Pepitos Paletas

Franchise Coming Soon

Who are we

Pepito’s Paletas is a minority woman-owned artisan frozen dessert co-operative rooted in traditional Mexican paleta recipes, fresh ingredients, and community empowerment. Based in San Francisco, the brand blends heritage-inspired flavors with healthy, real-fruit recipes—offering both classic and modern paleta experiences. Pepito’s operates as a worker-owned co-op, sharing profits and providing hands-on entrepreneurial training in business and marketing to empower women and help them grow as founders and leaders.

Our Mission & Vision

Pepito’s Paletas aims to preserve and celebrate Mexican culinary tradition while building a business model that fosters economic empowerment, equity, and community leadership for women and workers.

Empowerment-Driven Co-Op Model
Pepito’s is more than a dessert brand — it’s a purpose-driven, women-led cooperative built to create opportunity, ownership, and long-term growth. Our model is designed to empower team members through hands-on training, leadership development, and real pathways toward entrepreneurship, allowing franchise partners to build a profitable business while being part of a company focused on community impact, collaboration, and future business ownership.
Sustainable & Innovative Packaging
What truly sets Pepito’s apart is our patented 8-hour freezer-fold packaging system — an innovative solution designed to keep paletas frozen for hours without electricity, freezers, or bulky catering equipment. This allows corporations, weddings, and events to easily self-serve with minimal setup, no staffing stress, and no rush to consume the product immediately. Unlike traditional frozen dessert companies, Pepito’s creates a scalable, low-overhead catering model that is sustainable, reusable, easy to transport, and built for modern events — making the packaging itself one of the biggest drivers of profitability and growth.
Fresh, Cultural, & Handmade
Every Pepito’s paleta is handcrafted using fresh fruit, simple ingredients, and heritage-inspired recipes — never mass produced or stored long-term in freezers. By offering what families are truly looking for today — less sugar, clean ingredients, healthier options, and parent-approved treats — Pepito’s delivers a modern dessert experience that feels both nostalgic and better for you.
Inclusive & Health-Centered
At Pepito’s, we believe fruit is already good — it doesn’t need artificial ingredients, excessive sugar, or complicated additives. That’s why many of our best-selling paletas are made with only one to two simple ingredients. Our watermelon paleta is made with 100% watermelon and nothing else. Our Strawberries & Cream contains real strawberries and real cream. Our pineapple is naturally caramelized with dates instead of processed sugars. By focusing on clean, recognizable ingredients with minimal processing, Pepito’s offers a healthier, parent-approved dessert experience designed for today’s more conscious consumer.