Xcel Brands Announces Expansion of Mesa Mia by Jenny Martinez Into Consumer Food Products for Grocery Retail

NEW YORK, Oct. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Xcel Brands, Inc a media and consumer products company with expertise in livestream shopping and social commerce, today announced plans to expand Mesa Mia by Jenny Martinez into the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) food category, bringing the brand’s authentic Mexican culinary heritage to supermarkets and grocery retailers nationwide.

The expansion represents a natural evolution for Mesa Mia, which was created in partnership with Mexican-American chef, content creator and entrepreneur Jenny Martinez. Known for sharing the traditional recipes and cooking techniques passed down through her family from Jalisco, Mexico, Martinez has built a community of more than 5.3 million followers who turn to her for approachable and authentic Mexican cooking.

“My love of cooking started with my mom and the recipes she brought with her from Chapala, Mexico.” Said chef Jenny Martinez. “Those authentic flavors and ingredients have always been at the heart of my kitchen, and now I'm so excited to share them with families everywhere.”

The Hispanic food aisle represents an approximately $25 billion product category and is growing at twice the rate of current grocery product, the category remains largely dominated by legacy commodity brands and private-label offerings. Xcel Brands believes Mesa Mia has an opportunity to fill a significant void in the market by creating a national food brand rooted in authentic family recipes and led by a recognizable culinary personality with a deeply engaged audience.

“Jenny Martinez cooks for 5.3 million people every week using recipes that came directly from her family in Jalisco,” said Robert W. D’Loren, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Xcel Brands. “Despite the size and growth of the Hispanic food category, there is no national brand built around authentic heritage recipes with a trusted author behind them. We believe Mesa Mia can be that brand. Jenny brings authenticity, storytelling and a powerful connection with consumers that gives Mesa Mia the potential to stand apart in the grocery aisle.”

The planned expansion will bring the flavors and recipes at the heart of Mesa Mia into a broad portfolio of consumer food products designed for supermarket and grocery distribution. Initial product categories are expected to include salsas, cremas, queso, refrigerated and frozen meals, also sweet & savory desserts. Each product will draw inspiration from Martinez’s family recipes and culinary heritage, with the goal of making authentic Mexican flavors more accessible to consumers while maintaining the quality, authenticity and sense of tradition that define the Mesa Mia brand.

About Xcel Brands

Xcel Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ: XELB) is a media and consumer products company engaged in the design, licensing, marketing, live streaming, and social commerce sales of branded apparel, footwear, accessories, fine jewelry, home goods, pet products and other consumer products, and the acquisition of dynamic consumer lifestyle brands. Xcel was founded in 2011 with a vision to reimagine shopping, entertainment, and social media as social commerce. Xcel is an industry leader in developing influencer led brands and owns the Halston and C. Wonder brands, as well as the co-branded influencer led brands Tower Hill by Christie Brinkley, Trust. Respect. Love by Cesar Millan, GemmaMade by Gemma Stafford and OFF/DUTY by Coco Rocha brand and holds a long-term license agreement in Mesa Mia by Jenny Martinez. Xcel also owns and manages the Longaberger by Shannon Doherty brand through its controlling interest in Longaberger Licensing, LLC. Xcel is pioneering a modern consumer products sales strategy which includes the promotion and sale of products under its brands through interactive television, digital live-stream shopping, social commerce, brick-and-mortar retailers, and e-commerce channels to be everywhere its customers’ shop. The company’s previously owned and current brands have generated more than $5 billion in retail sales via livestreaming in interactive television and digital channels alone and has over 20,000 hours of content production time in live-stream and social commerce. The brand portfolio reaches more than 46 million social media followers with broadcast reaching 200 million households. Headquartered in New York City, Xcel Brands is led by an executive team with significant live streaming, production, merchandising, design, marketing, retailing, and licensing experience, and a proven track record of success in elevating branded consumer products companies. For more information, visit www.xcelbrands.com.

For further information please contact:

Xcel Brands
media@xcelbrands.com

About Jenny Martinez 

Jenny Martinez is well-known across social media platforms for sharing her authentic Mexican family recipes to the delight of millions of fans on TikTok and Instagram. Jenny was born in Mexico and moved to Los Angeles at age four, yet she has never lost touch with her Mexican heritage. The traditional recipes she shares with her followers have been passed down for generations in her family. Although she later mastered her culinary arts on her own, Jenny started by learning most of her mother’s recipes at the age of thirteen. Jenny considers a well-fed family the key to a happy family and believes that dinner should be celebrated every day. Food brings people together, and Jenny’s videos and recipes convey the spirit of family and community. She lives with her family in Los Angeles, California. Jenny’s first cookbook My Mexican Mesa, Y Listo! (Simon & Schuster) debuted in Spring 2024 featuring 100 recipes ranging from breakfast, appetizers & entrees to desserts, and even cocktails! Providing family-style recipes for every occasion & beautifully photographed to capture the authentic spirit of the cuisine, the cookbook is a must-have for home cooks looking for their next delicious meal. In 2024, Jenny launched her own line of cookware and dinnerware/tabletop at over 600 department stores nationally, as well as a spice line sold in grocery stores and online.

Jenny is represented by John Frierson at The Bureau New York City. Her attorney is Phil Daniels at Ginsburg Daniels Kallis LLP.