How PepsiCo Foundation Created a Social Enterprise to Feed the Hungry

Innovating with a purpose has become a cornerstone of corporate responsibility. And organizations of all sizes and industries have become even more interested in addressing urgent social challenges from within. 

During the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's 2024 Business Solves conference, Howard Byck, SVP of partnerships and head of development at the U.S. Chamber Foundation, spoke with PepsiCo Foundation’s director of operations and impact, Andrea Moribe, about the Food for Good initiative. Here’s how PepsiCo has launched and sustained impactful social enterprises within a corporate framework. 

Identify a Purpose by Directly Approaching Community Members 

In 2009, PepsiCo’s Matt Smith launched the Food for Good initiative, a program dedicated to addressing a global food security issue that was, and still is, impacting over 47 million people in the United States. 

“At the time, [PepsiCo] had a CEO named Indra Nooyi who had a corporate strategic initiative called ‘Performance with Purpose,” Moribe explained. “It was all about how [to] take business performance and marry it with purpose.” 

However, Smith and a few employees started to research the opposite of the concept, which was, ‘How do you start with purpose but create a performance-driven organization?’ 

“The feedback … they got early on was, ‘Don't ask yourself what that purpose is,’” Moribe said. “Go out in the community and talk to community leaders.” 

“It's a journey of deep listening, of continuing to have courage and determination to fail and try again,” she added. 

Today, PepsiCo’s team of 60 individuals dedicated to Food for Good has delivered more than 245 million meals to over 41 million people worldwide. 

Leverage Corporate Resources to Make a Social Impact 

According to Moribe, many businesses have been conditioned to focus on the one thing they do better than their competition. 

“What you may not know is that [PepsiCo has] the largest fleet in North America,” Moribe shared. “We have an incredible logistical know-how. We know how to get food to … every corner of every country of the world.” 

Moribe explained the totality of a business's resources — expertise, talent, people, processes, etc. — is what sets it apart. Paired with the thought process that their initiative is doing more than just delivering a meal, but helping a child focus in school, to better their grades, to go to college, to apply for a job, and so on, it’s an investment. 

“I think when we bring all of our resources to the table … [and] when we are in the journey consistently with them, that's how we can support communities that thrive,” said Moribe.