When Kayla Casteñeda was a child, she spent several days at her grandparent's house in Central California — where she learned how to prepare “aguas frescas” with the ripe fruit that her grandfather, a farmworker, collected from the fields. “Agua fresca,” which literally translates to “fresh water,” is a popular type of beverage in Mexico and Latin America. The drink is made from an array of fruits, flowers or seeds blended with water and sugar. In the middle of the pandemic, Castañeda decided to honor her family’s heritage and created Agua Bonita, a brand of canned aguas frescas that contain 80% less sugar than the traditional Latin American drinks. Today, Agua Bonita is a full-fledged business that is available in more than 1,000 stores across the country, including Walmart.

This episode was produced by Miguel Estrada. 
It was edited by Ashley Chaparro.

Follow Kayla Castañeda at @so.fresca.so.clean.

Follow Ashley Chaparro at @ashleychaparro23.