How Wilmer Valderrama Hopes to Continue Fostering Support for Small Business Owners

Getty Images / Rich Fury Wilmer Valderrama discusses why the PepsiCo Juntos Crecemos Initiative is so vital for small businesses.

Wilmer Valderrama is a man of the people and someone who always works with intention when it comes to the different projects he partners with.

Whether he's working on creating kids' shows like Handy Manny or shining a light on the people who got us through the pandemic with his Essential Voices podcast, Valderrama is always looking for opportunities where he can demonstrate the beauty of the Latino culture.

For his latest partnership, the actor and entrepreneur partnered with PepsiCo's Juntos Crecemos initiative which is giving $10,000 to five local Phoenix-based restaurants so that they may prepare for Super Bowl LVII.

"First and foremost, it's been a joy to partner with PepsiCo. I [have partnered] with PepsiCo a number of times in the past, and so I understand the company's priorities when it comes to talking to their consumers and the people that support the brand—so I was excited to just kind of join forces again [for Juntos Crecemos]," he tells People Chica.

Courtesy of PepsiCo Wilmer Valderrama and PepsiCo's Antonio Escalona give $10,000 to local Phoenix restaurant Rosita's Place.

As it pertains to Valderrama, this initiative and its goal hit close to home for him.

"This one was particularly personal for me. I don't know if you knew this, but my first job was [as] a busboy at a restaurant, and I had the job of picking up all the dirty dishes and bringing them to the dishwasher and then going back and forth [between] the floor [and] the dishwashers [...] and then also level the butter in the little cups and get them ready for the sourdough to come out," he explains.

The That '90s Show actor continues, "Eventually, in my life, I had the privilege of opening a bunch of restaurants myself in L.A. So I understand, you know, how difficult it is to start a restaurant and also how hard it is to keep the doors open. And during the pandemic, I grew even more interested."

Courtesy of PepsiCo Wilmer Valderrama and PepsiCo's Antonio Escalona give $10,000 to local Phoenix restaurant Phoenix Coqui.

This interest in restaurant workers and other "essential workers" prompted him to create his podcast.

He details, "As you know, I had launched Essential Voices and the podcast because I just thought it was important to really understand the sacrifice a lot of people were making [when] we were told that we had to stay home and that [there were] people that didn't get to stay home and be safe. And that's when I discovered a lot [about how] restaurants, you know, not only struggled but they were told many things, right?"

"First, 'you can't have anyone inside,' then, 'you got to sit people outside.' So then you got to invest in that. You know, so there was just so much about that time that challenged the resilience—the resiliency—of these restaurants," Valderrama continues.

"So now we come full circle to a couple of years after [the pandemic] and now you have an opportunity to figure out how these resources can really be vital. So this program, Juntos Crecemos, which is a Hispanic digital and delivery program, was a really game-changing moment," he asserts.

The actor and producer explains how the Juntos Crecemos initiative grants recipients the ability to grow their businesses in ways they may not have been able to support previously.

He notes, "It allowed a lot of these small restaurants that didn't have the capabilities to expand into the digital world or the delivery world and [gave] them the ability to add that as another layer of business for their specific restaurants. And I just thought, 'Wow, what a unique opportunity to come in and kind of mentor a lot of these— either young or old school [owners].' By the way, there's a lot of these [restaurants that have a] really, really long heritage [...] that have to now evolve with the times as well."

Valderrama recognizes that with the Super Bowl headed into Phoenix, these additional resources the restaurants are receiving are going to make all the difference.

"And you know with that traffic comes a road to discovery, not only for their cuisine but their culture and their stories. So I just felt like it was very in line with everything I believe in and as an entrepreneur, I got to tell you—every little bit—every dollar counts in how you keep the light on," he concludes.