While Stacy’s Pita Chips is known for its chips, the brand also has a deeper purpose: supporting women entrepreneurs through its annual mentorship program, the Stacy’s Rise Project. This is a commitment that ties back to its founder, Stacy Madison, who grew Stacy’s from a sandwich cart to a household snack brand.  

This year, Stacy’s is deepening its commitment to women entrepreneurs with the fourth iteration of the Rise Project and the creation of Rise, a short film produced in collaboration with Hello Sunshine, the media company founded by Oscar-winning actress and producer Reese Witherspoon, as well as some of today’s most renowned storytellers.

Depicting the trials and tribulations faced by women entrepreneurs, Rise—produced in partnership with Hello Sunshine—spotlights the stories of three previous Stacy’s Rise Project winners and food business founders: Sajani Amarasiri of Kola Goodies Inc., Jocelyn Ramirez of Todo Verde, and Maria Jose Palacio of Progeny Coffee.  

Created by award-winning filmmaker Nisha Ganatra, featuring words by best-selling poet Rupi Kaur, the short film underscores the notion that our roots make us resilient, and in turn, our resilience helps us rise. The full film will debut in January, but a preview of the film will be released during the Primetime EMMY Awards on September 12.

Exclusive content from the Rise short film is now available at stacysrise.com.

In addition, applications for this year’s Stacy’s Rise Project officially open on September 12 and the brand invites women entrepreneurs across the U.S. and Canada to apply. Later this year, Stacy’s will select and award 10 women entrepreneurs with a $15K grant, mentorship from Frito-Lay and PepsiCo leadership, and an incomparable built-in community of powerful women.  

Since 2017, Stacy’s has connected thousands of women entrepreneurs with each other and mentors and has also provided nearly $1 million in funding. Consumers can visit stacysrise.com to apply and use the FoundedByHer business directory to support an ever-growing community of women entrepreneurs.