EP: 97: Brazilian Cheese Bread, Cheesy Waffles, and Creating a Category from Scratch with Junea Rocha, Co-Founder and CMO of Brazi Bites

About Junea Rocha & Brazi Bites:

Junea Rocha is the Co-Founder and CMO of Brazi Bites, a leader in the frozen better-for-you, Latin-inspired food category. Rocha co-founded the brand in 2010, along with her husband, Cameron MacMullin. In a few short years Brazi Bites grew into a nationally distributed brand with a cult-like following after appearing on ABC’s Shark Tank and being included twice on the Inc. 5000 list of “America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies.” Bringing a cherished Brazilian household staple, “Pão de Queijo,” AKA cheese bread, to the U.S. market without any experience in the food industry, Rocha grew Brazi Bites’ annual revenue from zero to millions with distribution in over 17,000+ stores. Today, Rocha remains just as passionate and more excited than ever to continue Brazi Bites’ growth, making its products a household staple in North America. She hopes to continue creating joyful moments for families everywhere by producing delicious, easy-to-make, naturally gluten-free foods that also guarantee to spread smiles.

In this episode we cover:

• What's the origin of cheese bread in Brazil? 
• Thoughts on the emerging CPG brand categories - the wave of cultural cuisine/products and the better-for-you category. Where is the category heading.
• The challenges with scaling, growing a company, and creating a category from scratch.
• Brand's desire to listen to its community in order to help guide innovation and inspire change. 
• The Latino Entrepreneur Accelerator Program, and Junea's  dedication to supporting minority entrepreneurs through the LEAP program.

Links:
Brazi Bites Website
Brazi Bites Instagram
Brazi Bites TikTok
LEAP Program