Junea Rocha is the CMO and Co-founder of Brazi Bites, a better-for-you, Latin-inspired, gluten-free frozen foods brand. With a background in civil engineering, she transitioned to the food industry by scaling her family’s recipe for Brazilian cheese bread into a thriving brand with multiple product lines sold in thousands of stores nationwide. Junea also launched the Latino Entrepreneur Accelerator Program, where she empowers emerging entrepreneurs to advance minority representation in the CPG industry.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• [3:00] The origin story of Brazi Bites
• [4:52] Strategies for maintaining flavor and authenticity during Brazi Bites’ growth
• [7:54] How Junea Rocha honed her Brazilian cheese bread recipe for mass production
• [12:11] Junea’s strategic approach to gradual innovation and brand evolution
• [17:43] Brazi Bites’ creative brand-building process
• [23:25] Insights into Brazi Bites’ latest gluten-free waffles
• [29:34] The importance of proper timing and market readiness in CPG innovation
• [40:08] Junea discusses the Latino Entrepreneur Accelerator Program

In this episode…

The CPG industry is reaching new heights with the ongoing introduction of culturally rich products. However, many consumers aren’t ready for such a drastic shift from the traditional. How can you ensure the market is primed for your family recipes?

Latina entrepreneur Junea Rocha tried launching a frozen version of her family’s Brazilian cheese bread from a food truck, but consumers weren’t prepared to merge the two distinct categories. It wasn’t until her brand appeared on Shark Tank that she captured consumers’ attention and began developing a marketing strategy utilizing customer behavior to innovate effectively. When scaling for mass production, Junea recommends maintaining cultural authenticity and communicating your brand story and product value in your packaging and design.

In the latest Brand Alchemist Podcast episode, Taja Dockendorf welcomes Junea Rocha, the CMO and Co-founder of Brazi Bites, to talk about how she scaled a culturally authentic food brand. Junea shares her strategic approach to gradual innovation and product evolution, why she developed the Latino Entrepreneur Accelerator Program, and her creative brand-building process.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Junea Rocha on LinkedIn 
• Brazi Bites 
• Taja Dockendorf on LinkedIn
• Pulp+Wire
• Pulp+Wire’s email: [email protected]   

Quotable Moments:

• “I’m a big believer in the importance of the right packaging as you scale.”
• “The problem that you’re solving for the consumer, that is the sort of solution that you’re communicating through your packaging.”
• “We started noticing a lot of complaining, and I was like, ‘this is just not good.’ We’re not gonna make it if we are complainers all the time.”
• “I really dislike victim mentality — I try to shift things so they’re rigged in my favor.”
• “I have turned into this obsession of being discovered — obsessing over getting discovered.”

Action Steps:

1. Employ authenticity in your product design: Stay true to cultural roots, ensuring your product resonates with both traditional and contemporary preferences. This fosters trust and loyalty among consumers seeking genuine experiences.
2. Leverage social listening for innovation: Observe customer behavior on social platforms to spot trends and demands, shaping your product development process.
3. Balance scale with quality: When expanding production, maintain product excellence to not lose the essence that won your initial customer base.
4. Tailor marketing to distribution channels: Align marketing strategies with retail partners’ profiles and consumer expectations in those environments.
5. Adopt a success-oriented mindset: Embrace challenges as opportunities, focusing on positive outcomes.