angelinos in key neighborhoods with La Caravana del Más Allá (The Caravan from Beyond), a two-day activation whereby a fleet of the iconic VW Vocho (Beetle), the emblematic Mexican taxi, will gift consumers with pan de muerto and gift cards for authentic Mexican fare from some of LA's most iconic Hispanic-owned restaurants that have been serving the community for generations. The featured businesses include:

• Diana's
• El Tepeyac
• King Taco

As part of the activation, Manzanita Sol is partnering with LA-born Mexican American singer Ángela Aguilar to help raise awareness of La Caravana del Más Allá, and to call on the LA community to support local Hispanic restaurants while preparing for their Día De Los Muertos celebration.

"Día de los Muertos is about reconnecting with tradition as well as sharing cherished memories and delicious food and beverages with friends and family," said Ángela Aguilar, who helped announce the initiative. "It is inspiring to see a brand like Manzanita Sol honor our traditions and support Mexican restaurants in LA when they need us the most."

La Caravana del Más Allá will stop at the following locations:

• Saturday, October 23:
  o 12:00-3:00 p.m. PDT: Whittier Narrows
  o 4:30-6:30 p.m. PDT: Gilbert Lindsay Plaza
• Sunday, October 24:
  o 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. PDT: Plaza Olvera
  o 4:00-6:00 p.m. PDT: King Taco

Benefits for Small Business Owners
In addition to driving traffic to the restaurants with La Caravana del Más Allá, Manzanita Sol, will provide grants for participating restaurants. They will also invite them to participate in the PepsiCo Juntos Crecemos Hispanic Digital & Delivery Program, a personalized, expert consultation designed to provide immediate and lasting improvements to Hispanic-owned small businesses. This program ladders up to PepsiCo's Racial Equality Journey commitment where together with The PepsiCo Foundation, it is investing more than $570 million over five years to uplift Black and Hispanic businesses and communities in the U.S., address issues of inequality, fund community engagement initiatives, and create opportunity, including increasing its spending with diverse suppliers.

"Mexican culture is a crucial part of what defines LA. The city's Hispanic restaurateurs are essential to bringing that authentic taste of home to life, especially during celebrations like Día de los Muertos where the meals and family favorites are a central role of the celebration," said Esperanza Teasdale, Vice President and General Manager of the Hispanic Business Unit for PepsiCo Beverages North America. "Manzanita Sol is honored to give back to these cherished and loved neighborhood staples that have served their communities for generations."

Honoring Artistic Expression
To honor Mexico's rich creative culture and artistic expression, Manzanita Sol has also partnered with Mexican artist Luis Pinto who designed limited edition 20 oz. and 2 Liter bottles, each of which feature a different Día de los Muertos symbol – Manzanita Sol packaging features La Catrina, Pepsi Real Sugar has Xoloitzcuintli, and Crush has La Calavera. The Día de los Muertos-themed packaging can be found in local grocery stores, chains and other independent stores through November 8^th.

ABOUT MANZANITA SOL
Manzanita Sol is a delicious, lightly carbonated apple soda bursting with juicy red apple flavor that'll make your taste buds dance. The crisp, refreshing flavor is from real apple juice and tastes great with a meal or when quenching your thirst. Manzanita Sol will liven up your day and is a refreshingly different alternative to other flavored sodas.

ABOUT PEPSICO 
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $70 billion in net revenue in 2020, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker, Tropicana and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 23 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales. 

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. "Winning with Purpose" reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of our business strategy and brands. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com. 

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SOURCE PepsiCo