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.

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.