When it comes to spending and economic buying power, Latinos are rapidly becoming a key component in growing brands and increasing customer loyalty. It’s estimated that Latinos' buying power grew by 87% from 2010 to 2020, to more than $1.9 trillion. The number of Latino-owned businesses has grown to 34% in the last 10 years alone, compared with a 1% growth for all other small businesses. Simply, Latino-owned businesses and consumers are making an impact on the economy.
We are putting a spotlight on Latino and Latina-owned businesses across the world to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. The annual celebration between September 15 through October 15 is to recognize the contributions and influence of Latinos and Hispanics in history and culture. In addition to celebrations, the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries such as Costa Rica, Mexico, Guatemala, Chile, and others, falls during this month.
If you’re wondering about the difference between Hispanic and Latino, it is interchangeable and up to each individual’s preference on how they identify themselves. Hispanic refers to individuals who speak Spanish or come from Spanish-speaking countries, while Latino describes individuals who have an ethnic background from a country in Latin America.
El Chilito Hot Sauce
El Chilito is a family owned hot sauce brand that has been passed down for generations. The original recipe originated from Sahuayo, Michoacan, Mexico and was hand made by the Gonzales family great grandmother. Now, sisters Debbie, Rubi, and Evelyn handcraft their deeply flavorful and one-of-a-kind sauce with their father’s blessings
ONSET
Onset is a fitness and apparel brand founded by Latina influencer Les Do Makeup. Onset's mission is to "inspire women to embrace all her forms; from the gym goer, to the student, to the hard-working mom." It's loyalty program Onset VIP, also is popular among its customers with different ways to earn points.
Lorenza Jewelry
Mexican jewelry brand Lorenza Jewelry is a unique jewelry brand that offers a wide range of jewelry pieces to customers. Lorenza offers a fashionable approach that inspires customers to wear and style each jewelry piece how they want. With more than 275,000 Instagram followers, Lorenza Jewelry has cultivated a community that can’t get enough of the brand.
Yipao Coffee
Yipao Coffee is founded by two Colombian entrepreneurs based in San Diego, California, Maria Bahamon and Jairo Martinez. Their goal with Yipao Coffee, is to share one of Colombia's biggest exports (coffee) and honor the hard work behind the coffee farmers. It's name honors the car that is used to carry coffee through the rugged and steep Colombian mountains. According to Yipao, "for more than half a century, the Yipao has been a witness to and champion of the Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia, a UNESCO World Heritage site."
Bawi Agua Fresca
Agua Frescas are a staple among the Latino community. Two friends, Victor and Jordan set out to create the first sparkling agua fresca, with flavors ranging from lime, passion fruit, and pineapple. The brand was born in Monterrey, Mexico, and now rooted in Austin, Texas.
According to Bawi, "as a first generation Mexican immigrant, Victor wanted to bring authentic Mexican flavors and traditions to the USA. Jordan, growing up in Austin, was intertwined with Mexican-American culture and developed a passion for the food & beverage space. Together, they set out to make something they’d both be proud of and enjoy."
Miss Rizos
Miss Rizos is a haircare brand that was founded by Carolina Contreras, a social entrepreneur who was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in the USA. The goal of the brand is to "challenge beauty standards, elevating the conversation at the intersection of hair and social impact." A portion of every purchase goes to the Miss Rizos Foundation, which seeks to empower women and end racial and gender discrimination in the Dominican Republic.
Tia Lupita Foods
Tia Lupita Foods was born out of "one man's quest to bring his Mexican home to the table." Founded by Hector Saldivar, the brand started with a hot sauce and now has expanded to include grain-free cactus tortilla chips and cactus tortillas.
Blank Tag Co.
A trip to Tokyo, Japan sparked an idea for Blank Tag Co. founders Remi Silva and Alondra Carbajal to start a sticker shop. “During one of our walking tours, we noticed a really popular stationery store and decided to check it out,” says Remi. “We walked through the entire store and eventually stumbled upon a shelf full of stickers made by B-Side Label. As we browsed through the collection, we wondered why there wasn’t something similar to B-Side Label in the United States.”
“We believe stickers are more than just a piece of paper. They are an expression of who we are, the things we love, and a way to capture memories. Diversity and representation are our core values, and our goal is for every customer to feel a sense of belonging and pride with each purchase,” says Remi.
It wasn’t until Blank Tag customers were asking for a way to earn points that Remi implemented a loyalty program that would satisfy and build a long-term relationship with customers. “We're extremely customer focused and have always tried to think of ways to delight our customers,” says Remi. “After interviewing a few customers, we realized that they were looking for a way to collect points on their orders and also get incentives for referring us to their friends."
"We knew our loyalty program was successful when our repeat purchase rate jumped to over 25%, customers were emailing us about their points, and seeing customers redeem their points for more stickers,” says Remi. Its collection of stickers includes everything from nature to animals, food, culture references and so much more.
Hollerworld Sunglasses
Fresh and made by Latinos for Latinos, Hollerworld Sunglasses is a Guatemalan brand offering high-quality sunglasses at an affordable price for its Latin American customers. Hollerworld Sunglasses also gives back proceeds from every purchase to the organization Por Ciegos y Sordos de Guatemala, for those who are visually impaired and deaf.
Tragos
First-generation Latinos born in a different country from their parents, often find themselves under the stigma of “not being Latino enough.” A battle many first-generation immigrants share in common. Carolina Acosta is on a mission to bring together people to celebrate and embrace their Latino culture, all while having fun through Tragos, a card game that Carolina created. Carolina was inspired by her Colombian and Dominican culture and created something every first-generation Latino can relate to.
Marama Hair Care
Marama is a 100% Mexican-owned hair care brand that gives customers natural ingredients for natural hair care. It all started with one product, a natural shampoo, and has since expanded into different hair care products. “20 years later, we decided to share Marama with an even larger community to create a culture where more and more people can take care of their bodies and the environment through synergy with nature,” states its website.
The husband and wife duo Eugenio Garza and Mariana Luna have grown the business and even appeared on Shark Tank, where they got a deal. Marama has cultivated a brand community with its customers through its rewards and referral program, Marama Recompensas.
Martha of Miami
The Cuban atmosphere is alive and vibrant in Miami. Martha of Miami is the perfect brand that celebrates the Latino and Cuban cultures. Founded by Cuban American, Martha Valdes, you will find mugs, pins, jewelry, hats, and their famous “Cuban Bred” t-shirt in the shop. Along with other Latino sayings, its products feature phrases like “but first, cafecito,” and “ponte las pilas.” One great way Martha of Miami encourages UGC (user-generated-content) and reviews is through its loyalty program, where customers can earn points by submitting photos wearing their purchases.
Martha explains to us how excited her customers get over their loyalty program. "Customers get excited hearing that they have points when they're at checkout! Sometimes it's a $5 off coupon, sometimes it's 20% OFF! It rewards them for their loyalty and makes them feel appreciated."
For Martha, being a Latina-owned business owner is all about the community. "To be a Latina business owner is an accomplishment. The community is really what helps keep my business thriving," says Martha. "The support for Latina women to be their own business owners was not something of the past, but now more than ever, I feel that we all want to see each other, in the latino community, grow."
Acapella
For apparel brands, it can be hard to cut through the noise of competition. But Mexican brand Acapella is a standout for its brand community, loyalty program, and of course its incredible products. Acapella is an apparel brand known as “smartwear for the global digital lifestyle”—and was named ‘the best T-Shirts in Mexico” by GQ Magazine.
The brand was started by two friends Hugo and Ricardo, who quickly realized they were limited in what types of shirts to buy in Mexico. "During the summer of 2013, we were touring southern Mexico with our band Gama and we were invited to a party. We hadn't packed many clothes besides what we would wear on stage, so we decided to go shopping,” the website states. “Without success, we realized how limited Mexico is when it comes to clothing and decided to do something about it."
With its social media approach to man-on-the-street style videos and collaborations with large food brands like Shake Shack and Topo Chico, Acapella has quickly grown to become a top brand in Mexico.
Pergamino Café
When you think of Colombia, coffee is usually a top thought. Colombian coffee is known worldwide as simply being one of the best. Some of the best coffee in the world is harvested, produced, and exported from the South American country of Colombia. It’s estimated that Colombia has more than 500,000 coffee growers throughout different regions and produces around 14,000 tons of coffee a year.
Pergamino Café is a coffee brand that is directly from the coffee farms in Colombia to its coffee shops. Now it offers up its coffee to be shipped to other parts of the world and sells coffee from different regions of Colombia, all with different tastes.
Oh Comadre Candles
Oh Comadre Candles was started by Marcella Gomez. She started making candles as a form of therapy and a way to destress from being a nurse. “I would come home and make candles to forget about what I had seen,” says Marcella. “Health care is a serious business that can burn you out and I definitely didn't want to burn out. I also noticed there were no Latino candle aromas out there. So I played with ideas and never thought these crazy ideas would lead to a business.”
Each candle is hand poured and adorned with the best veggie soy wax and fragrance. Marcella’s focus on quality artisan candles is the result of crafting the perfect candle for 16 months. “I take being a Latina business owner, selling Latina-inspired candles as a big responsibility,” says Marcella. “I take it very seriously because I know these candles represent moms, aunts, grandmas, etc., they had to be the best candle I could make. I wanted a candle to represent my culture and celebrate life through a Latina's eyes in hopes to evoke emotion, comfort, and a lovely memory.”
FreeMet
Ecommerce hasn’t always been the friendliest for the planet, but FreeMet is aiming to change that by creating a sustainable brand that benefits both the health of families and the ocean. FreeMet is a Chilean, B corp that believes taking care of the planet starts at home. With household products such as laundry detergent, hand soap, shampoo, and conditioners and so much more, every product is good for the environment.
Despite living in Santiago, Chile, and having friends in common, co-founders Andrea and Carolina did not meet until several years later. Carolina is a marine biologist and Andrea is a kinesiologist, who together with a passion for the ocean and the planet have created a brand that is clean. According to its website, “Since we decided to make FreeMet products, we were 100% convinced that they had to be ecological, hypoallergenic, not tested on animals, and free of aggressive chemicals.”
Dominique Cosmetics
Dominique Cosmetics is a cruelty-free and vegan beauty brand with a mission to "create meaningful makeup that empowers you in your daily life, both inside and out." Founded by Latina influencer Christen Dominique, she developed Dominique Cosmetics "to curate products that break the norms of today’s vanity, and shine a light on anyone who uses our products."
Brands making an impact
What these brands share in common with other Latino-owned businesses is the passion and pride they have in their culture. These brands are making a name for themselves. With the number of Latino-owned businesses growing, the increase in diversity among businesses, across all industries is a positive thing for consumers. Let’s celebrate these brands even after Hispanic Heritage Month.
Editor’s Note: This post was updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness on September 15, 2024.
