La Costeña is stepping up its collegiate marketing game. The Mexican pantry-staple brand has joined juice giant Jumex in an expanded UTSA Athletics sponsorship for the 2026–2027 season, according to a press release shared with Abasto Media.
The move builds on a relationship that began last year. Back then, Jumex became the first Mexican beverage brand to sponsor an NCAA Division I program, per the release. Now, La Costeña adds its own milestone to the mix.
The company becomes the NCAA’s first official jalapeño sponsor, the release states. That distinction places two culturally rooted brands squarely inside one of Texas’ fastest-growing athletic programs.
Sampling Sits at the Center of the Strategy
Unlike traditional signage-only deals, this UTSA Athletics sponsorship leans heavily on experiential marketing. Both brands are betting on product sampling to win over fans directly.
Jumex used game days to introduce its new Sparkling Soda line, according to the release. The lineup includes Orange, Mango, and Limeade flavors.
La Costeña took a different approach. The brand anchored high-visibility campus activations around its core products.
Those included jalapeños, refried beans, and salsas, according to the press release. It’s a pantry-trial strategy, not just a branding exercise.
The University of Texas at San Antonio fields 17 varsity sports as a Division I member of the American Athletic Conference, according to UTSA’s own athletics department. That footprint gives sponsors frequent, recurring touchpoints with fans throughout the year.
Playfly Sports Brokered the Deal
UTSA Sports Properties handled negotiations for the university. Playfly Sports, UTSA’s exclusive multimedia rights holder, brokered the agreement, per the release.
Playfly has served as UTSA’s MMR partner since September 2023, according to the company’s own announcements. The firm bills itself as a top revenue-maximization company across collegiate sports.
That expertise matters. Playfly connects thousands of brand partners with most U.S. sports fans, according to the company’s website.
Related Article: Jumex Hydrolit: The Most Innovative Drink of 2026
Executives Frame the Deal Around Community
Company leaders leaned into cultural connection when discussing the partnership. “This sponsorship with UTSA is all about passion, flavor, and deep community roots,” said Jillian Kupfer DeLawyer, Chief Marketing Officer of La Costeña USA, according to the release.
UTSA’s side echoed that sentiment. “San Antonio’s rich cultural identity is at the core of our university, and our sponsorships reflect the community we represent,” said Tony Nix, General Manager of UTSA Sports Properties, per the release.
Nix added that aligning with “premier Hispanic brands like Jumex and La Costeña” helps the university connect with its multicultural fan base, the release states.
Activations Already Underway
The sponsorship kicked off with football season. Jumex hosted an activation for the Sept. 5 season opener, featuring interactive games, prizes, and sampling of its new soda line, according to the release.
Both brands also participated separately during UTSA’s Hispanic Heritage Game week, which began Sept. 21. La Costeña joined the UTSA Athletics Gameday Countdown on Sept. 23.
That activation featured mini taquitos paired with refried beans, Homestyle Mexican Salsa, and nacho jalapeños, per the release. Fans will continue seeing La Costeña signage during football and baseball games. Jumex, meanwhile, keeps its football presence and adds online and radio integrations, according to the release.
Legacy Brands With Long Histories
Context matters here, too. La Costeña traces its roots to 1923, when founder Don Vicente López Resines opened a small Mexico City grocery store, according to the release.
The brand later expanded to Ecatepec, its current main production site. Along the way, it adopted lead-free, electrostatically sealed containers and “easy open” packaging technology, according to the release.
Jumex has an equally long history. The beverage company has produced juices and nectars since 1961 and now sells in more than 40 countries, according to the release.
For supermarket and CPG industries, this deal signals something bigger than one campus. Mexican food and beverage brands are increasingly using college sports to reach younger, multicultural consumers directly.
Sampling-heavy activations, rather than passive signage, appear to be the preferred playbook. That shift could shape how other Hispanic-owned or Hispanic-focused brands approach retail trial and regional brand-building going forward.