Marina Alonzo – Staff Writer
FIU alumna Marie Capita is running her own sauce company with students at Immokalee High School. “Taste of Immokalee” does not only provide customers with quality condiments but teaches inspired company owners the skill sets needed to enter the world of business.
“Taste of Immokalee” was founded by Capita and other students in 2014. The idea came to be after students from Immokalee High School returned from a field trip and sought to find ways to help the hungry in the community.
According to the company website, Immokalee is the second poorest community in the state of Florida. The city is filled with migrant farmworkers and families who struggle to make ends meet.
Inspired by the students’ dream, Capita brought this idea to life with the start of her business. Since its origin, the company has impacted the Immokalee community by empowering the youth to rise out of poverty while influencing positive change.
“A lot of the students’ parents are migrant workers and their way out of poverty was to create something that didn’t have to follow their parents into the fields,” Capita said, “They’re bringing back the knowledge and helping other students.”
Capita is mentoring students as she partners with them to bring the company to life. She has implemented a curriculum within the business to ensure each student is gaining experience during their time there.
“The company itself, how I envision it, is a tool that we use to give the students the foundational soft skills that they need to be successful in whatever career path they go into,” Capita said.
Apart from managing the business’ logistics and sales, students are involved in creating the products themselves.
Taste of Immokalee sells sauces such as Chipotle Barbecue sauce, Fire Roasted Tomato and Jalepeño Salsa, and Serrano Hot Sauce.
Each sauce recipe was created by the students and their families. The young entrepreneurs ensure the quality of the products meet company standards.
Accountant department head and Immokalee native Dieulerne Deceus has been working at Taste of Immokalee since she was a freshman in high school. She explains how the business impacted her and her work experience.
“I think the most rewarding part is the business aspect,” Deceus said. “Not only am I getting hands-on business experience, but I don’t think anyone else in the nation or the world is able to say they’re a part of an organization that gives hands-on business experience while giving back to the community.”
Deceus loves working in accounting but hopes to go into the medical field one day. She believes what she is learning in Taste of Immokalee will provide her with skills that will help her with patient care.
“I always noticed that there was a lack of bilingual doctors who would be able to communicate in both English and Haitian Creole for my parents, ” Deceus added, “and with me being bilingual I want to help and break that barrier so that patients can understand and get the best care that they need.”
Taste of Immokalee housed their youth entrepreneurship program under their nonprofit organization, Taste the Impact, in 2019.
The program requires students to participate in weekly workshops and to take a final assessment at the end of the school year.
During the workshops, participants are trained by consultants and members of the school board who work hands-on in the company.
“We do have guidance at the highest level of expertise helping them,” Capita said.
The final assessment in the program allows students to earn a state-recognized credential. proving their expertise to thrive within a business. Once the assessment is completed, they participate in a paid six-week summer internship.
“I learned the basics of business so you know that email etiquette I guess like customer relations type of thing and going through different scenarios like if you were faced with this problem in the company how would you actually react to this and we’d have discussions with our mentors and consultants who gave us the leeway into that and we would actually remember those skills and apply what we had learned into our respective departments.”
Amid the pandemic, priorities of the Collier County school board changed due to COVID-19 concerns. Therefore, Taste of Immokalee could no longer collaborate with the schools located in the area.
However, Capita partnered with Boys and Girls Clubs of America and other nonprofit organizations to bring the curriculum to the students in the county.
Apart from partnership issues, the business was forced to transition online due to lockdowns, closures, and social distancing requirements. Although it posed a challenge for the company, Capita views this sudden shift as a benefit for the young entrepreneurs.
“Now they have to learn, how do you pivot? How do you go beyond when our customer base is predominantly 50 and older? How do you teach that age group to go digital?”
Students in the program pose together for a group picture.
Photo from the Taste of Immokalee website.
Students are now learning how to run a business in an online environment. This focuses on the digital marketing and advertising aspects of a company.
Taste of Immokalee seeks to expand its company footprint to the east coast of Florida. Capita is working on expanding the entrepreneurship program to organizations located in cities there.
Creating a new business from the ground up comes with a great number of challenges. Capita advises future entrepreneurs interested in running their own companies to learn from their failures and not to give up.
“Failing does not mean that you did not do your best. If you recognize that you failed, it’s just saying next time you try another way,” Capita said. “You learn from it and you don’t repeat it. Giving up is not an option, you just continue to do it.”
Capita welcomes and appreciates anyone’s involvement in her business. Those interested in learning more about the company and the program are welcome to email her at marie@tasteofimmokalee.com.
“Taste of Immokalee” products can be found in select Publix stores and their website.
All proceeds from these products are given to nonprofit organizations, such as the Immokalee Child Care Center, the Immokalee Pregnancy Center, and Hurricane Irma Relief.
To stay updated on Taste of Immokalee, follow them on their Instagram.