Nestlé: Tapatío

For three consecutive semesters, Nestlé partnered with EvolveZ to introduce Tapatío's new frozen meal line to college campuses. Best known as the No. 1 hot sauce brand in California, Tapatío is a family-run business for more than 50 years that extended its brand into protein-packed Mexican frozen meals built for Gen Z: affordable, convenient, and bold in flavor.

EvolveZ deployed 50 Ambassadors per semester across campuses nationwide. Because the product is frozen, Ambassadors bought meals from local retail partners (reimbursed through the program) and distributed unopened, uncooked samples through Greek organizations, student clubs, and on-campus events. This kept the program tied directly to store shelves, with students selected based on proximity to nearby retailers where the product was in stock.

Alongside sampling, Ambassadors created TikTok posts, Instagram Reels, and Instagram Stories placing Tapatío Mexican meals in authentic Gen Z contexts: lunch breaks, late-night study sessions, roommate taste tests, and quick-meal college hacks.

The program also extended beyond organic reach. The Tapatío team selected top-performing Ambassador content and boosted it through paid media on TikTok and Instagram, generating more than 15 million additional impressions and making Ambassador-created posts a core part of the brand's paid social strategy.

EvolveZ managed the full program lifecycle: Ambassador recruitment and vetting, brand training and onboarding, retail logistics coordination, pre-publish content review, and weekly performance reporting through CreatorIQ.